Dateline 19 Jun.
17 years back, around 1917 h, PN Panicker had breathed his last at the Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. The crowds that had come to pay homage to him was unprecedented. They consisted of poor people from the villages whom he'd empowered by making them literate and essentially, given them the ability to put down their signatures on documents!
Today, is his remembrance day. The programme, at the Kanakakunnu Palace, was a well attended function and the conference hall was overflowing with people from all walks of life, with a generous sprinkling of children. In fact, as part of the organising team I was sorry to see that not all of them could sit and watch the proceedings. But, I must admit that their enthusiasm never lost its intensity!
I shall not talk about the luminaries that graced the stage but I intend to touch upon an incident narrated by the Jnanapith Award winning poet, ONV Kurup sir on the occasion.
He'd met my grandfather, for the first time, during the early 1950s and was able to practise his oratorial skills, on big platforms, thanks to my grandfather's invitations. After a while, he'd started getting to be bored with such invites and to put it in his words, he was irritated and told my grandfather, one day, that he was not inclined to attend such programmes any more. One must understand that ONV was a budding poet then and PNP was trying to do the impossible - educating the masses!
PN Panicker's answer was the trump and I quote from ONV's speech when he recalled the incident, 'Young man, if people like you do not help me how can I accomplish my task?' ONV sir says that from then on he never missed a single event connected with my grandfather!
Even Oommen Chandy, the chief minister, came in though late thanks to a heated session in the Legislative assembly as the house was in session. His statement, 'Panicker sir's programme is something that I cannot afford to miss' showed his respect for the legend.
Tailpiece.
My grandfather bestest!
17 years back, around 1917 h, PN Panicker had breathed his last at the Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. The crowds that had come to pay homage to him was unprecedented. They consisted of poor people from the villages whom he'd empowered by making them literate and essentially, given them the ability to put down their signatures on documents!
Today, is his remembrance day. The programme, at the Kanakakunnu Palace, was a well attended function and the conference hall was overflowing with people from all walks of life, with a generous sprinkling of children. In fact, as part of the organising team I was sorry to see that not all of them could sit and watch the proceedings. But, I must admit that their enthusiasm never lost its intensity!
I shall not talk about the luminaries that graced the stage but I intend to touch upon an incident narrated by the Jnanapith Award winning poet, ONV Kurup sir on the occasion.
He'd met my grandfather, for the first time, during the early 1950s and was able to practise his oratorial skills, on big platforms, thanks to my grandfather's invitations. After a while, he'd started getting to be bored with such invites and to put it in his words, he was irritated and told my grandfather, one day, that he was not inclined to attend such programmes any more. One must understand that ONV was a budding poet then and PNP was trying to do the impossible - educating the masses!
PN Panicker's answer was the trump and I quote from ONV's speech when he recalled the incident, 'Young man, if people like you do not help me how can I accomplish my task?' ONV sir says that from then on he never missed a single event connected with my grandfather!
Even Oommen Chandy, the chief minister, came in though late thanks to a heated session in the Legislative assembly as the house was in session. His statement, 'Panicker sir's programme is something that I cannot afford to miss' showed his respect for the legend.
Tailpiece.
My grandfather bestest!
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