The people who sat in front of the ‘Neermathalam’ in Thiruvananthapuram listening to Sugathakumari should never have thought that this would be the final goodbye to their beloved poet.
“This light, the vegetation, the flowers, the wind and the song of the birds, I have a little more time for this. God has given more time to look at the faces of these children. That’s enough. I can only bow down to your love. “The people who sat in front of the ‘Neermathalam’ (caper) at the Manaveeyam veedhi in Thiruvananthapuram last January, listening to the words of the eminent state poet Sugathakumari, should never have thought that within a few For months these words will ring in your ears as the final goodbye from your “teacher.” But it has come to be, as Malayalam’s best-known poet, Sugathakumari, succumbed to COVID-19 on Wednesday.
“This was the last function the teacher attended. It was his 86th birthday celebration, and we held it under the Neermathalam tree that he planted there years before, in memory of the late Madhavikutty (Kamala Surayya) writer, ”says Geetha Nazeer, part of the women’s group that held the event. She recited poems for us and drank the ‘payasam’ we made, recalls Geetha.
In May 2013, on the fourth anniversary of Madhavikutty’s death, Sugathakumari and the freedom fighter Koothattukulam Mary jointly planted the caper tree or ‘neermathalam’, which was very close to the heart of the late writer. And for the women there, the place became their own space, where they wandered, recited poems, held discussions, or simply lounged.
Read: Brotherhood of the Caper Tree – This tree in T’puram has become a space for women to roam
On January 22, 2020, when various groups of women in Thiruvananthapuram wanted to celebrate the birthday of their beloved poet Sugathakumari, who had been mostly indoors due to age-related illnesses, there was no more suitable space than under the caper tree. . And Sugathakumari came easily.
In videos of the event, Sugathakumari, dressed in a Kerala sari, could be seen listening intently as some recited her poems.
See video of Sugathakumari’s birthday celebration
Read: Sugathakumari, a thoughtful poet who fought for nature and humanity, dies
From literary laureates, artists to politicians, many came out with messages of mourning, condoning the death of the poet, who was also known for her environmental activism. His funeral was held with state honors, at Santhikavadam in Thiruvananthapuram.
Read:
Sugathakumari fought atrocities against women and children for decades
‘An irreparable loss’: Kerala mourns the death of renowned poet Sugathakumari
.
