Sukumar Azhikode, award-winning writer, scholar
and probably the most influential Gandhian intellectual in Kerala, died at a
private hospital here on Tuesday.
Professor Azhikode, who would have turned 86 on
May 12, had been fighting cancer for nearly a year. Hailing from Kannur in
north Kerala, he had made Thrissur his home but would be cremated at the
historic Payyambalam beach in Kannur on Wednesday, in deference to the wishes
of his relatives. He will get full State honours.
An intellectual giant, a great humanist, a
cultural guru, a committed secularist, a champion of human rights and a
sentinel of social values, he gave expression to his ideals through more than
35 books, thousands of articles and countless orations — all laced with grace,
dignity and humour. As a literary critic, he upheld the timeless values of the
classics. His range was wide, ranging from Indian philosophy, Vedas and
Upanishads to the subtly nuanced pure literary criticism. His writings on
poetry gravitated towards sociological and cultural criticism.
Professor Azhikode's most noted work Tatvamasi
(1984) had won the Central Sahitya Akademi and the Kerala Sahithya Akademi
awards and over half-a-dozen other honours, including the prestigious Vayalar
Award.
In 2007, Professor Azhikode famously rejected the
Padma Shri award conferred on him, contending that such awards were against the
Constitution. “The Constitution says everyone should be treated as equal.
Giving such honours at different levels, the State discriminates between
people. I see the Padma Shri conferred on me as an opportunity to expose this
discrimination,” he had said.
His concerns were wide and touched upon
progressive literature (Purogamanasahityavum Mattum), Gandhism (Mahatmavinte
Margam), Kumaran Asan (Aasaante Seethaakavyam), the teachings of Sree Narayana
Guru (Guruvinte Dukham) and literary aesthetics (Sankara Kurup
Vimarshikkapedunnu).
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