Page 77 - Kerala calling OCTOBER 2020

visited him. Indeed, he claims it is
not he who writes, but someone
within. No wonder, his poetic career
spanning over seventy years is not
easy to evaluate.

Akkitham is his family name. There
were no issues in this ancient family
of Vedic scholars and he was born
as a result of propitiating many
gods. He was named Achyuthan.
Patriarchs of the family naturally
wished that Achyuthan would turn
into a great Vedic scholar. When
he was eight, he was initiated by
his father into learning Rigveda. writings. But, curiously, it was the Muktakas (independent shlokas).
Amazingly, he started writing Rigveda that reaffirmed his faith in Some of the finest children’s verse in
Malayalam shlokas in Sanskrit communism. Akkitham asserts that Malayalam is written by Akkitham.
metres around that time. But his the Samvaada Sookta of Rigveda We can also find some of the best
heart lay in sketching and painting which talks about the communion of allegoric contemplative poetry in his
– a skill he would put to great minds is proto-communist literature. oeuvre. Judge him in terms of verbal
advantage in his writing later. He He turned a fellow traveller and felicity, ease and abundance or by the
joined the college after passing remained so for nearly seven years – parameters of copiousness, variety
the matriculation examination, 1943 to 1949. and subtlety, Akkitham would score
but could not continue his studies on all counts.
further. Akkitham had by then established
himself as a poet of repute. He had Indeed, the teardrop, around which
published many books of poems he has woven new myths, is a major
Poetry sustained him all through
these years. But it was his meeting including a narrative poem depicting motif of his poetry. Tears are nothing
with the legendary poet Edasseri the story of an agrarian struggle but life-giving water. Water, and not
Govindan Nair (1906 - 74) that – “The Wet Clod”. It was easy to fire, is Akkitham’s basic element. It
gave a new direction to his poetic graduate from Samvaada Sookta to cannot be otherwise with a poet who
pursuits. Akkitham gratefully regards communism. wrote about the failure of a much-
Edasseri as his mentor and maintains acclaimed revolution.
that it was Edasseri’s ruthless tutoring “Light, O young one! is sorrow;
that helped him grow as a poet. His Darkness is pleasurable”. Indeed, the teardrop,
first collection of poems came out Arguably again, this is one of the around which he has
in 1946. Three years later he got most quoted couplets from modern woven new myths, is a
married; he celebrated the event with Malayalam poetry. For the poet’s major motif of his poetry
another book of poems. detractors, it has come in handy as a
stick to beat him with, as an evidence
Predictably, he started writing against of his alleged regressive socio- Sex, parenthood, family–
the evil practices of his community political stance.
with a reformatory zeal. Those were every aspect of life is a
the days when communist ideology Sex, parenthood, family–every cause for celebration in
was taking roots in Kerala. E.M.S. aspect of life is a cause for celebration Akkitham’s poetry
Namboodiripad, with whom he in Akkitham’s poetry. He embraces
had long-standing familial ties, was both the farmer’s slang and the
writing primers on socialism and heightened Sanskritised poetic Water, and not fire, is
communism. Akkitham was initially diction of the Vedas. Both folk tunes Akkitham’s basic element
drawn to communism by these and intricate Sanskrit metres occur
to him naturally. So, do sonnets and
prd.kerala.gov.in/publication/keralacalling/OCTOBER 2020 77 KERALA CALLING