The government will take steps to develop the Kumaranasan Memorial National Institute at Thonnakkal near here into an international research centre on Malayalam language and literature, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.
Speaking after inaugurating the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahakavi Kumaranasan on Saturday, he said the poet had taught the values of renaissance and humanity. “His works held a mirror to the problems faced by mankind, upheld the rights of the working class and underlined the need to wipe out casteism from society,” he said and called for an introspection on whether there had been social progress or degeneration since the poet’s time.
Minister for Cooperation V.N. Vasavan presided. The Chief Minister unveiled a sculpture by Kanayi Kunhiraman embodying the characters in Asan’s poems.
