The statue of Thunchah Ezhuthachan was unveiled in the Amruthabharathi Vidyapeetam state office in Kochi on February 21.
Ezhuthachan is considered the father of the Malayalam language. He is the author of Adhyathma Ramayanam Kilippatt, the Malayalam version of Valmiki Ramayan. He is the person behind developing the Malayalam language as we see it now.
Ezhuthachan contributed to the development of Malayalam grammar and the poem of the language. He is one of the pioneers of the Bhakti movement in the Malayalam language. His lifetime is estimated to be four and half centuries ago.
Amruthabharathi is an offshoot of Balagokulam, a Sangh-inspired children’s movement and also the largest children’s movement in the entire world.
The statue was jointly unveiled by well-known Sanskrit scholar and VC of Maharshi Panini Sanskrit University, Ujjain, Dr C G Vijayakumar, senior Sangh Pracharak, founder of Balagokulam and former editor of “Kesari” Malayalam weekly M A Krishnan aka M A Sir and writer, critic and Kerala Government’s “Ezhuthachan” Puraskar laureate Prof M K Sanoo, Dr M V Natesan, retd. Sri Sankara Sanskrit University, Kaladi, and senior leaders of Balagokulam and Amrithabharathi spoke on occasion.
Sculptor and senior Sangh worker Artist M L Ramesh Lakshmanan was felicitated on the occasion.
It is to be noted that Government’s plan to unveil an Ezhuthachan statue at Thuchanparambu, in Muslim majority Malappuram district, has not materialised even after over a decade. It is because the statue of a human being is against the Islamic faith. The finished statue remains in a gunny bag somewhere in the town. RSS, BJP and like-minded organisations have been demanding the earliest erection of the statue, but in vain.
Amruthabarathi conducts examinations on Bharatiya culture on Deepavali day every year. People from all over the world participated in it. This activity has been going on since the last more than 35 years.
