Thiruvananthapuram: The feeling of loss was tangible -- palpable even--among the 10 young girls from Silver Hills Higher Secondary School in Kozhikode. They had hoped for a moment to meet the literary colossus, MT Vasudevan Nair, at least once before their performance, but fate had other plans.

On the last Christmas night, they all had returned home with tear-streaked faces, having bowed in reverence before the frozen remains of the legend at his residence, Sithara, on Kottaram Road in Kozhikode. Little did they know, they were soon destined to honour him on a stage named MT-Nila just a few days later.

For weeks, these girls, guided by their mentor Vineeth Saushtava, had meticulously rehearsed a group dance choreographed as a tribute to MT. Though these young artists had longed to catch a glimpse of MT before presenting their dance, choreographed as a tribute to the eminent writer, at the district level, MT had already been hospitalised.

And while they prepared for their performance at the state level, the news of MT’s passing reached them.

Vineeth, a devoted disciple of the renowned Kalamandalam Saraswathi, had once studied dance and life under her and MT in a gurukula-style setting. In fact, it was Saraswathi herself who inaugurated Vineeth’s dance school, Saushtava, marking the beginning of his artistic journey.

Today, as they step onto the stage, their movements will carry the weight of grief and gratitude, a tribute to the literary giant who had inspired generations. Somewhere far away, tears will quietly fall, mingling with the timeless beauty of their dance -- a fitting farewell to the eminent author.