Thiruvananthapuram: Poetry buffs in Kerala now have an opportunity to know the literary skills of prime minister Narendra Modi with the release of Malayalam translation of his selected poems.
The Malayalam version of the poetry collection titled "Aankh aa dhanya chhe", penned originally by him in his mother tongue, Gujarati, was released here at a function today.
The book, titled "Mizhiyithu Dhanyam", comprises a collection of 67 poems penned by Modi on a host of topics - ranging from Vande Mataram and Kargil to voyage, butterfly, and memories.
"Love my Gujarat; It is my soul," Modi writes as an introduction to the book.
The Malayalam version, brought by noted academic V V Viswam, is based on its Hindi translation by Anjana Sandhir.
Releasing the book, union minister Satyapal Singh said the country has got a prime minister "deeply rooted in the nation's religion and culture" through Narendra Modi.
The minister of state for HRD also hailed Modi as "a man of dedication and commitment".
"I am sure, the kind of prime minister the country has got in the history of 70 years...first time, the country has got a PM...a man of dedication and a man of commitment...a man deeply rooted in India's religion and culture," Singh said.
The minister also released the Malayalam translation of 'Ramcharitmanasam' (Tulsidasa Ramayana) by academic C G Rajagopal during the function organised by the cultural and literary outfit Vallathol Sahitya Samithi.
Hailing the book as a 'punya work' for the coming generations, Singh said the epic "Ramayana is an ocean of knowledge."
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