ONV Kurup had not thrown away a single page or struck out a single word by the time he finished writing ‘Bhoomikkoru Charamageetham’ (Requiem for Earth).
The poem came into being without the poet knowing it, he once said. So was the title. He did not even have a second thought about it.
Also read: Renowned poet ONV Kurup passes away
It came natural to the poet, who wrote a prayer for the trees. Not a single page was wasted. If the pen had a life, it would have worked with no one but ONV. Not a single stroke of letter would go waste.
ONV wrote ‘Requiem for the Earth’ for a gathering of poets to stress the need for the protection of environment. The collective, called the Environment Protection Council, had N.V. Krishna Warrier and Sugathakumari as president and secretary.
The hall in Thiruvananthapuram was bursting at the seams with people who had taken Re 1 entry tickets to listen to the poet recite his new poem.
The Requiem, which went on to become one of the most popular poems in Malayalam, was the result of an ominous thought that occurred to ONV after a visit to an exhibition of lunar material – What if Earth becomes a wasteland like moon?
Disclaimer
The comments posted here/below/in the given space are not on behalf of Manorama. The person posting the comment will be in sole ownership of its responsibility. According to the central government's IT rules, obscene or offensive statement made against a person, religion, community or nation is a punishable offense, and legal action would be taken against people who indulge in such activities.