AP Kunhikannan, Managing Trustee of Malayala Kalagramam, who was close to legendary writers Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, MV Devan and T Padmanabhan, is no more. He was 96.
Kunhikannan, who had recently recovered from a bout of pneumonia, died at a private hospital in Chennai on Sunday.
The body will be taken to his house on Ashok Avenue at Kodambakkam in Chennai for public homage and later brought to Thalassery for cremation.
Born on December 9, 1928 as the eldest of the seven children of Poyil Krishnan and Chirutha, Kunhikannan left home when he turned 18.
He reached Madras in search of fellow Thalassery native VK Achuthan. His first job in Chennai was as a night watchman at the Shanthi Bhavan Lodge near the railway station.
Meeting writer M Govindan at the Kerala Samajam was a turning point in his life. Soon, Kunhikannan became acquainted with T Padmanabhan, MV Devan, KA Kodungallur and Vaikom Muhammad Basheer among others.
Kunhikannan had discontinued his studies in the third grade, but he became good friends with some of the literary greats of Malayalam. He also became a voracious reader.
Meanwhile, Kunhikannan joined Jayprakash Narayan's Socialist Party and began working closely with KB Menon and MP Damodaran. With Damodaran, he started a contract business that became profitable and transformed their lives.
They started Western Agencies that helped numerous Malayalis in Chennai. The success of various cultural programmes he spearheaded in Chennai prompted Kunhikannan to start something similar in Kerala. That was how Kalagramam was born 29 years ago.
He found great support from T Padmanabhan, MV Devan and Artist Namboothiri, who passed away the other day.
Kalagramam, situated in New Mahe near Kannur is a learning centre for art and culture and conducts courses in painting, music, dance and the making of sculptures and pottery.
His sister Raji was involved in the regular functioning of Kalagramam while Kunhikannan funded the initiative. Kunhikannan was unmarried.
