Keezhattoor: Architect RK Ramesh, who had envisioned transforming Poonthanam Illam of Malayalam’s foremost devotional poet into a cultural and literary centre, has passed away without seeing his dream fulfilled.

The Poonthanam Illam and its adjoining five acres were taken over by the Guruvayur Devaswom on August 31, 1993. The official handover of the property including its title deed was conducted by then Chief Minister K Karunakaran, in the presence of Guruvayur Devaswom Chairman P T Mohanakrishnan Menon.

Following the acquisition, the Devaswom governing committee had laid out ambitious plans for the site which included converting the Illam into a distance education centre under Malayalam University, supporting literary and linguistic research, building an auditorium for literary debates and constructing traditional Kerala-style guest houses for writers and scholars. The vision also included promoting Kerala’s classical art forms through dedicated training facilities.

To bring this vision to life, the Devaswom Board entrusted the project design to RK Ramesh. He visited the site with his team, drafted the master plan and even created scale models that showcased how the centre would look upon completion. However, the plan never moved beyond the drawing board. Successive Devaswom governing committees failed to execute the project. A sanctioned amount of ₹40 lakh for the proposed auditorium on the property also lapsed without being utilised.

Today, the Poonthanam Illam,though renovated along with its large adjoining barn remains only a shadow of the cultural hub it was meant to be. The surrounding five-acre property lies abandoned and overgrown with wild vegetation. Yet, visitors comprising students, devotees of Lord Krishna and lovers of Malayalam literature continue to arrive here in large numbers.