Kannur: For 83-year-old Deviyamma, a resident of Valappu Road village, her most cherished possessions are two time-worn editions of the Ramayana and Krishnapattu.

Deviyamma’s formal education ended in Class 5. Soon after she left school, her father, Udinookkaran, gifted her these books purchased from the Subramanya Swami Temple 72 years ago. Though the pages have faded and many letters worn away with time, she refuses to replace them. “Can new books ever match the value of what my father gave me,” she asks when her children suggest buying new copies.

She received the books on a Karkidaka Sankranti day. That evening, seated before the gentle glow of a nilavilakku (traditional oil lamp), she began reading the Ramayana, a practice she continues to this day.

Every morning in the Malayalam month of Chingam, she reads Krishnapattu. For 55 years, her father remained her faithful listener. After his passing, her husband Akkarakaran Narayanan took his place. Today, her children and grandchildren gather around her to listen, carrying forward a quiet legacy of devotion and storytelling.