Malabar Literary Circuit remains stuck on paper

Tirur: The Malabar Literary Circuit, announced as a cultural tourism project, has ironically overlooked some of Kerala’s greatest literary names, including Ezhuthachan, Vallathol and MT Vasudevan Nair.

Announced in the 2021 State Budget as the country’s first-ever literary circuit, the project was meant to showcase Kerala’s rich literary heritage by linking it with culture and tourism. The announcement had generated great excitement, with many hailing it as a visionary initiative to introduce Kerala’s literary legacy to the world.

The circuit was envisioned to connect Kozhikode, Malappuram and Palakkad. It was to feature the Ezhuthachan Memorial at Thunchanparambu in Tirur, the banks of the Bharatapuzha River and the birthplace of MT, and Vaikom Muhammad Basheer’s adopted home of Beypore. Memorials of writers, including OV Vijayan, SK Pottekkatt, Kunchan Nambiar, Uroob, and Akkitham were also part of the plan. Later, the Mamankam site at Thirunavaya and Vallathol’s birthplace at Mangalamchennara were added.

There were also calls to include the Moinkutty Vaidyar Memorial and the birthplace of EMS Namboodiripad at Elankulam, Perinthalmanna.

Although the circuit was announced to begin at the Ezhuthachan Memorial, no progress has been made there, nor at Thirunavaya or Vallathol’s birthplace. The efforts to highlight the cultural heritage of the Bharatapuzha’s banks have also stalled. Officials did visit Thunchanparambu shortly after the announcement, but little happened afterwards. The 2021 Budget had allocated ₹50 crore for the project.

Meanwhile, some work has been carried out in connection with this project in Beypore. In the first phase, ₹7.37 crore was earmarked for a Basheer Memorial and additional projects worth ₹58.37 lakh were cleared. Infrastructure Kerala Ltd was tasked with preparing a detailed project report. The minister concerned had told the Assembly that, initially, the circuit would feature an entry gate at Beypore Marina, signage at Chaliyam Reserve Forest, signage at the proposed Basheer Memorial site and directional signage at Beypore.

Despite these announcements, the project remains stalled, leaving out the memories of towering figures like Ezhuthachan from the so-called Malabar Literary Circuit.