Palode: Dr Chayam Dharmarajan, poet, retired college lecturer, and State Council member of the Purogamana Kala Sahitya Sangham, passed away at the age of 57. His cremation was held on Sunday at 3 pm at his residence, Kaithayil House, Anakkulam.

Dr Dharmarajan served as a Malayalam teacher and Head of Department at several government colleges, including University College Thiruvananthapuram and Government Women’s College. He retired in 2024 as an Associate Professor from Nedumangad Government College.

His notable literary works include Atheeva Ravile and Samasamam. He is survived by his wife, Dr R. Kavitha, a former ward member of Nandiyodu Panchayat who now works as a KSRTC bus conductor, and their two children, Sidharth (based in London) and Bodhi.

Bringing colours to life, against all odds
After his evening classes at University College, Dr Chayam Dharmarajan would often wait at the KSRTC bus stop in front of the campus for a bus to Palode. Around that time, a bus on which his wife was on duty would usually arrive, and more often than not, he travelled on that bus.

While passing the Medical College, he would never fail to glance at the building. It was there that his severe financial struggles had begun to ease, after he secured a job as a watcher. He worked day and night, sometimes posted even in front of the mortuary.

Dharmarajan adopted the name of his village, Chayam in Vithura, as part of his own. Born into an impoverished family in 1968, he failed the SSLC examination after years marked by hunger and hardship. To make ends meet, he took up a variety of jobs — repairing bicycles, painting, and carpentry among them. Three years later, he passed the SSLC exam with first class.

He walked 16 km daily to attend Iqbal College and complete his pre-degree, later earning his BA and MA from University College. During his student days, he also worked in loading and rubber tapping.

Eventually, he cleared the UGC NET examination. Around that time, he was appointed as a watcher at the Medical College in the last grade servant cadre. In 2002, he began his teaching career as a college lecturer through the PSC. Over the years, he served as Head of the Malayalam Department at several institutions, including Kattappana Government College, University College Thiruvananthapuram, Government Women’s College Palakkad, Chittoor Government College, and Attingal Government College.

Dr. Dharmarajan published numerous poems and received several accolades, including the Geethanjali Prize, Yuvadhara Award, A. Ayyappan Memorial Award, Sambasivan Award, V. Balachandran Award for Poetry, and the Aniyava Award. His poems are part of the BA and MA Malayalam syllabi at the University of Kerala.

He passed away while working on a book titled Pachakkalam. His wife, Dr. Kavitha — the first KSRTC conductor to earn a PhD in Malayalam Literature — was his greatest source of strength. Dr. Dharmarajan was also deeply involved in charitable activities through the Nandiyodu Sparsham Palliative Society.