Kunnamkulam: C V Sreeraman was a writer, who is known for beautifully reinventing the subtle nuances of human emotions. Now, a cultural centre named after the master craftsman, whose realistic stories enriched the legacy of Malayalam literature, is set to be established in his home town, Kunnamkulam.

The centre will be built on 10 cents of land owned by the municipality at Madhurakulam, near the town. The CPM-led municipal governing committee had earlier decided to allocate 8.75 cents in front of the municipal office to the C V Sreeraman Trust for this purpose. However, this decision faced opposition from Congress councillors, who accused the CPM of attempting to usurp public land.

A grama sabha (village council) meeting in Nehru Nagar, which includes the plot concerned, unanimously passed a resolution against the council’s decision. Following complaints, the district collector also raised concerns in a letter to the municipality. As a result, the CPM committee dropped the plan to assign that plot to the Trust. The decision was revoked and the land was converted into Gandhi Square, where a statue of Mahatma Gandhi was installed.

The new project gained momentum after MLA A C Moideen stepped forward to allocate funds for establishing a cultural centre in memory of the writer. The municipality identified 10 cents near Madhurakulam for the project. The building will be constructed using ₹80 lakhs from the MLA’s development fund. The municipal secretary submitted an affidavit to the collector, assuring that the municipality would bear the centre’s recurring expenses. Congress leaders, including ward councillor Lebeeb Hassan, welcomed the cultural centre under municipal administration and agreed to participate in the inauguration ceremony.

Spanning 5,000 square feet, the centre will include an office, meeting hall and reading room. The engineering wing of the local self-government department has been entrusted with the construction. Sreeraman, carved a niche for himself by combining simplicity of style and depth of ideas. He brought literary connoisseurs back to books when modernity diverted them from books.