TRIBUTE PAID TO LEGENDARY POET P. BHASKARAN

TRIBUTE PAID TO LEGENDARY

 POET P. BHASKARAN

Five years have gone by since the beloved P. Bhaskaran, who made an indelible mark as much in the socio-political scene of the State as in the coming-of-age of Malayalam cinema, passed away. And the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram, which boasts of several statues of famous personalities, is still waiting to witness a sculpture of P. Bhaskaran being erected there Though the last government had decided to set up a portrait sculpture of the poet, who was also an active presence in the Communist movement of the State, in the city when it had six more months to complete its tenure, the project could not be completed on time. The then Department of Cultural Affairs led by M.A. Baby had assigned the work to noted sculptor Jeevan Thomas, granting an initial amount of Rs.8 lakh. Though the department had wanted to complete the work within six months, things did not turn out as was planned.

The project, which took off well, ran into rough weather when the authorities failed to finalise a proper site to erect the sculpture and provide a proper place for the artist to work. “By the time I finished half the work, the government had to go and that brought another spell of uncertainty,” said Mr. Thomas.The UDF government assumed power and the figure, in 14 pieces at the sculptor's studio in Kozhikode after its first layer was cast) fell into oblivion, thanks to the lack of enthusiasm on the part of the authorities. “I tried to contact the present secretary of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, which is one of the five partners of the project. Though he promised to look into it, nothing happened,” said Mr. Thomas, for whom the sculpture of his favourite lyricist is an emotional assignment. Mr. Thomas, however, is very clear about his stand on a forced deadline for his works. Neither a committee nor a client, not even himself can set a strict deadline for his works. “For me, the deadline is when I am sure the work has come out the way I wanted it to be,” said the award- winning sculptor, who is presently working on the sculptures of the noted writer K.T. Mohammed and the actor Prem Nazir.

Mr. Thomas, who is selective about his assignments, said the proposed 17 ft-sculpture of the veteran poet — who penned more than 3,000 songs and myriad poems, besides directing and acting in numerous movies — could be completed only if the authorities were keen on it. “It is no question of my interest, but of the authorities, who should explain the delay in paying homage to such a great soul, who made our lives lyrical forever,” he said.

                                             Prof. John Kurakar