An on-line  conclave on Sunday attended by nearly 200 literary and cultural icons drawn out from all over the country  passed a unanimous resolution asking the Government of Kerala to install a larger-than-life size statue of Thunchath Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the Father of Modern Malayalam, in his native village of Thunchath in Malappuram district.

Thunchath Ezhuthachan, believed to have lived during the 16th century was the spiritual scholar who gave Malayalam language its current form. Till his entry into the literary landscape of Kerala, Malayalam was more of a mixture of Sanskrit and Tamil and was known as Mani Pravalam.

Ezhuthachan not only perfected the Malayalam language to its present position but also translated some of the all-time epics like Adhyatma Ramayana  into Malayalam. Hindus in Kerala observe the month of Karkkadaka (Sravan) as Ramayana month with the entire households reverberating with the lyrics from the Indian epic.

Political parties controlling the local self-bodies in Malappuram cited religious sentiments and dismissed the pleas seeking permission to set up the statue. Prof P G Haridas, the newly elected president of Tapasya, the State’s oldest socio-cultural movement, said that the resolution demanding the setting up of Thunchath Ezhuthachan’s statue was sent to Kerala Government for necessary action. “It is injustice of the highest order to deny the Father of Malayalam language his due recognition. Political leaders belonging to various parties have their giant statues installed in all districts. Isn’t the  scholar who moulded Malayalam language is worthy of having his statue in his birthplace?” asked Prof Haridas.

Religious zealots in Kerala’s northern districts have declared their opposition to instal statutes because they term it as idolatry. “The demand for installing Thunchath Acharya’s statue is not going to be forgotten with the submission of this memorandum. The month of July saw a group of religious workers staging demonstrations all over  Malappuram district demanding the carving out of a separate district as part of their long term agenda.

Our demand is limited to the installation of Thunchath Azhuthachan, creator of the devotional songs which echo from all houses every evening,” said Anoop Kunnath, general secretary, Tapasya.