Shri K. Jayakumar IAS (Rtd), Director, IMG and Formerly Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala,

Dr. V.P. Mahadevan Pillai, Vice-Chancellor, University of Kerala,

Shri S. Srinivasan IAS (Rtd), Secretary, Margi and Drisyavedi,

Prof. Sreevarahom Balakrishnan,

Shri P.K. Soman Nair, President, Muckolackal Bhagavathy Temple,

Shri S. Vijayakumar, Secretary,

Shri A.R. Krishna Kumar, Treasurer,

Shri B. Suresh Kumar, Vice President,

Priyappetta Sahodaree Sahodaranmare,

Madhyama Suhruthukkale,

Ellaavarkkum Ente Namaskaaram.

I am very happy to address you after presenting the first Mukkolakkal Amma Puraskar to Prof. M. Balakrishnan Nair, noted writer who is popularly known as Sreevarahom Balakrishnan.

       Let me begin by congratulating Prof. Sreeevarahom Balakrishnan on receiving this recognition from the Mukkolackal Bhagavati Temple, a holy shrine which has contributed to his early development as an individual and a writer. I also compliment the Temple Trust and the Sreevarahom Nair Karayogam for having chosen this illustrious man of letters for this honor.

I am informed that the Sreevarahom Mukkolackal Bhagavati Temple is one of the oldest Devi temples in Thiruvananthapuram and as per legend, this was one of the places where Kannaki rested on her way to Kodungallur.

In a way, the legend behind a temple and the concepts that unfold through it often provide a common ground for unity among people in a locality. Our temples attract and bless people of many faiths. The presiding deity of every temple is seen as a patron who protects the people of an area from calamities, disease and deprivation. No wonder, the first yield in many of our farms go as offering to the temples.

Besides, the tune of the chantings, the rhythm of the bells and the percussion and the temple's general ambiance inspire people in many ways. In old days, when avenues for watching art forms were considerably rare, it was the temple festival which introduced before the people of a locality, performers and artistes of repute.  I understand that the daily events and the festivals of Mukkolakkal Bhagavathi Temple especially the month - long Aadi Chovva Musical Festivalhad contributed greatly to the development of a sense of music and rhythm in
Prof. Balakrishnan, right from his childhood.  And I think, this sense of music and rhythm has always helped him excel in his roles as teacher, critic and above all, as a creative writer.

It would be unfair not to mention Prof. Sreevarahom Balakrishnan's long association with my office, that is Kerala Raj Bhavan. He was Public Relations Officer at Raj Bhavan for nearly 14 years from 2002. His past experience as a Professor and a seasoned poet and writer had helped him to excel in that role.  He has won many awards including the State Award for writing on Television and Abudhabi Sakthi award for literature. And, his works have been translated into English, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada.  However, such exposure and recognition have only made him humbler and more conscious about his social role as a writer.

This awareness about the social role of a writer was visible even in the films he had scripted. I must also mention that I was quite impressed by his deep knowledge of Tamil literature and heritage. At the age of 86, he is still active as a writer and an editor.  It is said that a writer can never be idle and a teacher can never retire. Prof. Sreevarahom Balakrishnanis both a teacher and a writer whose contributions continue to influence society.

It is therefore, truly appropriate that the Temple which provided him the initial artistic inputs is recognizing his contributions today. I am sure that this award would appeal to him as the blessing of a mother. After all, our Devi Temples are in every way, a celebration of the power of Womanhood. Symbolically, the devotion to the Goddess reminds us of our responsibility to respect motherhood and women in general. Let us not forget what Swamy Vivekanandan once said : “The ideal woman in India is the mother; the mother first and the mother last”.

I am happy to see that the maternal blessing of this Temple also extends to several others in the form of Merit scholarships to deserving students, marriage assistance and educational aid to children of government schools. Such a gesture goes a long way in paving the way for the intellectual development of our youngsters.

In these days, when the rising cost of medical treatment poses a major threat to the financial stability of families, the assistance for medical treatment is certainly a boon to people who struggle to get medical aid. I would specially appreciate the Mukkolakkal Bhagavathi Temple Trust's initiative of providing monthly pension to the underprivileged elderly persons. As all of you may be aware, Kerala now has a growing population of the elderly and issues related to their health-care and well being are now being seriously discussed. The involvement of the local community is certainly essential in handling such matters and I am happy that the Temple authorities have responded positively by offering pensions.

As I mentioned earlier, the places of worship serve to unite people through the bond of a shared culture and history. The unifying force here is faith, but it is not just the faith in the divine power. The radiance of a temple's faith encourages people to serve the less privileged brethren by seeing a godly presence in them. In fact, our social harmony has been created on the strength of such faith. As devotees who claim to rely on the divine power, we are duty bound to contribute to this harmony in society. I mentioned this because I am informed that the people who receive the different types of assistance today have been chosen without the consideration of religion, class or community. This is an ideal example of the true social harmony that I had just mentioned.

To conclude, let me wish Prof. Sreevarahom Balakrishnanand his family healthy and happy days ahead. I also wish all the students who received scholarships and educational assistance a bright future.

I also compliment the members of the Temple Trust for having conducted this function in a befitting manner.

Ellavarkkum Ente Aashamsakal

Nanni

Jai Hind