Jnanpith awardee and poet Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri died on Thursday morning. The 94-year-old poet had been under treatment for age-related ailments at a private hospital in Thrissur. He is from Palakkad district.
Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri is popularly known as Akkitham. As a notable poet and essayist in Malayalam, he has penned over 46 books including Irupatham Noottandinte Ithihasam (Epic of the 20th Century) published in 1968.
The proponent of Modernism in Malayalam Poetry Akkitham won the 55th Jnanpith award, recently conferred at his residence ‘Devayanam’ by Kerala Culture Minister A.K. Balan.
Appearing live from his office in the state Secretariat, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan paid tributes to the life and works of Akkitham.
Seated in an armchair at his home, Akkitham received the award and became the sixth Keralite to be conferred the prestigious literary award. He was already a recipient of Kerala Sahitya Academy Award, Sahitya Academy Award (1973) and the Vayalar Award (2012).
Akkitham’s other major work includes, “Balidarashanam” and “Dharma Sooryan” among over 45 works of poems, plays and short stories.