Thousands of people from various walks of life on Sunday paid homage to Jnanpith award winning Malayalam poet ONV Kurup, who died at a private hospital here following cardiac arrest.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress vice-resident Rahul Gandhi condoled the death of the 84-year-old poet, one of the most loved and celebrated contemporary poets of Malayalam.
"Shri ONV Kurup's demise is a major loss to Malayalam literature. His works were admired widely. May his soul rest in peace," Modi tweeted last night. "My condolences on the passing away of noted Malayalam poet Shri ONV Kurup. With his demise Malayalam lit has lost a much loved & admired voice (sic)," Gandhi said in tweet. Since morning, personalities from socio-cultural, political, literary and film fields thronged the VJT Hall here, where his body was kept for public to pay their last respects.
Marxist veteran and Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan, poets Sugathakumari, Vishnu Narayanan Namboothiri and Prabha Varma and film actors Manju Warrier, Mukesh and Karthika were among those who paid their last respects.
In his condolence message, Governor P Sathasivam said "the demise of the unparallelled Malayalam poet Prof ONV Kurup has deeply saddened Kerala as well as the whole literary world."
He also said the poet, who died on Saturday, had earned a place in the hearts of the people of the state as one who excelled as a poet and lyricist.
The poet's body was taken back to his home at Vazhuthacaud here in the evening after the public mourning.
The body will be cremated with complete state honours at the crematorium here on Monday morning.
The state Assembly will pay homage to the late poet on Monday and conclude the session for the day as a mark of respect.
Ottaplakkal Nambiyadikkal Velu Kurup, popularly known as ONV, had made his presence felt in the state's cultural, social, educational and political fields for the last six decades. Besides his large number of poems on various subjects, ranging from humanity and hope to nature and romance, Kurup was also a leading lyricist in Malayalam films and dramas.
The songs, Kurup penned for Kerala People's Arts Club (KPAC), one of the oldest theatre groups in the state, are still evergreen favourites of music buffs irrespective of generations.
A Left sympathiser, Kurup took part in various environmental movements, including the Silent Valley agitation.
He had won national award for the best lyricist for the movie "Vyshali" and Kerala State Awards for over 10 times in the category.
A scholar and professor, Kurup was also a recipient of Kendra and Kerala Sahitya Akademi awards.
He received India's highest honour for literature, the Jnanpith award in 2007.