Kannur: When a poet recited the lines penned by another great poet, its theme that goes well with the contemporary context touched his heart and turned him emotional. Poet Balachandran Chullikkad was in tears after he recited a few lines by Edasseri Govindan Nair about the pain of being a migrant. He remained speechless for a few minutes.

Balachandran Chullikkad was speaking on the topic ‘Shrinking Spaces, Transcending Letters’ at the oratory series held in Kannur as part of Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters. The poet turned emotional while he was reciting the poem ‘Kudiyirakkal’ (meaning evacuation) by Edasseri.

“Edasseri wrote this poem after witnessing an evacuation in Ponnani. He felt the pain of the people who were evacuated from their places all over the world. The poet also asks the evacuated people where they are from. If the poet who asked this question is a traitor, then I’m also a traitor.

This poem written in 1950’s is relevant even now. As long as exploitation, agonies, injustice and harassments continue, the word against them will transcend. That’s how words survive in this world,” the poet said.

He also quoted the poem by Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menon to state that the yearning to live is more intense than the need for religions.