"I am euphoric to come here again and again. I am congratulating Calicut on becoming 'The City of Literature' listed by UNESCO, and also appreciating myself as I am also a part of the Malayalam Literary World," says Pratibha Ray, the Jnanpith Award winner wit a smile, who came to Calicut to present the Mathrubhumi Literary Award to writer Sara Joseph.

Calicut is just like home.

“Whenever I come to Calicut, Kerala, I feel like coming home. My love for this land, the writers, and the literature is immense. I have been to Kerala 11 times, including a visit to Kerala Sahitya Akademi, Thrissur, and Mathrubhumi Ka Festival in Thiruvananthapuram,” she added.

MT as an elder brother

Pratibha Ray said that M T Vasudevan Nair is like her elder brother, who is a loving person.

“I was very close to him. We worked together at the Sahitya Akademi for 5 years. He was an honest, sincere, and serious elder brother. I also met ONV Kurup during one of my visits,’ she added.

Humanity prevails

She said that there is no difference in gender in life and literature.

“Feminism is all about humanity. Aren't women human, too? It's a fight for humans and humanity. Sara Joseph is a firebrand who is doing such a great deed,” she said.

“I feel honored to attend Mathrubhumi's Literary Award Function. Mathrubhumi has a tradition dating back to 1923 that has a great history. I was also acquainted with M.P. Veerendrakumar.” said Pratibha Ray, leaning into the memories.