Renowned poet and Kerala Sahitya Akademi president K Satchidanandan has announced that he will be gradually stepping away from public events and speeches. He made this declaration through a Facebook post, where he shared that he will be withdrawing from public life. He mentioned in the post that he was diagnosed with a temporary memory disorder (transient global amnesia) seven years ago and has been taking medication since then. He added that he has been in the hospital for the past five days and that the stress from participating in a series of events in October has affected him greatly.

Complete text of the Facebook post:

"Friends, seven years ago, I was diagnosed with transient global amnesia. Since then, I’ve been taking medication (Levipil 500, twice daily). I hadn’t experienced any episodes since then, but on November 1, it returned in a different form, with brief spells of numbness in my legs, hand tremors, speech difficulties and memory lapses. I’ve been in the hospital for five days now. October was packed with travel and events. The doctors say stress is the primary reason for this recurrence. Therefore, I am slowly withdrawing from public life. I am stepping back from travel and public speaking. From Christ to Buddha, no one's speeches have truly improved the world. My 60 years of experience have shown me that speeches often only waste time. Henceforth, I will only participate in events related to poetry, which sustains my life, and in some Akademi events until my term ends. I request that I not be invited to public gatherings and that, if I do not attend, this be accepted without any displeasure. As long as my memory, reading ability and imagination persist, I will continue to write. But these could fade at any moment."