Kochi: On an evening filled with memories of the artist Namboothiri, celebrated for his mesmerising illustrations, an award named in his honour was presented. Actor Mohanlal, a lifelong admirer of the artist, spoke with deep affection and recollected the famous Saundaryalahari painting by Namboothiri.

“He took five years to complete it. He told me it was one of the most challenging works he had ever undertaken. It was a divine painting filled with countless forms and imaginations. When he began to walk away from me to avoid questions on its progress, I assured him I would never ask if it was finished. I said that only some unknown force could make it happen. In the end, he did complete it. Once, when he visited my home, he stood looking at that painting for a long time. He asked himself, ‘Did I really paint this? Can I even do this?’ By that time, his eyes were brimming with tears. That was the moment I saw the face of the greatest artist,” Mohanlal shared.

Mohanlal presented the award to the artist C Bhagyanath. The ceremony was chaired by Babu Joseph, managing trustee of the Artist Namboothiri Samman Trust. Kerala Lalithakala Academy chairperson Murali Cheeroth, senior journalist K C Narayanan, cartoonist Ravishankar Etteth and other dignitaries, including Namboothiri’s son K M Vasudevan and Kerala Cartoon Academy chairman Sudhirnath, spoke at the event.
The programme was organised by the Artist Namboothiri Samman Trust in collaboration with the Kerala Lalithakala Academy and the Ernakulam Karayogam.