Noted Malayalam poet and lyricist S Ramesan Nair died in a private hospital in Kochi, Kerala on Friday, sources close to his family said. His end came while undergoing treatment for COVID-19 related complications, they said. Nair, 73, is survived by wife and a son.
He was honoured with the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award in 2018 for the collection of his poems titled ‘Gurupournami’. In 2010, he won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his literary works. He also won the Sixth Vennikulam Memorial Award and the Asan Award. He has written songs for over 150 Malayalam films and dozens of devotional albums. He had translated the Thirukkural and Chilapathikaram from Tamil to Malayalam as well. Born in 1948 in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, Nair started writing poems during his school days. He entered the world of lyrics in 1983 by penning songs for the Malayalam movie ‘Pathamudayam’. Nair had worked as a sub-editor in the Kerala Bhasha Institute and also in the All India Radio as a producer in the 1970s. His cremation would be held in Kochi on Saturday.
