CM inaugurates V.T. Bhattathiripad cultural complex in Palakkad
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the V.T. Bhattathiripad Cultural Complex at Yakara here on Sunday. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Vijayan praised Bhattathiripad's contributions to Kerala's cultural landscape.
He said that Bhattathiripad's literary works, including dramas, short stories and Sahitya Akademi Award winning autobiography 'Kanneerum Kinavum', had left an indelible mark on the State's literary firmament.
Mr. Vijayan said that the values of freedom, democracy, secularism and socialism were crucial for the survival of art and literature.
'VT and other leaders of the renaissance believed that literature and art are built upon the foundation of material conditions, and that they cannot endure without a strong base,' he said.
The one-lakh sq.-ft. complex in five acres was built at a cost of ₹68 crore with modern facilities like audio-visual theatre with advanced lighting, sound and projection systems, a black box theatre, a venue for sculpture workshops and a craft museum. It has a garden, a large parking area and a cafeteria.
Minister for Culture and Fisheries Saji Cherian presided over the function. Minister for Local Administration M.B. Rajesh, V.K. Sreekandan, MP, MLAs Rahul Mamkootathil, K. Babu, K.D. Prasenan, K. Premkumar and K. Santhakumari, District Panchayat president K. Binumol, ward councillor Dhanya Unnikrishnan, Cultural Department director Divya S. Iyer, District Collector G. Priyanka, Deputy Collector Sini K. Thomas, former Minister A.K. Balan, V.T. Bhattathiripad's son V.T. Vasudevan, O.V. Vijayan Memorial secretary T.R. Ajayan and Kunjan Nambiar Memorial chairman K. Jayadevan were among those who spoke.
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