thiruvananthapuram jnanpith award winning poet o n v kurup exhorted the new generation to always remain loyal to their roots quoting kadammanittas popular lines ningalorkkuka ningalengane ningalayennu onv spoke about the need for soul searching after receiving the kadammanitta award here on thursday it was after several weeks that the poet appeared at a public function as he had been advised rest owing to ill health director adoor gopalakrishnan handed him the kadammanitta ramakrishnan award instituted by the kadammanitta ramakrishnan foundation onvs speech was read out at the function as he was unable to deliver it himself expressing his difficulty to speak and write he said in the prepared speech that kadammanitta was the foremost poet in the dithyrambic branch of indian poetry the frenzied impassioned hymn sung by a devotee in a wildly enthusiastic voice and that he could be compared to a savage kattalan who performed for the protection of nature and poor communities by reading his works one should reflect on ones upbringing director adoor gopalakrishnan shared his memories of the poet saying that kadammanitta never recited his poems but instead sung them he still remembers how they were excited to stage the play waiting for godot translated by the poet and scripted by him which was also the first translation of the play in malayalam the commemoration lecture was delivered by poet sugathakumari at a function organized by natyagruham an art and culture centre cpm mla m a baby presided over poet prabha varma b iqbal gopi kadammanitta and p v shivan were also present poets murukan kattakada ajayan kallara v s bindu sasi mavinmoodu and sumesh balakrishnan recited poems at a gathering of poets organized as part of the commemoration the event was presided by actor and dubbing artist aliyar the cultural programmes included tappu melam and padayani performed by kadammanitta gothra kalari and a play by natyagruham