Kerala: U A Khader passes away

KOZHIKODE: U A Khader, acclaimed storyteller and Kendra Sahitya Academy award winner, died at a private hospital here on Saturday evening. He was 85. Khader had been undergoing treatment for lung cancer for some time.
Born to Moideenkutty Haji and Mamaidi, a Burma citizen in 1935 in Myanmar, Khader came to Kerala during the World War II at the age of seven. He had his education at Koyilandi government high school and Madras College of Arts.Khader joined All India Radio and later worked at Institute of Maternity and Child Health and Government General Hospital in Kozhikode in the administrative department. He retired from service in 1990.
Khader’s first story was published in the Chandrika daily in 1954, which was based on a real-life incident. It was the IUML leader C H Muhammad Koya who initiated him into the world of letters and encouraged him to write. Soon he found a place in Malayalam literature. Khader leaves behind around 70 literary works including novels, short-stories, children’s literature and travelogue.
Khader’s masterpieces ‘Thrikkottoor Peruma’ and Thrikkottoor Novellas have bagged numerous awards, including the Kendra Sahitya Academy and Kerala Sahitya Academy. Thrikkottoor Peruma is a magnificent work where myths, local legends and the ordinary life coalesce to create a rare reading experience.
Khader was associated with Kerala Sahitya Academy, Lalitha Kala Academy and Kerala Language Institute. He was the state president of the Purogamana Sahithya Sangam and was a member of the Kerala state film awards judging committee for four times.
People from different walks of life condoled the death of their favourite writer. In a message, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Khader was a person who maintained a secular and progressive attitude throughout his life and reflected the philosophy in his works. “He reached the helms of Purogamana Kala Sahitya Sangam as a logical conclusion,” he said.
“He had grown to the level of a national writer breaking the limits of Malayalam literature through works like Thrikkottor Peruma. He brought local history as an integral part of literature,” the chief minister said.