On February 21, International Mother Language Day, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will get a thousand postcards from students, parents, and teachers of Malayalam Pallikkoodam.
On Sunday, film-maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan collected the postcards titled ‘Malayalam ente bhaashayaanu’ (Malayalam is my language) from the Pallikkoodam students at Shishu Vihar School in Vazhuthacaud, where Malayalam Pallikkoodam is being conducted. The Pallikkoodam, launched under the guidance of poet V. Madhusoodanan Nair in Chingam last year, has opened new doors for the students to understand their mother tongue. In addition to writing, they learn proper pronunciation through songs, poems, plays, and proverbs.
No books or pens
The students are also introduced to the history and culture of the State through stories and folk tales.
They get to know various types of plants and are taken on study tours to help them understand the environment.
The children do not use pens or books. They need not write any examinations or do homework.
The classes are held from 10 a.m. to 12 noon on Sundays. Providing constant guidance to the initiative are writers O.N.V. Kurup, Sugathakumari, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Vishnu Narayanan Namboothiri, Perumbadavom Sreedharan, Prabha Varma, and artist Bhattathiri.
