“Devatharu poothu en manasin thazhvarayil…” There will hardly be any Keralites who have not hummed this famous ‘80s Malayalam classic song sung by P Susheela in Engane Nee Marakkum that starred Menaka and Shankar, a favourite on-screen couple of the time. Chunakkara Ramankutty, the noted Malayalam lyricist who penned this song, passed away on Wednesday night, at the age of 84.
Chunakkara, who was also a poet, was under treatment for age-related ailments at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. As per reports, he passed away there at 10.45 pm.
Chunakkara Ramankutty has penned many songs for Malayalam movies that have become super hits. The peppy number from the 1983 film Kuyiline Thedi, “Sindhoora thilakavumai, pullikuyile poru nee…”, sung by KJ Yesudas, is another remarkable track penned by the lyricist.
“Syamameghame nee”, the hit song sung by KS Chitra in the Mohanlal starrer Adhipan; and “Hridayavaniyile gayikayo” from the famous Mammootty starrer Kottayam Kunjachan are some of his other hit songs that are still on the lips of Malayalis.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday condoled Chunakkara’s death. “His demise is a huge loss for cultural fabric of Kerala. He has written many hit songs like ‘Devatharu poothu’. He has also written many songs for Malayalam theatre,” said Pinarayi Vijayan in his Facebook post.
Born in 1936 in Alappuzha district, Chunakkara set foot in the Malayalam film industry reportedly following his stint as a songwriter in All India Radio’s Akashavani. He also became a regular presence in Malayalam theatre. Chunakkara penned his first song in the Malayalam film industry for the film Ashramam which released in 1978. In 2015, he received the Guru Shreshta award from the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi.
Chunakkara is survived by three daughters – Renuka, Radhika and Ragini. His wife, Thankamma, had passed away earlier.
Watch Chunakkara Ramankutty's song: