Vijay Nambisan was 54 years old. (Source: YouTube)
Poet and writer Vijay Nambisan, who became the first All India Poetry Champion in 1988, passed away on Thursday. He co-authored Gemini, a poetry book, with Jeet Thayil and Dom Moraes. He championed the ethical use of language and made an appeal to readers, writers and enthusiasts of literature in his book ‘Language as an Ethic’. He was 54 years old.
His poem ‘Madras Central’ garnered rave reviews from critics as well as the others, for which he went on to win the All India Poetry Competition organised by the Poetry Society of India in association with the British Council.
A graduate from IIT Madras, Chennai, Nambisan also translated the devotional poetry of famous poets — Poonthanam and Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri. His wife Kavery Nambisan, a famous writer herself, wrote books like ‘The Scent of Pepper’, ‘The Truth (Almost) About Bharat’ and ‘The Story That Must Not Be Told’ which went on to be nominated for Man Asian Literary Prize 2008.
Many, including Thayil, Ramachandra Guha took to Twitter to pay their condolences to the veteran writer.
Radium decays
A bit at a time;
Your poems have burned away
Line by half-lineVijay Nambisan (1963-2017), genius who never received his due
— tweet thayil (@jeetthayil) August 10, 2017
RIP Vijay Nambisan (1963-2017).
The long rails decline into a distance
Where tomorrow will come before I know it. pic.twitter.com/jcgwnTNRIN— Ranjit Hoskote (@ranjithoskote) August 10, 2017
On Learning the Passing Away of Poet Vijay Nambisan… Had Sighted Him… Somewhere in Delhi pic.twitter.com/kkQT6Lvsqv
— mayank austen soofi (@thedelhiwalla) August 10, 2017
Extremely saddened to hear the poet #VijayNambisan‘s demise. #RIP We performed his poems fondly as part of @poetry_hoshruba @DenzilLSmith.
— Danish Husain (@DanHusain) August 10, 2017
The words which smouldered, though,
Smoulder still
Where, half a lifetime ago
You wished them well‘Half Life’ by Vijay Nambisan pic.twitter.com/tg5sZRN4yu
— Nikhil Kumar (@niksez) August 10, 2017
Woke up to the news that one of India’s finest poets Vijay Nambisan has died. Underrated and elusive, he’ll be missed.
— Jairaj Singh (@JairajSinghR) August 10, 2017
Like his friend Dom Moraes, Vijay Nambisan was a fine prose stylist as well. His book “BIhar is in the Eye of the Beholder” is superb.
— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) August 10, 2017
Very sorry to hear of the passing of the poet Vijay Nambisan. He was a wonderful writer, and human being, with a gentle, dry, wit.
— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) August 10, 2017
