Why the international kovilan study group?

About

The Study Group proposes to find out and gather together Kovilan enthusiasts from across the world using cyberspace as the meeting place. The main objective of the Group is, needless to say, to study, promote and propagate the literary works of Kovilan. Anyone who is interested can join and contribute his/her might.

The International Kovilan Study Group is concieved as a group of people, loosely bound together with the thread of love for literature in general and the works of Kovilan in particular. Kovilan, as everyone knows, occupies a special, unique and not easily assailable position in the highest plateau of Malayalam fiction. By his inimitable style of sharpening words, rather than softening them, he carved a niche for himself, far, far away from the eyes of casual onlookers of the world’s literary scene. His stories, he said, were meant for readers more intelligent than himself. And there indeed weren’t many of them when he was still living.

Born of peasant parents in1923 in Kandanissery, a village of hills and plains in central Kerala, in south India, Kovilan began his literary career at an early age. His first known work, Thakarnna Hridayangal (Broken hearts), a long story, that came in 1946, itself showed signs of the indelible mark he was to make later in Malayalam story telling. From the very beginning, even before starting to write, he had assigned himself the difficult task of paving a new path for him to go along. Other writers’ ways were simply not fit for him. His stories never imitated themselves, in style or in content. He took with him only those readers who were willing to delve into the secrets of words writers create. Naturally he was left mostly unread.

The Study Group proposes to find out and gather together Kovilan enthusiasts from across the world using cyberspace as the meeting place. The main objective of the Group is, needless to say, to study, promote and propagate the literary works of Kovilan. Anyone who is interested can join and contribute his/her might.

M.T. Vasudevan Nair, noted Malayalam litterateur, is the patron of the Group which is formed under the initiative of K. A. Mohandas (Chavakkad), K. V. Subramanian (Guruvayur), Dr. A. Haridranath (Kolkatta), A. Purushothaman (Mumbai), K.R. Vinayan (Hyderabad), Venu Edakkazhiyur (Guruvayur), P. Shamsudheen (Doha), Dr. K.S. Ravikumar (Sree Sankara University, Kaladi) and M. A. Rahman (Kasaragod).

As a part of formalisation of the Group, a constitution has been drafted and posted elsewhere in this site for discussion. Final constitution will be posted as and when it is ready.

Visitors of the site are welcome to offer their suggestions. Please send them to coordinator@kovilanstudygroup.org. They are also requested to send articles on Kovilan and other related literary matters for inclusion in the site. The articles may be emailed to the co-ordinator of the Group in the above address. Also they can be posted to The International Kovilan Study Group, Bamsuri, P.O. Puthanpally, Thrissur District, Kerala, India 680 103.

The proposed constitution of the group is as:

The International Kovilan Study Group Constitution

Name

Article 1. The group shall be called The International Kovilan Study Group (hereinafter called the Group).

Aims and purposes of the Group

Article 2. The following are the aims and purposes of the Group.

  1. To study, promote and propagate the literary works of the Malayalam litterateur Kovilan.
  2. To conduct lectures on the works of Kovilan
  3. To publish papers, annuals, books and other materials related to literature.
  4. To conduct seminars on topics of national and international importance.
  5. To institute and administer awards to literary works.
  6. To honour personalities who have rendered eminent services to the field of literature, politics, sociology, philosophy, mathematics and military science.
  7. To acquire movable and immovable properties.
  8. To construct and maintain permanent structures in memory of Kovilan.
  9. To raise finances for the Group in such a manner as the law of land permits.
  10. To develop and maintain national and international forums for the study of Kovilan’s work in print and electronic media.
  11. To
  12. To

Membership

Article 3. The Group shall have two categories of members, viz, (a) Permanent members, and (b) Associate members.

Article 3 a. Permanent members: The number of permanent members shall not exceed twenty five. Permanent members shall have the right to be elected to the Executive Committee of the Group.

Article 3 b. Associate Members: Any person of any nationality who is interested in the literary works of Kovilan and is willing to pay the stipulated fees is eligible for applying for associate membership of the Group. Associate members will not have voting rights.

The Executive Committee

Article 4. The executive committee shall consist of a president, a vice president, a secretary, a joint secretary, a treasurer and four members.

Responsibilities of the Executive:

Article 5.

  1. The President will:
    • a. Oversee the other members of the executive in fulfilling their responsibilities;
    • b. Chair all meetings; and,
    • c. Have signing authority for the Group, except in matters of bank transactions.
  2. The Vice-President will:
    • a. assist the President in his/her duties;
    • b. assume all powers of the President in his/her absence .
  3. The Secretary will
    • a. convene, in consultation with the President, all meetings of the Group.
    • b. be responsible for recording and keeping the minutes of all meetings.
  4. The Treasurer will
    • a. keep the books of accounts of the Group in the manner prescribed the Executive Committee.
    • b. produce the books of accounts before the President and/or the Executive Committeeas and when requested by them.
    • c. produce the books of accounts before the auditors of Group.
    • d. prepared and present the annual accounts before the Executive Committee.
  5. The Executive Committee shall oversee all the functions of the Group.
    • a. The permanent members shall elect the Executive Committee once in three years.

Membership Fees

Article 6.

  1. The Permanent members shall pay a one-time membership fee of five thousand rupees.
  2. Associate members shall pay annual fees at the rate fixed by the Executive Committee from time to time.
  3. The membership fees once paid shall not be refunded.

Finance and Accounts

Article 7. The finances of the Group shall comprise, in addition to the membership fees, such amounts collected from the public, private and public institutions and the governments.

Article 7(1). The Group shall keep its money in a scheduled/co-operative bank. Such bank account shall be operated jointly by the President and the Treasurer.

Article 7 (2). For the purpose of accounts, a year means a calendar year.

Meetings

Article 8.: The Executive Committee shall meet at least two times in a calendar year.

Article 8(1): There shall be an annual general meeting of the permanent members.

Article 8(2): The Executive Committee may convene genera meetings of all members as and when it thinks necessary.

Article 8 (3): The quorum of the Executive Committee shall be five and that of the general meeting shall be ten.

Amendments

Article 9. The Constitution of the Group shall be amended only in such general meetingsconvened for the purpose of amendment, and with the consent of sixteen permanent members. The proposed amendments shall be communicated to the permanent members at least two weeks in advance. The permanent members who are unable to attend the meeting convened for the purpose of amendment of the constitution may express their consent in writing to the President.