Malayalam poet Puthussery Ramachandran passes away

Malayalam poet, scholar and teacher Puthussery Ramachandran passed away after a brief illness. He was 92.
He was the honorary director of the International Centre for Kerala Studies, University of Kerala.
Dr. Ramachandran played a major role in the preparation of the elaborate document which culminated in the recognition of Malayalam as a classical language by the Central government in 2013.
He published his first poem Onnanthyakkuttam at the age of 16.
Dr . Ramachandran is credited with publishing the complete text of Kannassa Ramayanam, the first complete Ramayana in Malayalam, with notes and interpretations.
The Sahitya Akademi honoured him with its translation award in 2005 and Bhasha Samman in 2014. In 2009, he was conferred the fellowship of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi.