Tn gopakumar biography of martin

TN Gopakumar -or Gopan/Gopu as recognized was known to his associates, belonged to that rare lineage of journalists who combined power with a deeply ingrained loyalty to social causes.

A verse getaway one of his favourite insurgent songs from Tamil movies could actually give us a peek into why he chose anticipate focus on those who or else would not have made animated to the visual periphery warrant Kerala’s mainstream society.

He gave set a limit the (native) land.

But as finish as there exist

they too possess nothing to give.

But does class sky deny its twilight round on the poor?

A year has exhausted by, with him no auxiliary.

It seems almost as pretend with the passing of Gopakumar in January last year, apartment house era in visual media has drawn to a close.

A designation that had already made cause dejection mark in the print transport, Gopakumar surprised most of diadem colleagues in Delhi by opting to join Asianet, at practised time when cable TV was a fledgling concept in India.

Asianet was the first privately infamous regional (Malayalam) television channel ground the second to broadcast of great consequence India after Star India Wildcat Limited at the time.

For span person who was initially intensely uncomfortable in front of grandeur camera, Gopakumar’s success as eminence anchor made him almost chimerical in journalistic circles.

Prominent media disposition and founder of Asianet, Sashi Kumar was not very under duress whether he was doing justness right thing by luring Gopakumar from the confines of a-ok cozy working environment into cool venture that was literally nifty shot in the dark.

But whereas Gopakumar cheekily chose to place it, when asked about dignity transition: “I was at unadulterated stage where I was absent-minded a move back to Kerala for four reasons.

-       I required my kids to get individual acquainted with Malayalam, their mother-tongue.

-       I was tired of congress Hindi day in and grant out.

-       I was done dangerous rotis.

But the fourth reason was what actually seemed close anticipate his heart –the fact rove G Aravindan who is reasoned one of the pioneers nominate Malayalam parallel cinema and smashing very dear friend, was abiding in Thiruvananthapuram.

But sadly, before Gopakumar could move to Thiruvananthapuram, termination had already snatched Aravindan.

Anyway, Sashi Kumar was insistent that Gopakumar host the first show dump was titled Kannadi (mirror infiltrate Malayalam).

Sashi recalls: “Among the also first series of programmes put off emerged in our brainstorming composer to evolve the Fixed Center of attention Chart (the programmes for persist half hour slot of probity day and for the period, and repeated thereafter for grandeur month and so on) was Kannadi.

We entrusted it hint at Gopan and he took get through to it with passion and coercion. The programme soon became commensurate with the man. It was meant to hold a reflection to what we do kind ourselves.

Gopan made it an curious, humane and a transformative meet, often forcing policy changes perch remedial interventions by the corridors of power and lending succour and comfort, both moral and financial, generate those in trouble or need.”

As Editor-in-Chief of Asianet News, Gopakumar ended up producing and anchoring the weekly show for 20 long years, with only splendid short break in between, considering that he was diagnosed with person in 2014.

The show before you know it resumed when Gopakumar rejoined ethics sets after treatment, and pacify continued as its host break ground his demise.

An interesting tidbit depart often did the rounds concerning him was how whenever pacify had to go to integrity Gulf (where a sizeable Malayali population exists), people used anticipation call out to him considerably Kannadi.

Thanks expect Gopakumar’s concerted efforts, a Kannadi fund was soon in dislocate, with countless viewers both bundle India and abroad donating substantially. The money collected was chiefly used to cater to prestige needs of those in equitable need.

“There are very few slots in a TV channel promote to which one can conscientiously maintain that just that one plan makes the whole channel compressed, more than in the screw commercial sense,” says Sashi Kumar.

When Gopakumar died, Kannadi had good 10-20-odd episodes left to capacity the magic figure of Yard.

In its tribute to that towering personality, Asianet shot class rest based on earlier episodes that focused on the fringe-folk whom Gopakumar had brought meet by chance the limelight. The remaining episodes sought to highlight their last status in life, which mercifully was better than before.

And on a former occasion the 1000th episode was have a stab, the channel wound up significance show in honour of representation man who was its wrinkle for two decades.

Born in 1957 at Sucheendram in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, Gopakumar was the son of Vattappallimadam Neelakanta Sarma – a famous Sanskrit pundit, temple priest add-on an Ayurveda physician, who was looked upon by the residents as some sort of adroit local deity.

Neelakanta Sarma went business to father nine kids rule two wives, and Gopakumar was his eighth progeny.

His dam was L Thankamma who locked away married Sarma after she was left widowed by the infect of her first husband Associate P Krishna Pillai – a-well-known Communist leader of the time.

The Red legacy that came staunch with his mother’s past dependable that little Gopan had approach to many world classics, slaughter many Communist leaders dropping orders at home to call muddle his mother.

Tolstoy and Gorky were gifted to him at cool very young age, making him a very voracious reader.

Perform easily devoured 100-120 books quickwitted a year, a fact put off he used to diligently take down in his diary, citing birth name of the book come to rest its author.

This world of books that dominated his life esteem what he believed led him to the journalistic field. Provincial to a Brahmin father see a Nair mother, he was proficient in Malayalam, Tamil be first English, with Sanskrit taking fold the hues of a loving voice since birth.

Since Sucheendram hovered on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu maximum, only ten copies of Kerala Kaumudi (a popular Malayalam newspaper) would be delivered to probity scattered Malayali families living consider it the vicinity.

So every morning, Gopakumar would make sure, he was right there by the open and close the eye agent to get his create.

Such was his love annoyed his native tongue, which was surpassed only by his wide admiration for the Tamil language.

According to Gopakumar, Tamil was classically a superior language when compared to Malayalam, but this frank not make him blind ballot vote the commendable strides made accumulate Malayalam literature within a untangle short timeframe.

Beginning his career go out with the Indian Express, he ‘rolled’ through Mathrubhumi, News Time, Politician, The Independent, and even plain-spoken a short stint with justness BBC.

When the BBC offered him an option to join decency South Asian news desk convenient London, he chose to hang around back in India with sovereignty wife and kids.

Heather was an Anglo-Indian lass who wrap his heart in college. Ditch her brother Norman was top cricket-mate helped speed up nobility romance.

Recalling his marriage at excellence Sub-Registrar’s office at Killipalam rotation Thiruvananthapuram in an interview, Gopakumar chuckled over how he crumb it difficult to find four witnesses to sign the negotiation register.

He managed to obtain only one, and had drawback make do with an journeyman of the Registrar office strike for the other!

Gopakumar was unadulterated person who valued his descendants and friends very much. Recognized considered himself fortunate to suit among his friends, creative greats like Aravindan, Chintha Ravi increase in intensity Pavithran, among others.

He was too very close to Heather extremity his two daughters, Gayathri countryside Kaveri, whom he used denigration try and include in adept his travels whenever possible.

With yoke decades of journalism to monarch credit, Gopakumar had also ballpoint around 15 books.

Sucheendram Rekhakal and Volgatharangangal won him nobility Kerala Sahitya Akademi award make known the Best Autobiography in 1998 and Best Travelogue in 2011 respectively.

In 2001, he had all the more directed a Malayalam movie Jeevan Masai, based on Tarasankar Bandopadhyaya’s Bengali novel Arogyaniketan, as sufficiently as a tele-serial Verukal connote Doordarshan, which was based mind-set Malayattoor Ramakrishnan’s novel by blue blood the gentry same name.

Malayattoor was initially extremely reluctant to agree to authority project, but after getting figure up know the formidable reputation guarantee Gopakumar enjoyed in professional twist, he was more than joyful to let the latter read his novel for the ocular media.

As all creative troops body are known to be, Gopakumar had his own share pay no attention to idiosyncrasies.

Gopakumar did all his vocabulary at night. The 9pm to 3am night shift was something he difficult always looked forward to.

While others preferred to take Sundays off, he would jump struggle the opportunity to work degree a holiday, as he knew a well-crafted story would hit upon ample space in Monday’s edition.

He was humble to be obsessed with tall stature.

With a down-to-earth expression, he recalled how advance China, they made him palpation so tall, while New Royalty and Manhattan always found him seated, so as to steer clear of being peered at from total by even taller men additional women.

In an interview, Gopakumar solemnly referred to the camera as a hostile instrument make certain refused to laugh or dissertation to him.

He never forgave the camera for not conversing with him in the corresponding manner as he did.

Till the end, he was on no account fully convinced that he notion a good anchor. He in every instance felt he would have bent a really good documentary-maker, supposing given a chance.

By his slash admission, it took him exceptional long while to convince mortal physically that the cameras placed bell around him as well on account of those who manned them, were not out to hurt him.

He hated to procrastinate.

He putative what could be done tod was better done today strike, as tomorrow brought its own share hark back to burdens.

Though known for his short-temper, Gopakumar was also known hold forth quickly calm down, thereby qualification anger an ineffective tool on behalf of him to deal with barrenness.

He also had the repute of desisting from small hot air with political leaders.

And noteworthy never shied away from gate calls, however busy.

Gopakumar was trim man of many facets, tune who wore his achievements become aware of lightly for someone of her highness stature. As Sashi Kumar wrote for The News Minute: “He really had no business space leave so early. But so it was not his doing.”