(We started from here - The email advertisement of first meeting)
Kattankaappiyum Kavithayum has evolved to become a movement to promote Malayalam language and literature outside Kerala, a mission which is hugely supported by the Malayalee Association of the UK. We never began with such a grand intention. It all started on the 8th of October 2010, when a group of Malayalee friends, proud to the brim with the news that our beloved poet O N V Kurup received Jnana Peedham, the highest literary award in India for his literary contributions, gathered together. This small group of like-minded people came together to celebrate the occasion at Kerala House, the home of MAUK.
We named the gathering 'Kattankaapiyum Kavithayum' (Coffee and Poetry). But it didn't end there. Ever since, Kattankaapiyum Kavithayum takes place every month. In these cosy, informal events, we are all at the same level, there is no podium to separate the attendees from any special guests - we sit in a circle together. We discuss language, literature, cinema, drama, art, history, gender, culture, and even food, very simply. We read and share poems, stories, excerpts from novels and drama that spoke to us, and discuss them. We sometimes sing old Malayalam songs together, in our own light-hearted way. And, most importantly, we definitely drink black coffee.
So, if feeling connected and content for 2 hours a month is a great achievement in life, that is precisely what we derive from our gathering. We do not have any particular agenda for the future, aside from creating a space for interested people to share their thoughts. Come and join if you like the sound of this, we wholeheartedly welcome new faces.
Key dates:
On the 19th of November 2017, Kattankappiyum Kavithayum organised the first ever Malayalam writers meet in the United Kingdom. Malayalam writers from across the nation arrived at Kerala house. On the 23rd of March 2019, Kattankappiyum Kavithayum celebrated 100 years of Malayalam writing in the UK through our second National gathering of Malayalam writers in the UK.
On the 25th of January 2020, Kattankappi moved to cyber space, hosting our 91st programme via Facebook Live, aiming to accommodate people outside our local community of East London. As a result, people from Kerala and many parts of the UK took part in our event. Soon this became the norm of the land as Covid-19 struck the coast of the UK. On the 9th of May 2020, we celebrated our 100th event through the digital realm. After organising several events live on Facebook, we moved to Club-house and later onto Zoom, where you will now find us, with mugs of black coffee, and verses to share.
(Sorry, we do not give awards to anybody)
