CM turns magician at commemoration

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For someone adept at herding along a restive coalition, transforming a flaming piece of paper into a white dove might be child’s play. Still, to see Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, in a top hat and waving a magic wand, actually do it was quite something for hundreds of school children who had assembled at the Tagore Theatre on Sunday. The Chief Minister turned into a stage magician briefly during the inauguration of the ‘Vayanavaram’ commemorating P N Panicker, the father of the Library Movement in Kerala. Assisted by real-life magician Shaju Kadackal of the School of Magic, Chandy placed a burning piece of paper, with the word ‘Niraksharatha’ (illiteracy) written on it, into a red vessel. Shaju closed the vessel with a lid and asked Chandy to circle the wand over it. And surprise of surprises, the ashes turned into a live rabbit, much to the delight of about 300 young spectators! But the Chief Minister was not done. Shaju then urged him to place the dove in a flask-like container. The wand did its bit and the dove metamorphosed into a flashy bunch of artificial flowers! And all this time, riot police were clashing outside the closed doors of the auditorium with Yuva Morcha activists protesting against the stand taken by the UDF Government in the self-financing colleges issue. Undeterred by the goings-on outside, Chandy inaugurated the programme and urged the younger generation to develop the habit of reading. He recalled the efforts taken by P N Panicker to spur on the library movement,  encouraging people to read. ‘’It’s so many years since he left us. But he is still remembered and respected for the work he has done. He shunned all official positions and recognitions. It was his life’s mission to encourage people to read and grow,’’ Chandy said. Education Minister P K Abdu Rabb urged students to effectively use the new-age media to develop their reading habits. It is high time the younger generation introspected on the uses of the libraries, he said. He also remembered how Dr Sukumar Azhikode would call P N Panicker as the ‘’big leader of small people.’’ Theatre personality Kavalam Narayana Panicker delivered the keynote address.