Malayalam poet-lyricist Girish Puthenchery passed away due to cerebral hemorrhage.It is the crown of the Malayalam film songs that crumbled down inside the MIMS hospital , hours before. Maya Krishnan goes back to the eternal journeys, the poet has always been obsessed with.

Malyalam poet-lyricist Girish Puthenchery passes away to the realm of stars beyond the silver screen. After Vayalar and P.Bhaskaran it was Girish, who regained the lost crown and glory of the Malyalam Film songs through ‘Devasuram’. That crown has crumbled now.

It’s past 20 years he came to the Malayalam film industry as a lyricist. But even before that, there was an era when college students  rushed to buy  ‘Kalkaumudi’ and ‘Mathrubhumi’ weeklies to read some poems with stuff. It was a Girish Puthenchery who feasted the youths of 80’s then. Whenever gets time to have an open chat, he recalled those periods of honour he enjoyed in anonymity.

Girish Puthenchery’s debut film was ‘Enquiry’, but became catchy with the fast number (slow number) ‘santhamee raathriyil’in ‘Johnny Walker’. After ‘Devasuram’  there was no a turning back for the poet-lyricist who descended to revive the Malayalam film songs, as the critics thought to be. Whenever there is a tie-up with Vidyasagar, he created a water shed of melodies , Malayalis  loved to keep along. With the late musician Raveendran also, he had his miraculous melodies to keep abreast with any other songs in semi classical track. He has been honoured with  7  State Awards so far.

Girish Puthenchery was always held up in some sort of a journey. An atheist, who carries with the alternative thoughts always, he wandered around, along the coastal barriers, along the crowded streets,in search of something, with a humming always inside, and at last reached Guruvayur. In his own words, ‘it was an introspective voyage’. Quoting the ‘little’ Kunjunni poems, he said that he reached there, where the ultimate journey ends. Somebody called the wandering guy, sitting on the steps of the huge banyan tree with dirty clothes and empty stomach, inside. He said, he was drifting along some unseen waves, to reach inside the temple. That was his threshold to the life of a theist, a believer, who believed and found himself within his own palm.

He could get out of the penury through the mesmerizing filmdom. In a short period of 20 years, he penned for more than 400 films, most of them turned to be hits and mega hits. It is a period when the poets pen for the tunes. This seemed to be much tiresome for almost all lyricists were concerned. But Girish could get through the hemming of the music director and the scenarist. Understanding the depth and gravity of the situation, he could transform the feels into words with the senses of euphony instantly,to the amazement of the directors.

Even though not trained in classical music, he could identify almost all ragas of Carnatic music. It was his obsession when he meets somebody to sing the songs he had written. He has penned for at least 4500 songs including some devotional songs and fast hits. In spite of being peppy in such fast numbers, he could keep a single thread of blank verse in every song he rendered. In ‘Summer in Bethlehm’, we can perceive a poet with  multiple susceptible elements in hand. One can never forget the subtle melody ‘pinneyum pinneyum..’ which brings out the innate romantic facets, even from a bestial being.

Girish Puthenchery  was familiarized with Sanskrit in an early age. That may be the reason for his uninterrupted vocabulary, which made him an instant poet of tunes. Kinship to the divine language and his whimsical experiences with Krishna made him a scholar and a known poet even when the veteran poet-lyricist P.Bhaskaran was alive. Like Bhaskaran Master, his poems were also rich with the imageries from the nature. He created miracles in verses with simple words and familiar imagery, to make even the layman follow his mood.

Girish Puthenchery  was a poet,as well as secenarist(Pallavur evanarayanan, Kinnarippuzhyoram, Vadakkunnathan). ‘Vadakkunnathan’ was his dream child, but certain personal and professional dilemma made the film a flop in the box office, even though the content was solid. Himalaya was another obsession for Girish Puthenchery. In ‘Vadakunnathan’, the protagonist, a Sanskrti scholar having some bipolar disorder, which takes him to Himalayas in a mood of searching for the unknown.  Girish Puthenchery used to say that “there won’t be any logic or reasoning in my journeys. But any how, I want to go when the Himalaya calls me. Time and Space is stand still there”. The romantic lyrics of ‘Vadakunnathan’, especially the one ‘Thiriyay thelinju nin manassinte ambalathil…’ really depicts the virtue and eternity of love which Girish always carried throughout his life. He used to say that, after reading ‘Kumara sambhavam’ at an early age, he thought of himself as the servant of Kalidasa. But he never failed to admit that he was a lyricist by profession and that never required a poet, often.

Girish Puthanchery was a poet of rain; he was a lover of rain. His passion for rain can be seen tinted with fantasies in almost all his verses. But ironically, he was scared of water and never boards a boat or ship. He was an onlooker always when he reaches a water source. Perhaps, the poet would be wandering through the under currents of the jingling streams then. That is why he could make Yesudas  sing in praise of Ganga, with all her glens and pools taking in, to make the hands of the Keralites fold in reverence..

Girish Puthenchery is returning, leaving a dream mission incomplete. He was engaged in the works of ‘Raman Police’, a Malayalam movie. He was planning to direct it himself. Anyway, the eternal poet is going back to the celestial life to which he was tethered unseen all through his short life in earth. Yes, the time and space  stand still now, though his melodies go on recharging the Keralites unto the last.

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