A Requiem For Earth

O N V Kurup

Ottaplakkal Neelakandan Velu Kuruppu (1931- 2016), popularly known as ONV Kurup or ONV, was a poet, lyricist and professor of Malayalam literature. After graduating in Economics from Kollam, he moved to Thiruvananthapuram to pursue a Master's degree in Malayalam literature and later served as Professor in various prestigious government colleges across Kerala. A noted progressive writer with a humanist perspective, ONV was a prolific writer with over fifteen anthologies of poetry, in addition to over 1500 songs written for movies and KPAC dramas. 

About poem 

ONV Kurup had not thrown away a single page or struck out a single word by the time he finished writing ‘Bhoomikkoru Charamageetham’ (Requiem for Earth).

The poem came into being without the poet knowing it, he once said. So was the title. He did not even have a second thought about it.

It came natural to the poet, who wrote a prayer for the trees. Not a single page was wasted. If the pen had a life, it would have worked with no one but ONV. Not a single stroke of letter would go waste.

ONV wrote ‘Requiem for the Earth’ for a gathering of poets to stress the need for the protection of environment. The collective, called the Environment Protection Council, had N.V. Krishna Warrier and Sugathakumari as president and secretary.

The hall in Thiruvananthapuram was bursting at the seams with people who had taken Re 1 entry tickets to listen to the poet recite his new poem.

The Requiem, which went on to become one of the most popular poems in Malayalam, was the result of an ominous thought that occurred to ONV after a visit to an exhibition of lunar material – What if Earth becomes a wasteland like moon?

Short summary

‘A Requiem for Earth’ is an outcry against the abominable exploitation of nature and the earth by humans in the name of development. The poet believes that the brutality with which we shamelessly and greedily exploit the earth will lead to the extinction of life on earth. As a result, the earth would perish with nobody to sing a requiem for her. In this poem full of images, the poet presents snapshots of the beauty of nature, the plight to which it is reduced, and the ultimate outcome of this exploitation.

Significance of the title

In this poem, the poet wanted to spread a very important message to all people, indicating the fact that mother earth is to be protected in every possible manner.It depends on humans on how they behave or deal with people, things and resources i.e. trees. It is time that we cherish the benefits of trees and other birds like cuckoo, owls, etc who are all dependent on the existence of trees. We should not cut them.