Renowned Malayalam poet and Jnanpith laureate Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri is no more. He got involved in community work through Unninamboodiri and has been the co-editor of Mangalodayam and Yogakshema. He has been working as a scriptwriter for All India Radio, Kozhikode since 1956. In 1975, he was the Editor of All India Radio, Thrissur. He retired from All India Radio in 1985.
The late poet has written over 46 works of poetry, drama, short stories, and essays .He has published many works including Twentieth Century Epic, Bhagavatam, The Temple of the Moment, The Marble, The Sacrifice, The Flowers of Conscience, The Selected Poems of Akkitham, The Temple of the Moment, The Five Colors, The Debut, The Honey, A Bunch of Grapes, The Fallen World, Amritagathika, The Game, After the honeymoon. The main works are Sparshamani, Five Folk Songs and Manasapooja. He has also published essays on Upanayanam and Samavarthanam.
In 1972, he received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for his work Balidarshanam. Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award in 1973, Odakuzhal Award in 1974, Sanjayan Award, Padmaprabha Award, Amrita Keerthi Award, Ezhuthachan Award for Outstanding Contribution in 2008, Mathrubhumi Sahitya Award in 2008, Vayalar Award in 2012, Ezhuthachan Award in 2017, Samithi Award Akkitham has received. Akkitham became the sixth Malayalee writer to win the Jnanpith award just days before his passing away.
