Poet, lyricist Pazhavila Ramesan dies at 83

Thiruvananthapuram: Poet and lyricist Pazhavila Ramesan died at a private hospital here Thursday.

"He was under treatment for age-related ailments," a source close to the family told PTI.

Ramesan, 83, a recipient of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for overall contribution, had also penned songs for many Malayalam movies including 'Malooty', 'Uncle Bun' and 'Vasudha.'

He had also served as the director of Kerala Bhasha Institute for a long time.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Ramesan was a spokesperson for the modernist movement in Malayalam poetry.

He always stood for secular ideas, Vijayan said.

Ramesan is survived by wife and two children.

The cremation will take place here Friday.