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28 March 2024

Indian community in Dubai saddened by poet's demise

Poet Asmo Puthanchira passed away in Abu Dhabi on Monday evening after suffering froma heart attack. (Supplied)

Published
By VM Sathish

The Keralite literary community in the UAE is mourning the death of an eminent writer and literary figure, Asmo Puthanchira, who has passed away in Abu Dhabi on Monday evening after suffering from a heart attack.

Mohammed Sayed (63-year-old), an engineer and businessman by profession, has been living in Abhu Dhabi, UAE for more than four decades, after he reached the Emirate in a launch.

He was omni present in literary and socio-cultural events in various Emirates.

He made his name as a silent poet with a wide network of friends and well-wishers, who are now busy organizing condolence meetings and special prayers for the deceased author.

The Indian poet, who has penned more than 200 poems and published a poetry books in November 2013 was preparing to publish his next poetry collections, when he was found dead on Monday evening in his accommodation in Mussafa  Shabia, Abu Dhabi. 

Hailing from Puthenchira in Trichur district of Kerala, Areepurathu Sayed Mohammed Omar, popular with the pen name Asmo Puthenchira, used poetic language to converse with his mother and close friends. 

In the same melancholy way he wrote poems about expatriate life, his financial difficulties, especially after he got stuck in a half-finished project.

In order to complete the project, he needed finance, but could not get it. "He asked for financial help from only a very few close friends. He died without completing his last project and his last poetry book," added a close friend. "He had asked for Dh50,000 to come out of the financial mess."

He has published more than 200 poems on various aspects of expatriate life in various mainstream publications. 

From these 200 poems, a collection of 70 poems was published by DC Books with a title, Chiri Kuruthi (Smiley Slaughter). 

The poetry collection brought him a couple of prestigious literary awards from the Middle East, including Sarga Sameesha Kavya Puraskaram, Askharakoottam Award, Pravasi Book Trust Award, and of late his villagers from Puthenchira honoured him.

However, the author remained largely unrecognized in his home country and was quite sad about such neglect. "I know him for 17 years and he used to lead a tense life. However, he did not show it. He was about to publish his next poetry collection, Mozhimuthukal, but could not complete. I hope it will be published,” said Kamarudeen a close friend. The Indian community is going gaga about his death through media and social media, but nobody could recognize his real problems in real life.

"He was in deep financial crisis and his internal smile was similar to Monalisa. He faced depression and we could not make out whether he was sad or happy. His friendship and cordial relationship touched my heart and I will be missing him," said Rafeeq Memunda, an author who knows him for five years.

"He remains in our heart forever,” he added. He was the captain of Poetry Corner, under the Abu Dhabi Art Foundation and started an association for Indian writers, Kolayiil, which is not functional now.

Asmo, an electrical engineer by profession, ventured into business and was running a small business, which was not so successful.

In his personal life too he was sad because he did not have a child.

And the sadness of the lonely poet was reflected in his various poems, which covered various aspects of expatriate life.

"I know him for twenty years and he was a lovely and fatherly figure because he did not have child. He was a kind hearted man who was not a shrewd businessman and an artist like him could not live as a businessman."

His writings were too brief and he can be called the Kunjunni of Gulf." He would be present in any programmes and he would keep a small piece of paper, which he would recite for the audience," says Shaji Haneef, author and literary figure. 

"His wife was very beautiful and initially the couple chose not to have kids. However, later they could not get a child about which he was very depressed," said a close friend of Asmo.

"He used to write simple poems about expatriate life and used to send to various literary magazines. Even though the editors kept on rejecting his poems, he kept sending the same and finally his poems appeared in leading literary magazines. He used to publish his mini poems in his Facebook pages and through various other platforms. He started travelling a lot, when he suddenly died," said a close friend of Asmo.

In many literary sessions, he used to recite his 'A Bus Trip in Abu Dhabi,' that tells the national smell of the Filippinos, Bangladeshi, Iraqis, Afghanis, Palestinians and various nationalities who strive hard to make a living in a city of skyscrapers.