Kozhikode; The prominent citizens from various walks of life would celebrate the legacy of ‘Ramdas Vaidyar,’ known as the emperor of laughter, on his 18th death anniversary on October 22. The Ramadas Vaidyar commemoration committee has also instituted an international award for sarcastic and creative efforts in his name. The entries can be trolls, pictures with captions and caricatures tinged with sarcasm and irony on the topical political and social issues that can be published on the social media. Keralites living across the globe can participate in the contest. Actor Sreenivasan would present the awards on October 22.
A rebel who laughed at the existing customs and traditions, Vaidyar had instituted the ‘Miss Ugly contest’ as a parody to the Miss World contest and launched a coconut climbing academy to solve the acute shortage of coconut climbers. Manoj Kaloor, son of Ramadas Vaidyar, told DC that the event had invited the attention of even international media. His ‘Nilgiri Lodge’ in the city was favoured by many prominent geniuses of the time. Poet Vayalar Ramavarma penned some of his beautiful evergreen songs from this tiny lodge, he added.
The then district collector U.K.S. Chouhan, wearing his shorts, had struggled to climb the coconut tree when Vaidyar insisted on him to inaugurate his academy by climbing a tree himself. The entries for the award should reach the commemoration committee on or before October 17. E-mail: ramdasvaidyaraward@gmail.com. For more details contact: 9633046765, 9447066178, 9387590041, 9037490502.
