Characters Of 'Dayammakkai' To Join Author Nizar Ilthumish For A Special Literary Event At Gudhaam Art Café, Kozhikode
Following the evocative launch of his novel Dayammakkai, writer Nizar Ilthumish is set to lead a special literary conversation at Gudhaam Art Café, Gujarati Street, Kozhikode, on Saturday, June 21 at 3 PM, bringing together voices from the very margins his novel dares to centre.
Dayammakkai is not just a novel; it is an unflinching look into lives long disowned by society and literature alike. With its narrative rooted in the realities of devadasis, hijras, and gender non-conforming individuals, the book explores how sacred identities were stripped of dignity over centuries.
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Now, the characters of that world are stepping off the page. Joining the event are Rasila and Malsyakanyaka, respected members of the transgender community, as well as Jamshid Ali, a politician and vocal advocate for gender rights.
Also part of this gathering is Anshad, an award-winning photographer whose visual narratives often echo real stories. The venue, Gudhaam Art Café, owned by cultural patron Badaykandy Basheer, has become a known haven in Kozhikode for radical art, literature, and inclusion.
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Badaykandy Basheer, founder of Gudhaam, began his journey in 1976 as an assistant accountant with the Dubai Police. After 18 years of service, he transitioned to the family furniture business in the Middle East, where he rose to the rank of CEO.
His travels from China to America, Germany to Istanbul shaped his taste for antiques, art, and storytelling. Inspired by the soulful cafés of Damascus and Istanbul, he envisioned Gudhaam as a cultural time capsule, a mosaic of memories, people, and places. Today, it stands as a living tribute to his journey and a canvas for the artists, writers, and thinkers of Kerala.
One such voice to echo through Gudhaam is that of Nizar Ilthumish, the contemporary Malayalam author known for his deeply introspective and travel-rooted narratives.
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His acclaimed works like Noorul Muneerul Poornananda, Agartha, and Kommakkayam explore themes of spiritual longing, inner exile, and identity, often shaped by his wanderings through Kashi, the Himalayas, and rural India.
Now through Dayammakkai, the discussion promises to be an immersive encounter between literature and lived experience, where fiction meets flesh, and myth meets memory.
