KOLLAM: SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan said that the Yogam is ready to establish a statue of Sree Narayana Gurdeva at the Sree Narayana Guru Cultural Complex in Kollam if the state government is unable to do it. He made this statement while inaugurating the centenary commemoration of the death anniversary of Kumaran Asan and the Merit Award distribution, which was organized jointly by the Sree Narayana Guru Employees Council, Sree Narayana Guru Retired Teachers Council, Kollam SN College PTA, and Staff Association at Kollam SN College.

"The government had promised to set up a statue of Gurudev at the Sri Narayana Guru Cultural Complex, but it has been two years since that promise was made. After criticism of the crude statue that was presented during the inauguration, it was announced that a new statue would be installed," Vellappally said.

"Some people are deliberately trying to diminish Gurudeva's divinity. While Gurudeva is called a revolutionary and a social reformer, his divinity is not mentioned. Gurudeva is Parabrahman. He has stated who he is through his works. There has been no effort to speak about or propagate this. Gurudeva’s vision and teachings are disappearing from textbooks. Similarly, Kumaran Asan is also being removed from textbooks. Kumaran Asan was the leader who advocated for the rights of the backward communities. He raised his voice in the Praja Sabha for population-based representation for the backward communities," said Vellappally.

Vellappally also released a special edition of Yoganadam, the mouthpiece of the SNDP Yogam, dedicated to the great poet Kumaran Asan. He presented cash awards and mementoes to the students of Kollam SN College who secured ranks in the degree and postgraduate exams.