That the first and the most authentic Malayalam dictionary to date, Sabdatharavali by Sreekanteswaram G. Padmanabha Pillai, turns 90 this year is a fact lost on Malayalis basking in the language’s hard-won classical status.

While such forgetfulness on the part of language Tsars is understandable, given the backward status of linguists and lexicographers in cultural hierarchy, a handful of ordinary language-lovers like poet Kureeppuzha Sreekumarare paying tributes to the enduring legacy of Sreekanteswaram, as the lexicographer is popularly known.

Ironic as it may seem, the milestone was made known by Kureeppuzha on his Facebook page with a lucid piece on the massive lexicon, which has enriched the vocabulary and creative language use of generations of Malayalam speakers.

Kureeppuzha recalls with gratitude the effort put in by Sreekanteswaram, who had already authored nearly 35 works including plays andattakkathas (Kathakali performance texts), to compile the lexicon, explaining with references meanings of nearly 1.5 lakh words and expressions. He began to work on the lexicon aged 32 years and self-published the first edition comprising 500 copies with a cover price of Rs. 22 at the age of 58. Along the way, hit by scepticism over its timely completion, he brought out a pocket dictionary to rousing reception. He made a significant statement that a lexicon always remains incomplete. While arranging words in alphabetical order is child’s play now, the fact that he put together a massive dictionary in an era shorn of automatic devices is simply amazing, Kureeppuzha writes.

Spurning a well-paying job as an attorney, Sreekanteswaram (1864-1946) dedicated his life to Malayalam lexicography. “While the meaning of the word ‘sukham’ (well-being) is enunciated in my dictionary, I have not experienced it till date,” he noted in jest, introducing the work.

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