Kenyataan Akhbar & Press Statement

Kenyataan Akhbar:

Berita Dr Haji Othman Puteh meninggal dunia pada 19 Oktober 2003 mengejutkan pihak Kavyan. Dunia sastera kehilangan seorang tokoh yang pasti tidak dapat dicari ganti.

Pihak Kavyan sendiri amat merasakan suatu kehilangan besar kerana Allahyarham baru sahaja dilantik sebagai Penasihat Kehormat Kavyan pada Mesyuarat Jawatankuasa 27 September 2003.

Allahyarham sentiasa memberi motivasi dan menggalakkan kemunculan penulis baru dari kalangan kaum India. Uthaya Sankar SB, Saroja Theavy Balakrishnan, M. Mahendran, S. G. Prabhawathy, Nyanaambigai serta hampir semua penulis kaum India yang menghasilkan karya Bahasa Malaysia mendapat bimbingan daripada beliau – secara langsung atau tidak langsung.

Malah, Allahyarham telah menyatakan kesediaan untuk menjadi panel pada “Diskusi Karya Sasterawan Kaum India” yang dijadualkan di Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) pada Disember 2003.

Allahyarham merupakan pembimbing, guru, pakar motivasi, penasihat dan bapa yang penyayang kepada para ahli Kavyan. Sesungguhnya pemergian Dr Haji Othman Puteh suatu kehilangan besar bagi Kavyan.

Takziah kepada keluarga Allahyarham. Semoga Tuhan Yang Maha Penyayang menempatkan Allahyarham di kalangan insan yang amat dikasihi-Nya.

Uthaya Sankar SB, Presiden Kavyan
6:00 pm, 19 Oktober 2003


Press Statement:

Ask anyone in the Bahasa Malaysia literary circle; each and everyone would say they never expected to hear the shocking news of Dr Haji Othman Puteh passing away suddenly in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah on 19 October 2003.

This humble and gentle man was born on 5 January 1944 in Kampung Kuala, Kuala Sungai Baru, Melaka. After completing primary education there, he attended English secondary school in Bandar Melaka. Then continued his studies at Sultan Idris Teaching College, Tanjung Malim, Perak (1963-64).

Cikgu Seman, as he is affectionately called by his students, has nine years of teaching experience in primary and secondary schools. Later, he attended National University of Malaysia (UKM) to receive his first degree in 1977, masters in 1981 and doctorate in 1992. But most young writers still referred to him as “Pak Cik Othman” and “Pak Haji Othman”.

Though he wrote many adolescent novels, the late Dr Haji Othman wrote only two novels for adults: Munajat di Perkebunan (DBP: 1990) and Kalut (Fajar Bakti: 1997).

“During fall 1996, Pak Haji Othman attended International Writing Programme in University of Iowa. That’s where he wrote Kalut. I’m personally touched because he named one of the main characters after me,” recalls Uthaya Sankar SB, the President of Malaysian Indian Writers’ Foundation (Kavyan) and a writer who has been keeping close contact with the deceased since 1991.

Upon receiving the SEA Write Awards in 1998, Dr Haji Othman said, “I’m convinced that literature still has the endurance, relevancy and significance as a vehicle of critical and esthetical expression in humanity.”

At the age of 59 – he was to turn 60 next January – he still looks young and energetic. He was always on the move. He’s very active in Gapena besides accepting invitation to conduct workshops and delivering papers at seminars.

During a seminar in Kota Kinabalu last August, he presented a paper specifically about Uthaya Sankar SB. He was also honoured by Kavyan to read the very first short story in Baca Cerpen Kavyan, the non-stop reading which went on for 96 hours and 32 minutes; with the last piece being read by Datuk (Dr) A. Samad Said.

In September 2003, these two laureate were appointed advisors of Kavyan; along with Prof Madya Dr Krishanan Maniam. The deceased has also accepted an invitation to present a paper about Malaysian Indian writers in DBP this December; and to be the head judge for a short story competation organised by Kavyan and Ashwin Trading.

The late Dr Haji Othman Puteh has been – and will always be – a guide, a mentor, a guru and a father-figure to every Malaysian Indian writer in Kavyan. May his soul rest in peace and placed among His loved ones.

19 October 2003, 6:00 pm