Longtime resident, noted literary figure set for Qatar farewell

Avani Vijayakumar, a longtime resident of Qatar and a noted literary figure and social activist among the Indian community, is leaving Qatar for good.Several community organisations in Qatar recently felicitated Vijayakumar for his social and literary contributions.He is set to leave the country by early February.Popularly known as ‘Avani’ among his friends and community members, Vijayakumar reached Qatar in 1996 and has completed 25 years in the country.Prior to his stint in Doha, he spent about two decades in Bahrain.Vijayakumar is well known for his literary works and many of his works have been appreciated by the community in Qatar and back in India.He has written several poems and short stories, which have been published in several periodicals both in Qatar and India. Many of his works have been compiled into a book called ‘Avanikathirukal’ and was published by a leading publishing house in the Indian state of Kerala.Vijayakumar hails from Thakazhi, the birthplace of Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, a leading Indian writer, who is also popularly known as Thakazhi.He fondly recollects his association with Pillai’s family in his early days and his long relationship with the family members of the writer.Vijayakumar feels that his literary talents were influenced by his association with the great writer in his childhood and young age until he left the country.However, he regrets that the busy work schedule in the Gulf prevented him from becoming a full-fledged writer.Vijayakumar has been working as the divisional manager of Al-Ghorairi & Partners in Qatar.He is associated with many of the leading community organisations such as Kerala Social and Cultural Organisation, Madhyamam Club, Friends Cultural Centre, KMCC Qatar and Pravasi Doha, among others. He is married to Ajitha Vijayakumar and the couple has a daughter, Anitha, and son, Vineeth.Vijayakumar plans to spend his retirement by travelling across India and other places as well as engaging in social and literary activities in his hometown.