THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: May be no other writer in Malayalam has the clout and fame that M T Vasudevan Nair enjoys. The Jananpith winner has left his footprints not just in literature, but in cinema, journalism, television and documentaries. K Jayakumar, poet and former Chief secretary to Kerala Government, in his book ‘Mounavalmeekam’ takes a peek into the man, his personality and life. The book, which has less than 60 pages, puts across a terse account of the different facets of the writer’s persona.
Jayakumar begins the book with a caveat that he is unsure of the literary rationale of his endeavor, as it belies classification either as a memoir or a study. The attempt, the author says, has been to sidestep the literary convention of trying to read the man solely through the words he wrote and that he has tried to “know the man through his personal experiences with him.” The result is a book that has small chapters devoted to the major personal traits of the man, that can only be put together by someone who has observed and studied the man and his body of work.
MT is famous for his reticence, which is often mistaken for arrogance or condescension. Jayakumar says that this silence is not inactivity, but the fertile ground where stories take birth and grow into adults. MT’s epilogue to ‘Randamoozham’, where the writer salutes Vyasa for his ‘silences in ‘Mahabharatha’ which are pregnant with meanings’, is quoted by the author to illustrate the writer’s propinquity to silence. Jayakumar says MT’s ‘Manju’ is one of the greatest meditations on silence ever written in Malayalam. The other traits of MT, like his recalcitrance to norms, veneration for the old writers, gratitude, the keen eye to spot talent and qualities as a literary editor are all brought out in exquisite detail by Jayakumar, which is often accompanied by anecdotes from past association. The book is successful in taking the reader one step closer to an outstanding writing talent of our era. It is published by Haritha Books as part of its 11-part series on MT.