THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Death gave him no pain; coz life never enamoured him!
Thus wrote MT in ‘Shathru’. Yet he cherished each moment, endowed with a profound gaze that penetrated deep into the innermost recesses of the Malayali psyche, pouring out a slew of timeless creations. With Malayalam left bereaved of its two most precious letters — MT — that enriched its literary aesthetics for over seven decades, cultural Kerala stands orphaned. Never in its history had Kerala witnessed such a legendary writer, auteur par excellence and the most celebrated literary editor.
The passing of M T Vasudevan Nair, who over the decades had attained iconic status among Keralites across the globe with his wide canvas of literary works and a brilliant bouquet of films, leaves behind an eternal void in the state’s socio-cultural, literary and political spheres. A colossal, irreparable loss indeed!
On Thursday, Kerala bade adieu to the doyen of Malayalam literature and cinema, who breathed his last at a private hospital in Kozhikode on Wednesday night. The 91-year-old was under treatment for severe respiratory issues. Thousands gathered at MT’s house ‘Sithara’ on Kottaram Road and the Smrithipatham crematorium in Kozhikode to catch a final glimpse of their favourite writer-filmmaker.
How best would one describe MT? A writer who defied norms, choosing to portray castaways; a literary editor who paved the way for the onset of modernism in Malayalam literature; one of the most acclaimed filmographers who transformed screenplays into literary masterpieces in Malayalam; a sort of misanthrope who preferred to elude mainstream society, yet rose to be the ‘cultural editor’ of Kerala, a role that Communist patriarch EMS had once assumed with elan? Perhaps, there’s no one else who influenced Kerala’s socio-cultural sensibilities like MT.
Contrary to the ways of the contemporary world, here was a man who chose silence as an oft-sought companion. Rarely did he speak. But when he did, the whole of Kerala listened with rapt attention, be it his interventions to put an end to the Marad riots, genuine concern over the thousands who lost their livelihoods post demonetisation, or his recent remarks denouncing totalitarianism and cult worship of political leaders. MT was never one to mince words. More often than not, his silences too were subject to widespread misinterpretation.
No other literary editor, in all likelihood, nurtured the modernist movement in Malayalam literature the way MT did, with a slew of writers — M Mukundan, Sethu, Paul Zachariah, Madhavan and Narayana Pillai, among others — being handpicked by MT the editor.
MT portrayed inner tussles of marginalised sections
Amidst acceptable societal parlance, MT remained an enigma, not just for so-called power-centres but even for fellow-travellers who often wondered exactly whose side he was on! Cultural Kerala never did succeed in slotting him into established columns of political, religious or social identities. When many writers returned awards so as to make a pertinent political point, he wasn’t among them.
While many of the intelligentsia preferred to be known as atheists, he often headed to Mookambika.
As a writer-filmmaker, he portrayed the inner tussles of those on the margins of society. Yet, an underlying streak of rebellion in a few of his iconoclastic characters stand out.
How can cultural Kerala ever forget the distraught oracle who spat on the face of the deity whom he had worshipped for long -- an image that now lies etched forever in the minds of Malayali cinephiles. Such evocative imagery, especially in an era of religious and communal intolerance, provides much food for thought in an increasingly polarised world.
As a filmmaker too, MT walked away from popular narratives.
He was truly a storyteller, ever alive to all that happened around him, turning them into ageless tales. As MT himself jotted down in ‘Ajnathante Uyaratha Smarakam’, the journey never ends.
Time has now however put a full stop to MT. But through his telling stories, he continues to live on, narrating tales imbued with an eternal touch.
Just how cultural Kerala will come to terms with the reality that MT is no more remains a question unanswered!
In a league of his own
M T Vasudevan Nair’s literary excellence earned him many awards, including the Jnanpith — India’s highest literary honour — in 1995 for his contributions to Malayalam literature.
In 2005, the nation honoured him with Padma Bhushan.
He was awarded the maiden Kerala Jyothi, the highest civilian honour bestowed by the Kerala Government, in 2022
MT’s first major work ‘Naalukettu’ — published in 1958 — won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1959. He has also received Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award, Ezhuthachan Puraskaram, Vayalar Award, Vallathol Puraskaram, etc.
Nirmalyam, MT’s directorial debut, was given National Award for best film and state awards for best film and screenplay. His screenplays earned him the national award four times and state award 11 times.
