KOCHI: “I prefer the Nila that I know to the great oceans that hold unknown wonders in their wombs,” M T Vasudevan Nair once said in an interview.
Alongside his characters, the Bharathapuzha river -- which is romanticised as the Nila, mostly in literary works -- plays a significant role in the writings of MT.
Published in 1962, ‘Asuravithu’ stands out as one of MT’s remarkable works that portrays the myriad emotions of the river. Skilfully written and featuring well-crafted characters, the novel’s narrative offers a candid examination of the deteriorating matrilineal order and the collapse of the joint-family system. Readers finds themselves next to Govindankutty, who gazes at the Nila from atop a wall, with his emotions reflecting in the nuances of the river.
“You cannot keep Nila away from the characteristic thoughts of MT. I would say, MT encapsulates the Nila and Kudallur (MT’s hometown, in Palakkad district). There is none who has loved Nila this much,” says M T Raveendran, who penned ‘MTyum Kudallurum’ (MT and Kudallur). Raveendran is the son of MT’s aunt.
MT also poignantly captures the changes that Nila underwent over the years. In the novel ‘Kaalam’ (1969), when Sethu leaves his village in search of a better life, MT places the character against the backdrop of a flooded river. When Sethu returns, believing he has gained everything in life, the river has been reduced to a dribble. MT alludes that despite his good fortune, Sethu has lost his roots and beloved ones.
“Sethu says, ‘Behind me, the river lies motionless like the body of a man covered in blood.’ MT is peerless in narrating Sethu’s agony. The narration is intense and affects every reader who has left their past in search of a better life, says Satheesh M P, a teacher and resident of Kudallur, who has written many magazine and newspaper articles on MT and Kudallur.
The banks of the Nila, the country boats, the boatmen... MT used the river as a platform to express the emotions of his characters.
From childhood, MT spent an extensive amount of time on the banks of Nila and this resonates in his body of work. For instance, in the film ‘Kadavu,’ which was written, directed and produced by MT, he cleverly uses elements such as the riverbank to portray the distance between characters, murmurs of the river, waiting country boats, and the oarsman calling for passengers.
MT’s departure leaves the Nila devoid of the person who best captured its many emotions.