Renowned Malayalam writer M T Vasudevan Nair died on Wednesday at a private hospital in Kozhikode, where he was admitted following heart failure. He was 91 years old. The Kerala government has declared two days of state mourning.
One of Kerala’s most celebrated writers, Madath Thekkepat Vasudevan Nair – or MT, as he is popularly known – leaves behind an indelible mark in the fields of literature and film, with a career spanning more than seven decades.
His works drew inspiration from the agrarian life along the banks of the river Nila (also known as Bharathpuzha), where he spent his childhood in an upper-caste Nair family.
His writings echoed the life, language, diction and tumult of the times that saw a transformation of Hindu matrilineal families in the Valluvanad region, formerly a princely state in North Kerala. His novels Naalukettu, Asuravith and Kaalam dealt with the woes and tribulations of the matrilineal families in that region.
The characters in his works, most of them picked from this cultural milieu, are known for their nuanced interpretations.
“Characters, their predicaments — that’s what inspires me. The crossroads they find themselves in — they trouble us,” he told The Indian Express in 2023.
He has won various state, national and international laurels, starting with the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for his debut novel, Naalukettu, in 1959 at the age of 23. His novel Kaalam brought him national recognition, winning the Kendra Sahitya Akademi prize in 1969. Over the next three decades, he authored iconic works such as Asuravithu in 1962, Manju in 1964, Kaalam in 1969, and Randamoozham in 1984. His last novel, Varanasi, was published in 2002.
MT has also directed seven films and written 45 film scripts. His critically acclaimed movies were also commercial successes – a rare feat in the Malayalam film industry where art and commercial movies flow in different streams.
In 1965, he penned his first movie script, Murappennu. He made his directorial debut in 1973 with the film Nirmalyam, which won that year’s national award for best feature film.
He has also written three travelogues, a play, and several essays.
However, he had made it clear that his books were what “defined” him. In his words, “I am first and foremost a writer; text is my priority. I have been a journalist; similarly, worked in films. Not that cinema is inferior to literature in any way, but it is books that define me.”
MT’s novels and film scripts are known for taking a fresh approach towards traditional narratives and themes. His novel Randamoozham, considered one of the masterpieces of Malayalam literature, presented the Mahabharat from the viewpoint of Bheem.
This is also evident in screenplays for the movies Perumthachan and Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, both stories based on folklore but told from a fresh perspective.
Born in Kudallur village in Kerala’s Palakkad district in 1934, MT did his schooling in his native village before graduating in Chemistry from Victoria College, Palakkad. During his undergraduate studies, he won the best short story in Malayalam award at the World Short Story Competition, conducted by The New York Herald Tribune.
In his childhood, he is known to have pored over magazines brought home by his elder brother. He had previously recalled that he did not go outdoors to play physically demanding games and that, instead, he immersed himself in the world of letters. Even at the age of 12, he had said, he eagerly awaited magazines and periodicals.
After graduation, MT had a short stint as a school teacher. In 1956, he moved to Kozhikode, where he joined as a sub-editor with the Mathrubhumi literary magazine. Nine years later, MT became its editor, a post he held until 1981. He also served as the president of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi and as the chairman of the Thunchan Memorial Trust and Research Centre.
In 1995, MT was conferred with the Jnanpith and in 2005 the Padma Bhushan. The Kerala Jyothi Award, the highest civilian award given by the state government, was conferred to him in 2022.
Speaking to The Indian Express in 2023, when he was reminded about saying in an interview with the same paper two decades ago that he wanted to write another novel, he said: “Yes, I am still working on it. Covid had caused some disruption. But I will complete it.”
Following the news of his death, the state government announced two days of mourning. Cabinet meetings and other government functions slated for December 26 have been postponed.
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