Prominent Malayalam writer MT Vasudevan Nair died on Wednesday at a private hospital in Kozhikode, where he was admitted due to a heart attack. He was 91 years old. The Kerala government has announced two days of state mourning.
One of Kerala’s most famous writers, Madath Thekkepat Vasudevan Nair – or MT, as he is popularly known – leaves an indelible mark in the fields of literature and cinema with a career spanning over seven decades.
His works drew inspiration from agricultural life on the banks of the Nila River (also known as Bharatpuzha), where he spent his childhood in an upper-caste Nair family.
His writings echoed the life, language, speech and tumult of the times that saw the transformation of Hindu matrilineal families in the Valluvanad region, formerly the princely state of northern Kerala. His novels Nalukettu, Asuravitha and Kalam deal with the pains and tribulations of the matrilineal families of the region.
The characters in his works, many of them drawn from this cultural milieu, are known for their nuanced interpretations.
“The characters, their plights – that 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 awards, starting with the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for his first novel Nalukettu in 1959 at the age of 23. His novel Kalam brought him national recognition, winning the Central Sahitya Akademi Award in 1969. Over the next three decades, he wrote iconic works like Asuravithu, Manju in 1962, Kalam in 1969 and Randamoozham in 1984. His last novel Varanasi was published in 2002.
MT has also directed seven films and written scripts for 45 films. His critically acclaimed films were also commercial successes – a rare feat in the Malayalam film industry where art and commercial films flow in different streams.
In 1965, he wrote his first film script, Murappenu. He made his directorial debut in 1973 with the film Nirmalyam, which won the National Award for Best Feature Film that year.
He has also written three travelogues, one play and many essays.
However, he clarified that his books “defined” him. In his words, “I am a writer first and foremost; text is my priority. I became a journalist; also worked in films. Cinema is in no way inferior to literature, but books define me.
MT’s novels and film scripts are known for taking fresh approaches to traditional stories and themes. His novel Randamoozham, considered one of the masterpieces of Malayalam literature, presented the Mahabharata from Bhima’s point of view.
This is also evident in the screenplays of the epic films Perumthachan and Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, both stories based on folklore but told from a new perspective.
Born in 1934 in Kudallur village in Palakkad district of Kerala, MT did his schooling in his native village before graduating in chemistry from Victoria College, Palakkad. During his graduate studies, he won the award for best short story in Malayalam in the World Short Story Competition organized by The New York Herald Tribune.
During his childhood, he is known to have pored over magazines brought home by his older brother. He had previously recalled that he did not go out to play physically demanding games and instead, he immersed himself in the world of letters. Even at the age of 12, he said, he eagerly awaited newspapers and magazines.
After graduation, MT had a brief stint as a school teacher. In 1956, he moved to Kozhikode, where he joined Matrubhumi Literary magazine as sub-editor. Nine years later, MT became its editor, a position he held until 1981. He also served as President of Kerala Sahitya Akademi and Chairman of Thunchan Memorial Trust and Research Centre.
In 1995, MT was awarded the Jnanpeeth and in 2005 the Padma Bhushan. The Kerala Jyoti Award, the highest civilian award given by the state government, was conferred on him in 2022.
Speaking to The Indian Express in 2023, when he was reminded that he wanted to write another novel in an interview with the same magazine two decades earlier, he said: “Yes, I am still working on it. Covid caused some disruption. But I will do it.”
After receiving the news of his death, the state government announced two days of mourning. The meeting of the Council of Ministers and other government functions scheduled for November 26 have been postponed.
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