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M.T. Vasudevan Nair

by Lakshmi Menon
(Bangalore, India)

The following day of Christmas (26th December 2024), I woke up knowing the sad news of my favourite Malayalam writer M.T. Vasudevan Nair's loss. He passed away on Christmas night at the age of 91.

M T Vasudevan Nair was a renowned Malayalam writer, Director, Jnanapith and Padma Bhushan Awardee. He was popularly known as MT and a prolific writer with seven decades of literary career.

Born in a low middle class agricultural family in Kudalur village in Palakkad District, on 15th July 1933, MT got his first writing published in 1948. He began his journalist career as sub editor with Mathrubhumi Weekly magazine and later he worked as Editor there for several years and lived in Kozhikkode (Calicut).

He has authored 9 novels, 19 collections of short stories, directed 6 films, and 54 screenplays, several collections of essays and memoirs, making an indelible mark on Malayalam literature and cinema. Many of his writings have been made into movies. His film Nirmalyam brought him Best Film award in 1995.

His most popular works are Naalukettu, Manju, Kaalam, Asuravithu, Randamoozham, a mythological novel etc. Through his works, he conveyed the beauty and complexity of Kerala's life.

His novel Naalukettu (Ancestral Home) published in 1958, that dealt with the decaying ancestral Nair feudal family system is considered a classic in Malayalam literature. He also penned several acclaimed works, including Asuravithu, Manju, and Kaalam.

His directorial ventures are the national award-winning Nirmalyam (1973), Bandhanam (1978), Kadavu (1991), and Oru Cherupunchiri (2000).

He was a multifaceted genius who enriched Malayalam literature, cinema and journalism. He was born in Koodalur village in Malabar, Palakkad, Kerala. Enjoying the village life with its paddy fields and the river Nila flowing besides, inspired him to write and all his major works are based on it.

He had received several awards for his literary work. He was the Jnana Peeta awardee, the highest award in literature world in 1995 and in 2005, M T was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honour.

He received the J C Daniel Award for lifetime achievement in Malayalam cinema in 2013, and in 2022, he was honoured with the inaugural Kerala Jyothi Award, the highest civilian honour from the Kerala government. He was a recipient of numerous other accolades.

The first novel I read in my life was Naalukettu. Following that I read many of his short stories. His writings inspired me to become a writer.