City Bids Farewell to Its Beloved Literary Stalwart

Kozhikode is celebrated as the home of literary giant MT Vasudevan Nair; his contributions to literary world have left an indelible mark on Kozhikode's identity

- Lakshmi Athira @Kozhikode

Under the scorching sun, a sea of mourners stood still, their silence louder than words. They had come not just to bid farewell to a man but to pay tribute to an era—MT Vasudevan Nair, the literary titan who wove the soul of Kerala into his words, was now part of the timeless story he had so often written about life he felt in his own journey.

MT’s own words—“everyone who was born must die; those who died will be reborn,” from his magnum opus ‘Randamoozham’—resonated among the hundreds who gathered outside Sitara, the legendary writer’s residence, to bid him farewell.

Despite MT’s wishes for a private homage, Sitara became the centre stage of Kerala’s literary and cinematic worlds from Wednesday night as they congregated to honour him. The air was thick with solemnity as luminaries from literature, cinema, and politics queued alongside ordinary admirers, shedding their public personas to pay respect to the man who reshaped Kerala’s cultural landscape.

Inside the house, grief was deeply personal. MT’s wife, Kalamandalam Saraswathy, daughter, Aswathy V Nair and other relatives remained inconsolable, seated beside his body through the long hours from Wednesday night to Thursday evening when the funeral procession began. Despite the comforting words their sorrow spoke through silence, their nods faint acknowledgments of the support offered.