MT Vasudevan Nair: Champion of social outcasts & humane characters

MT Vasudevan Nair, the renowned Malayalam writer known for his lyrical nostalgia, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 91 in Kozhikode.

- ANIL S

He breathed his last at Baby Memorial Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment for the past 11 days after suffering a heart attack. While his condition showed signs of improvement on Tuesday as he was removed from ventilator support, it deteriorated rapidly on Wednesday night.

MT, as he was popularly and affectionately known, left an indelible mark on Malayalam literature and cinema, with contributions spanning novels, short stories, screenplays, children's literature, travel writing, and essays.

He directed six films, including Nirmalyam (1973), a classic in Malayalam cinema, along with two documentaries. This followed foraying into the film industry with the script for the movie Murappennu (1965), which was an adaptation of his own story Snehathinte Mukhangal. MT went on to write 44 other screenplays.

Who can forget the iconoclastic scene of an oracle spitting on the face of a goddess-idol in Nirmalyam, his directorial debut? In an age of increasing intolerance, such display of creative valour half a century ago provided a telling narrative of what Kerala once was.

"Can't even imagine such a film being made today!" was how noted filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan put it.

Early days
Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair was born on July 15 in 1933 in Kudallur, a small village in Palakkad district.

His father, Madathil Narayanan Nair, was based in Ceylon, and this made him draw closer to his mother, Ammalu Amma. He completed his schooling from Malamakkavu Elementary School and Kumaranalloor High School. In 1953, he obtained a degree in chemistry from Victoria College, Palakkad. He taught at Pattambi Board High School and Chavakkad Board High School and also worked in MB Tutorial College, Palakkad. He even worked as a gram sevak.