M T Vasudevan passed away at 91. Photo: X M T Vasudevan passed away at 91. Photo: X Renowned Malayalam writer M T Vasudevan Nair passed away due to heart failure on Wednesday. He had been undergoing treatment at Baby Memorial Hospital in Kozhikode since last week.
According to a PTI report, the Kerala government said that the state would observe official mourning on December 26 and 27 as a mark of respect for M T. The Chief Minister has directed that all government events, including the Cabinet meeting scheduled for December 26, be postponed, it said.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the brilliance that brought Malayalam literature to the forefront of world literature is what we have lost with the passing of M T Vasudevan Nair. “It is an irreparable loss not only to Kerala in general but also to the world of Malayalam literature,” Vijayan said in a statement.
MT was honoured with the prestigious Jnanpith Award in 1995. He received many other accolades, including the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award, Vayalar Award, Vallathol Award, Ezhuthachan Award, Mathrubhumi Literary Award, and O N V Literary Award in his lifetime. In 2005, he was awarded India's third-highest civilian honour, the Padma Bhushan.
MT authored nine novels, 19 collections of short stories, and published several collections of essays and memoirs. One of his most appreciated works is the novel Naalukettu (The Ancestral House), which is considered a classic in Malayalam literature.
Speaking to Outlook on his style and motivation in writing, M T said: "The theme comes to you accidentally. At the time when an idea strikes you it is not mature. But if it is strong enough and disturbs me very much I sit down immediately to put down the first draft."
Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey expressed his enthusiasm and stated: "This bilateral series against Germany will be a remarkable showcase of world-class hockey. Both India and Germany have a rich history in the sport, and this series will give fans an opportunity to witness an intense competition between two of the most formidable teams in the world.
Apart from his writings, he directed six films and wrote around 54 screenplays over a career spanning seven decades.
In his article on MT's career as an auteur, Anantha Padmanabhan writes: "The career itself spans out like a cumulative, if quiet opus on screen now—nearly sixty screenplays, all of which helped redefine the art of film narration. There’s an additional, intriguing layer here. Seven of those screenplays became film projects that he directed himself, therefore securing the translation rights between the two narrative universes. Here, he controlled how the textual idea was realised on screen. The very first time this happened, with Nirmalyam (1973), he won the national award for best feature film. This is besides the four times he won the national award for best screenplay—and the whopping 12 times he did so at the state level. No wonder the sway and influence he had over the next generations is overwhelming and unprecedented."
Later, he received the J C Daniel Award for lifetime achievement in Malayalam cinema in 2013. The Malayalam literary icon was also honoured with the inaugural Kerala Jyothi Award in 2022, the highest civilian honour from the Kerala government.
gold cash free spinsApart from literature and filmsfalcon play, MT also served as the editor of Mathrubhumi Weekly for several years.