Noted writer and Jnanpith Award winner M.T. Vasudevan Nair, who had been undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kozhikode, Kerala, following heart failure, has died, hospital sources said on December 25. He was 91.
“M.T. has died,” a hospital source told PTI without elaborating. He had been under the care of a multidisciplinary team of specialists, including cardiologists and critical care experts, since his hospitalisation last week. The writer was suffering several health issues including resipratory ailments for a while, according to sources.
Litterateur par extraordinaire
M.T., as he was popularly known, was born in 1933 in Kudallur, a quaint village in Kerala’s Palakkad district which was part of the Malabar district under the Madras Presidency of British India. He was the youngest of four children born to T. Narayanan Nair and Ammalu Amma. His father worked in Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka), while M.T. spent his early years in Kudallur and at his paternal home in Punnayurkulam, a village in present-day Thrissur district.
M.T.’s early life and surroundings deeply influenced his literary sensibilities. He completed his schooling at Malamakkavu Elementary School and Kumaranelloor High School and graduated with a degree in chemistry from Victoria College, Palakkad, in 1953. His professional journey began as a teacher and gramasevakan at a block development office in Taliparamba, Kannur, before he joined Mathrubhumi Weekly as a sub-editor in 1957.
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M.T. is celebrated for his evocative storytelling, exploring human emotions and the complexities of rural life. As someone who authored nine novels and 19 collections of short stories, directed six films, wrote around 54 screenplays, and published several collections of essays and memoirs over a career spanning seven decades, he created a literary world that appealed equally to both ordinary people and intellectuals.
His novel Naalukettu (The Ancestral House) solidified his place as a literary icon and is considered a classic in Malayalam literature. It also earned him the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award at the age of 25. He also penned several acclaimed works, including Asuravithu, Manju, and Kaalam, the last of which won him the Kendra Sahitya Akademi award in 1969.
M.T. Vasudevan Nair’s literary achievements earned him the Jnanpith Award in 1995, India’s highest literary honour, as well as numerous 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.
Cinematic achievements
M.T. made significant contributions to Malayalam cinema as a screenwriter and director. His films, including Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha and Kadavu, are regarded as masterpieces, showcasing his ability to merge compelling narratives with visual storytelling.
M.T. holds the distinction of winning the National Film Award for Best Screenplay a record four times, for Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989), Kadavu (1991), Sadayam (1992), and Parinayam (1994), the most by any individual in Malayalam in this category.
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. M.T. also served as the editor of Mathrubhumi Weekly for several years.
Personal life
M.T. Vasudevan Nair has been married twice. In 1965, he married writer and translator Prameela, but the couple separated after 11 years of marriage. They have a daughter, Sithara, who works in the US. His residence on Kottaram Road in Kozhikode is named after Sithara.
In 1977, he married Kalamandalam Saraswathy, a noted dance artist. They have a daughter, Aswathy Nair, who is a professional dancer.
Tributes pour in
Condoling his demise, 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.
Describing M.T. as a towering figure in the fields of short story writing, novel writing, screenplay writing, film direction, journalism, and cultural leadership, Vijayan said that through his works, he conveyed the beauty and complexity of Kerala’s life.
“He rose to global prominence while firmly rooting himself in the cultural traditions of Valluvanadu, reflecting the life and ethos of the people. In doing so, M.T. marked not only the individual minds of Keralites, but also the collective consciousness of the people of Kerala through his writings,” he said.
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Condoling his demise, Governor Arif Mohammed Khan said the passing of M.T. marks a profound loss for both Malayalam and Indian literature.
“This multifaceted genius who enriched literature, cinema, and journalism authored some of the finest works in Malayalam literature. As a writer, M T championed modernism through characters that embodied modernist sensibilities, and as editor, advanced the movement by publishing the works of other modernist writers,” he said, extending heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V.D. Satheesan, said M.T. was the one who, with the power of a pen, determined how a people should write and speak in their mother tongue. “M T stood as the symbol of the nation’s greatness, filled with the sanctity and radiance of Malayalam,” Satheesan said.
In a statement, the State government said it 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.
(with inputs from agencies)
