A comment by MT at KLF is seen as directed towards Pinarayi Vijayan, leading to another round of discussion on cult worshipping.
MT Vasudevan Nair with Pinarayi Vijayan and others at the inaugural of Kerala Literary Festival (KLF). Photo: Supplied
Even as most of his novels, short stories, and screenplays sympathise with the ancient feudal social setup and predominantly upper-caste joint-family system that once existed in the erstwhile Valluvanad region, Malayalam literary doyen MT Vasudevan Nair, popularly known as MT, had always identified himself with the progressive movements of Kerala.
He has also been vocal about the positive contributions of the mainstream Left, especially the CPI and CPI(M), to the social transformation the state has achieved over the years.
In turn, the Left parties have always held MT in high esteem, though his sometime uncomfortable political opinions surfaced once in a blue moon.
MT Vasudevan Nair with Pinarayi Vijayan at the KLF inaugural. Photo: Supplied
The Jnanpeeth winner, who turned 90 on 15 July, 2023, has repeatedly written that the humanitarian concerns of Marxism have always moved him, though the then-prevailing Marxist literary theories were not palatable to him as a writer.
For the average Malayali, MT has been a conscience-keeper who never compromised on his secular, inclusive, and progressive vision.
He broke his often long silences whenever the state and the whole nation faced majoritarian challenges like the internal Emergency, the Babri Masjid demolition, the Citizenship Amendment Act, tribal land appropriation, or severe environmental degradation.
MT has yet again caused a stir in Kerala’s social, cultural, and political sphere by saying, “Freedom is not the crumbs of generosity that the ruler throws at people.”
He said so while sharing the Kerala Literary Festival’s (KLF) inaugural stage in Kozhikode with the state’s all-powerful Chief Minister and CPI(M) stalwart Pinarayi Vijayan.
He also appealed to frenzied mobs and euphoric party followers to grow into a responsible society that can retain its freedom, which was long fought and won.
With each passing day, the brief political statement made by MT has been metamorphosing into a big political challenge to Vijayan and his party, despite the desperate attempts of the cadres and “cyber-comrades” to portray the comment as an attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-led Union government.
The number of writers and socio-cultural leaders standing in solidarity with MT to point out the rot existing within the state’s ruling Left front is also increasing.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Photo By K B Jayachandran
When MT pointed out that Marxist doyen and Kerala’s first chief minister, EMS Namboodiripad, was a great leader not because he encouraged abject cult worship but because of his lofty vision and his humility to accept mistakes, it was seen as a direct swipe at Vijayan.
The chief minister, after all, is now attaining an almost demigod status because of the social media hagiographies by mushrooming sycophants among the party cadre.
Writers like Paul Zacharia and M Mukundan have shared the concerns raised by MT, and the whole state is now discussing the degeneration of the CPI(M) from being a working-class party with class consciousness and ideology to a pack of cult-worshippers who are extremely intolerant of criticism and dissent.
The cultural resistance against the political decay of CPI(M) is happening at a time when even party leaders, including state secretary MV Govindan and ministers VN Vasavan and Saji Cheriyan, are praising Vijayan as “Karanabhoothan”, or Omnipotent Creator; “Jwalikkunna Sooryan”, or Shining Sun; and “Theeyil Kurutha Kuthira”, or Horse Forged in Fire.
In addition, totalitarian tendencies are high in the second Vijayan government, which misuses its police force to scare even informed critics. Those who wave black flags at the chief minister as a mark of protest are being subjected to torture by the police and loyal party cadres.
M Mukundan (Supplied)
Mukundan, a strong supporter of Vijayan and his government, used the same literature festival platform to voice his criticism of rulers who believe their thrones are more important than people.
“We should prove that one drop of blood can topple a crown from the head of the person who wears it,” said Mukundan. He said the Kerala government was doing well, but there were some stumbling blocks, and writers must point out the same.
Noted short story writer NS Madhavan opined that MT had provided a big opportunity for Kerala’s Left for course correction, and he hoped that the party would treat the criticism positively.
Though noted poet and Kerala Sahitya Akademi president K Satchidanandan said he would like to view MT’s remarks as general observations on the issue of power requiring interpretations, short story writer Paul Zacharia said what MT said was a serious issue related to power. He said a state like Kerala could not afford to practice cult worship.
But many CPI(M) insiders have told South First that the root cause of the current predicament and hero worship in the party lies in factionalism and greed for power.
With the West Bengal and Tripura units of CPI(M) losing power and organisational capabilities, Vijayan emerged the power centre as the lone chief minister from Left parties nationwide. Now, Vijayan is accused of bringing in nepotism, corruption, and extreme disregard for democratic values.
Dissidents within the party quote a 1995 article by EMS that warned about the unacceptable greed for power among leaders and cadres as well as creating a cult image of leaders to get easy gains from them.
Ironically, Vijayan, who now faces flak for silently encouraging cadres and leaders who eulogise him as a superhero, had come out against such idolization of other leaders in the past. He was the first to denounce M Mukundan’s novel Kesavante Vilapangal, in which EMS was depicted as an idol of the highest order.
Vijayan also accused VS Achuthanandan and P Jayarajan of trying to establish personality cults.
“It is true that MT’s caution against authoritarianism and hero worship has universal relevance. It applies to Pinarayi Vijayan, Narendra Modi, and all others who exhibit such traits and greed for power. However, I don’t think the sharp criticism of the legendary writer would nudge the chief minister or the CPI(M) down a corrective path. That time is over,” political observer J Prabhash told South First.
“It would be foolish to imagine that MT was only addressing an issue of power and authoritarianism in general terms. The personality cult has emerged in a dictatorial structure within the party leadership and has always destroyed it from the inside,” said academic and social critic Damodar Prasad.
Nobody expects Vijayan to react to what MT said to his face. He might shrug off the responsibility of being idolised. He may even spin an altogether different narrative about what MT said.
By keeping silent over his idolization and justifying the violence by party cadres as a “lifesaving exercise”, Pinarayi has strayed too far away in his path.
MT is a cultural phenomenon in Kerala, so the CPI(M) now finds it difficult to counter his criticism easily.
In over seven decades, MT has published nine novels, 19 short stories, over 50 film scripts, directed six films, three travelogues, a play, and numerous collections of essays and memoirs, and found his own place in the state.
He won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award at the age of 25 for his second novel, Naalukettu (1959), and a decade later, Kaalam, his fifth novel, fetched him the Kendra Sahitya Akademi prize.
Few artists in any language have enjoyed as much commercial and critical success as MT. He has also been politically engaged, campaigning with civil society to preserve rivers, against nuclear plants, and writing against authoritarianism.
As political rivals claimed that the criticism was aimed at Vijayan, the CPI(M) clarified that the author’s speech was from a collection of his articles published in 2003. The CPI(M) social media handles reproduced the relevant portions of the article MT quoted in his speech.
The article references EMS and leadership worship, which MT used in his speech on Thursday.
“We have buried the theory identifying power as an opportunity to serve the public. The decline of moral values in politics is not a new topic of discussion. And these discussions were often concluded by assuming that eligible people were not winning elections. Today, political activities have become an approved strategy to get power. Today, either hegemony or totalitarianism is described as power. When someone wins a seat in an assembly or parliament, they find it an opportunity to have complete control,” said MT in his speech.
May 07, 2024
May 07, 2024
May 07, 2024
May 07, 2024
May 06, 2024
May 06, 2024
