MT, a legendary Malayalam writer who created timeless classics passes away at 91
Kozhikode (Kerala) (PTI): Noted writer and Jnanpith award winner MT Vasudevan Nair, who died here on Wednesday evening, is known for elevating the art of Malayalam storytelling to a profound level through his works.
Popularly known as MT, Vasudevan Nair is celebrated for his evocative storytelling, exploring human emotions and the complexities of rural life.
The 91-year-old writer had been hospitalised in critical condition with a diagnosis of heart failure and breathed his last on Wednesday.
He was suffering several health issues including respiratory ailments for a while, according to the literary sources.
M T is a celebrated writer, screenwriter, and filmmaker, renowned for his profound contributions to Malayalam literature and cinema.
Born in 1933 in Kudallur, a quaint village in Palakkad district, Kerala, M T, through more than seven decades of writing created a literary world that appealed equally to both ordinary people and intellectuals.
At the time, Kudallur 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 (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.
Over the course of seven decades, he has authored nine novels, 19 collections of short stories, directed six films, wrote around 54 screenplays and several collections of essays and memoirs.
His novel Naalukettu (The Ancestral House) established him as a literary icon and is considered a classic in Malayalam literature.
Over the years, he authored several acclaimed works, including Asuravithu, Manju, and Kaalam, which earned him the Jnanpith Award in 1995, India's highest literary honour.
At the age of 25, he won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award for his second novel, Naalukettu (1959), and a decade later, Kaalam, his fifth novel, earned him the Kendra Sahitya Akademi award.
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.
M T 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 United States.
In 1977, he married Kalamandalam Saraswathy, a noted dance artist. They have a daughter, Aswathy Nair, who is a professional dancer.
His residence on Kottaram Road in Kozhikode is named after his elder daughter, Sithara.
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Trump confronts South African president over killing of white farmers
Washington, May 21 (AP): President Donald Trump used a White House meeting to confront South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing his country of failing to address the killing of white farmers.
“People are fleeing South Africa for their own safety," said Trump, who at one point dimmed the lights in the Oval Office to play a video of a communist politician playing a controversial anti-apartheid song that includes lyrics about killing a farmer. "Their land is being confiscated and in many cases they're being killed."
Ramaphosa pushed back against Trump's accusation. The South African leader had sought to use the meeting to set the record straight and salvage his country's relationship with the United States. The bilateral relationship is at its lowest point since South Africa enforced its apartheid system of racial segregation, which ended in 1994.
“We are completely opposed to that,” Ramaphosa said of the behaviour alleged by Trump in their exchange.
Experts in South Africa say there is no evidence of whites being targeted, although farmers of all races are victims of violent home invasions in a country that suffers from a very high crime rate.
