Vaikom Muhammad Basheer
Encyclopedia
Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (21 January 1908 – 5 July 1994) was a Malayalam fiction writer from the state of Kerala
in India
. He was a humanist
, freedom fighter
, novelist and short story
writer. He is noted for his pathbreaking, disarmingly down-to-earth style of writing that made him equally popular among literary critics as well as the common man. He is regarded as one of the most successful and outstanding writers from India. Translations of his works into other languages have won him worldwide acclaim. His notable works include Baalyakaalasakhi
, Shabdangal
, Paaththummaayude Aadu
, Mathilukal
, Ntuppuppaakkoraanaendaarnnu and Anarga Nimisham. He was awarded the Padma Shri
in 1982. He is fondly remembered as the Beypore Sultan.
in northern Travancore
, was the eldest child of devout Muslim
parents. His father was in the timber business as a contractor, but the business did not do well enough for his large family to live in anything approaching luxury. After beginning his education at the local Malayalam medium school, he was sent to the English medium school in Vaikom
, five miles away. While at school he fell under the spell of Mahatma Gandhi
. He started wearing Khadar, inspired by the swadesi ideals. When Gandhi came to Vaikom to participate in the Vaikom Satyagraham (1924) Basheer went to see him. He managed to climb on to the car in which Gandhi travelled and touch his hand, a fond memory Basheer later mentioned in many of his writings. He used to visit Gandhi's Satyagraha Ashram at Vaikom daily. He got punished for going late to school due to this.
, leaving school to do so while he was in the fifth form. Part of his purpose in joining the Indian National Congress
was to help ensure that there was some Muslim representation in the pan-Indian movement.
Since there was no active independence movement in Travancore
or Kochi
– being princely state
s – he went to Malabar to take part in the Salt Satyagraha
in 1930. His group was arrested before they could participate in the satyagraha. Basheer was sentenced to three months imprisonment and sent to Kannur prison. He became inspired by stories of heroism by revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, who were executed while he was in Kannur jail. He and about 600 political prisoners then at Kannur were released after the Gandhi-Irwin pact of March 1931. Freed from prison, he organised an anti-British movement and edited a revolutionary journal, Ujjivanam ('Uprising'). A warrant was issued for his arrest and he left Kerala.
saints and Sufi mystics in their hermitages in Himalayas
and in the Ganges
basin, following their customs and practices, for more than five years. There were times when, with no water to drink, without any food to eat, he came face to face with death.
from publishing Baalyakaalasakhi
. He wrote Premalekhanam
(1943) while serving his term and published it on his release. Baalyakaalasakhi was published in 1944 after further revisions, with an introduction by Paul.
He then made a career as a writer, initially publishing
the works himself and carrying them to homes in order to sell them. He ran two bookstalls in Ernakulam, Circle Bookhouse and later, Basheer's Bookstall.
Once India achieved control of its destiny after obtaining Independence from British rule, he showed no further interest in active politics, though concerns over morality and political integrity are present all over his works.
Well into his forties, he surprised many of his acquaintances by marrying a woman much younger than him (Fabi Basheer) and settling down to a life of quiet domesticity with his wife and two children, Anees and Shahina, in Beypore, on the southern edge of Kozhikode.
During this period he also had to suffer from mental illness and was twice admitted to mental sanatoriums. He wrote one of his most famous works, Pathummayude Aadu (Pathumma's Goat), while undergoing treatment in a mental hospital in Thrissur
. The second spell of paranoia occurred after his marriage when he had settled down at Beypore. He recovered both times, and continued his writings.
He died in Beypore, on 5 July 1994.
Basheer is fondly called as Beypore Sultan (Sultan
of Beypore). Though his works have been translated to English and eighteen Indian languages, the peculiarity of the language he uses makes the translations lose a lot of sheen.
Basheer's contempt for grammatical correctness is exemplified by his statement Ninte Lodukkoos Aakhyaadam! ("Your 'silly stupid' grammar!") to his brother, who sermonizes him about the importance of grammar (Pathummayude Aadu).
community – all had a major impact on them. Politics and prison,homosexuality, all were grist to his mill. All of Basheer's love stories have found their way into the hearts of readers; perhaps no other writer has had such an influence on the way Malayali
s view of love.
The major theme of all Basheer stories is love and humanity. In the story Muchittu Kalikkarente Makal (The Card Sharp
's Daughter), when Sainaba comes out of the water after stealing his bananas, Mandan Muthappa says only one thing: "Sainaba go home and dry your hair else you may fall sick." This fine thread of humanism can be experienced in almost all his stories.
is to be read as such, in contrast with one published as memoirs.
His literary career started off with the novel Premalekhanam
, a humorous love story between Keshavan Nair – a young bank employee and an upper caste
Hindu (Nair
) – and Saramma – an unemployed Christian woman. Hidden underneath the hilarious dialogues we can see a sharp criticism of religious conservatism
, dowry
and similar conventions existing in society. This was followed by the novel Baalyakaalasakhi
– a tragic love story between Majeed and Suhra – which is among the most important novels in Malayalam literature in spite of its relatively small size (75 pages), and is commonly agreed upon as his magnum opus
work. In his foreword to Baalyakaalasakhi, Jeevithathil Ninnum Oru Aedu (A Page From Life), M. P. Paul
brings out the beauty of this novel, and how it is different from run-of-the-mill love stories.
The autobiographical Janmadinam
("Birthday", 1945) is about a writer struggling to feed himself on his birthday. While many of the stories present situations to which the average reader can easily relate, the darker, seamier side of human existence also finds a major place, as in the novel Shabdangal
("Voices", 1947), which faced heavy criticism for violence
and vulgarity
.
Ntuppuppaakkoraanaendaarnnu ("Me Gran'dad 'ad an Elephant", 1951) is a fierce attack on the superstitious practices that existed among Muslims. Its protagonist is Kunjupathumma, a naive, innocent and illiterate village belle. She falls in love with an educated, progressive, city-bred man, Nisaar Ahamed. Illiteracy is fertile soil for superstitions, and the novel is about education enlightening people and making them shed age-old conventions. Velichathinentoru velicham (a crude translation can be 'brightness is very bright!') one of the most quoted Basheer phrases occurs in Ntuppuppaakkoraanaendaarnnu. People boast of the glory of days past, their "grandfather's elephants", but that is just a ploy to hide their shortcomings.
Mathilukal
("Walls") deals with prison life in the pre-independence days. It is a novel of sad irony set against a turbulent political backdrop. The novelist falls in love with a woman sentenced for life who is separated from him by insurmountable walls. They exchange love-promises standing on two sides of a wall, only to be separated without even being able to say good-bye. Before he "met" Naraayani, the loneliness and freedomlessness of prison life was killing Basheer; but when the orders for his release arrive he loudly protests, "Who needs freedom? Outside is an even bigger jail." The novel was later made into a film with same name
by Adoor Gopalakrishnan
with Mammootty
playing Basheer.
Sthalaththe Pradhaana Divyan, Aanavaariyum Ponkurishum, Muccheettukalikkarante makal and Ettukaali Mammoonju featured the life of real life characters in his native village of Thalayolaparambu
(regarded as Sthalam in these works).
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was a humanist
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
, freedom fighter
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
, novelist and short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
writer. He is noted for his pathbreaking, disarmingly down-to-earth style of writing that made him equally popular among literary critics as well as the common man. He is regarded as one of the most successful and outstanding writers from India. Translations of his works into other languages have won him worldwide acclaim. His notable works include Baalyakaalasakhi
Baalyakaalasakhi
Balyakalasakhi , is a Malayalam romantic tragedy novel written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer. Published in 1944, it is considered by many as Basheer's best work. The story revolves around Majeed and Suhra, who are in love with each other from childhood...
, Shabdangal
Shabdangal
Shabdangal [Voices] is a novel by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer which talks about war, orphanhood, hunger, disease and prostitution. The whole length of the novel is a dialogue between a soldier and a writer. The soldier approaches the writer and tells him the story of his life...
, Paaththummaayude Aadu
Paaththummaayude aadu
Pathummayude Aadu is a humorous novel by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer. The characters of the novel are members of his family and the action takes place at his home in Thalayolaparambu. The goat in the story belongs to his sister Paaththumma...
, Mathilukal
Mathilukal
This article has details about the novel as well as its film adaptation.Mathilukal is a Malayalam novel written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer in 1965. It is one of the most cherished and well-known love stories in Malayalam. Its hero, Basheer himself, and heroine, Narayani, never meet, yet they love...
, Ntuppuppaakkoraanaendaarnnu and Anarga Nimisham. He was awarded the Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
in 1982. He is fondly remembered as the Beypore Sultan.
Early life
Basheer, born in the village of ThalayolaparambuThalayolaparambu
Thalayolaparambu is a village town situated in Kottayam district of Kerala state, India. It belongs to the Vaikom legislative assembly and Kottayam parliament constituency, is one of the towns between Kottayam and Ernakulam....
in northern Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
, was the eldest child of devout Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
parents. His father was in the timber business as a contractor, but the business did not do well enough for his large family to live in anything approaching luxury. After beginning his education at the local Malayalam medium school, he was sent to the English medium school in Vaikom
Vaikom
Vaikom is a taluk and also its capital town, situated in the North-West of Kottayam in Kerala, India. Its western border is the Lake Vembanad, and is crossed by various estuaries of the River Muvattupuzha. It lies between Ernakulam and Kottayam...
, five miles away. While at school he fell under the spell of Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
. He started wearing Khadar, inspired by the swadesi ideals. When Gandhi came to Vaikom to participate in the Vaikom Satyagraham (1924) Basheer went to see him. He managed to climb on to the car in which Gandhi travelled and touch his hand, a fond memory Basheer later mentioned in many of his writings. He used to visit Gandhi's Satyagraha Ashram at Vaikom daily. He got punished for going late to school due to this.
Freedom struggle involvement
He resolved to join the fight for an independent IndiaIndian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
, leaving school to do so while he was in the fifth form. Part of his purpose in joining the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
was to help ensure that there was some Muslim representation in the pan-Indian movement.
Since there was no active independence movement in Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
or Kochi
Kochi (India)
Kochi , formerly Cochin, is a major port city on the west coast of India by the Arabian Sea. Kochi is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. Kochi is often called by the name Ernakulam, which refers to the western part of the mainland Kochi...
– being princely state
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
s – he went to Malabar to take part in the Salt Satyagraha
Salt Satyagraha
The Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagrahah began with the Dandi March on March 12, 1930, and was an important part of the Indian independence movement. It was a campaign of tax resistance and nonviolent protest against the British salt monopoly in colonial India, and triggered the wider...
in 1930. His group was arrested before they could participate in the satyagraha. Basheer was sentenced to three months imprisonment and sent to Kannur prison. He became inspired by stories of heroism by revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, who were executed while he was in Kannur jail. He and about 600 political prisoners then at Kannur were released after the Gandhi-Irwin pact of March 1931. Freed from prison, he organised an anti-British movement and edited a revolutionary journal, Ujjivanam ('Uprising'). A warrant was issued for his arrest and he left Kerala.
Journey
After leaving Kerala, he embarked upon a long journey that took him across the length and breadth of India and to many places in Asia and Africa, a journey which spanned seven years, doing whatever work that seemed likely to keep him from starvation. His occupations ranged from that of a loom fitter, fortune teller, cook, newspaper seller, fruit seller, sports goods agent, accountant, watchman, shepherd , hotel manager to living as an ascetic with HinduHindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
saints and Sufi mystics in their hermitages in Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
and in the Ganges
Ganges River
The Ganges or Ganga, , is a trans-boundary river of India and Bangladesh. The river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. By discharge it...
basin, following their customs and practices, for more than five years. There were times when, with no water to drink, without any food to eat, he came face to face with death.
Imprisonment and after
At Kottayam (1941–42), he was arrested and put in a police station lock-up, and later shifted to another lock up in Kollam Kasba police station. The stories he heard from policemen and prisoners there appeared in later works, and he wrote a few stories while at the lock-up itself. He spent a long time in lockup awaiting trial, and after trial was sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment. He was sent to Thiruvananthapuram central jail. While at jail, he forbade M. P. PaulM. P. Paul
M. P. Paul was a scholar and a well-known literary critic of Malayalam. He was among the torchbearers of the progressive literature movement in Kerala...
from publishing Baalyakaalasakhi
Baalyakaalasakhi
Balyakalasakhi , is a Malayalam romantic tragedy novel written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer. Published in 1944, it is considered by many as Basheer's best work. The story revolves around Majeed and Suhra, who are in love with each other from childhood...
. He wrote Premalekhanam
Premalekhanam
Premalekhanam is Vaikom Muhammad Basheer's first work to be published as a book. The novel is a humorous story of love...
(1943) while serving his term and published it on his release. Baalyakaalasakhi was published in 1944 after further revisions, with an introduction by Paul.
He then made a career as a writer, initially publishing
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
the works himself and carrying them to homes in order to sell them. He ran two bookstalls in Ernakulam, Circle Bookhouse and later, Basheer's Bookstall.
Once India achieved control of its destiny after obtaining Independence from British rule, he showed no further interest in active politics, though concerns over morality and political integrity are present all over his works.
Well into his forties, he surprised many of his acquaintances by marrying a woman much younger than him (Fabi Basheer) and settling down to a life of quiet domesticity with his wife and two children, Anees and Shahina, in Beypore, on the southern edge of Kozhikode.
During this period he also had to suffer from mental illness and was twice admitted to mental sanatoriums. He wrote one of his most famous works, Pathummayude Aadu (Pathumma's Goat), while undergoing treatment in a mental hospital in Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
. The second spell of paranoia occurred after his marriage when he had settled down at Beypore. He recovered both times, and continued his writings.
He died in Beypore, on 5 July 1994.
Basheer is fondly called as Beypore Sultan (Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
of Beypore). Though his works have been translated to English and eighteen Indian languages, the peculiarity of the language he uses makes the translations lose a lot of sheen.
Language
Basheer is known for his unconventional style of language. He did not differentiate between literary language and the language spoken by the commons and did not care about the grammatical correctness of his sentences. Initially, even his publishers were unappreciative of the beauty of this language; they edited out or modified conversations. Basheer was outraged to find his original writings transcribed into "standardized" Malayalam, devoid of freshness and natural flow, and he forced them to publish the original one instead of the edited one. Basheer's brother Abdul Khader was a Malayalam teacher. Once while reading one of the stories, he asked Basheer, "where are Aakhyas and aakhyathas (related with Malayalam grammar) in this...?". Basheer shouted at him saying that "I am writing in normal Malayalam, how people speak. and you don't try to find your stupid 'aakhya and aakhyaada' in this"!. This points out to the writing style of Basheer, without taking care of any grammar, but only in his own village language. Though he made funny remarks regarding his lack of knowledge in Malayalam, he had a very thorough knowledge about Malayalam.Basheer's contempt for grammatical correctness is exemplified by his statement Ninte Lodukkoos Aakhyaadam! ("Your 'silly stupid' grammar!") to his brother, who sermonizes him about the importance of grammar (Pathummayude Aadu).
Themes
An astute observer of human character, he skillfully combined humour and pathos in his works. Love, hunger and poverty are recurring themes in his works. There is enormous variety in them – of narrative style, of presentation, of philosophical content, of social comment and commitment. His association with India's independence struggle, the experiences during his long travels and the conditions that existed in Kerala, particularly in the neighbourhood of his home and among the MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
community – all had a major impact on them. Politics and prison,homosexuality, all were grist to his mill. All of Basheer's love stories have found their way into the hearts of readers; perhaps no other writer has had such an influence on the way Malayali
Malayali
Malayali is the term used to refer to the native speakers of Malayalam, originating from the Indian state of Kerala...
s view of love.
The major theme of all Basheer stories is love and humanity. In the story Muchittu Kalikkarente Makal (The Card Sharp
Card sharp
A card sharp is a person who uses skill and deception to win at poker or other card games...
's Daughter), when Sainaba comes out of the water after stealing his bananas, Mandan Muthappa says only one thing: "Sainaba go home and dry your hair else you may fall sick." This fine thread of humanism can be experienced in almost all his stories.
Autobiographical element
One contrast among his works is between those that are primarily autobiographical as far as events and characters are concerned and those that are the product of the author's imagination. This is not to say that a novel or a story will always fall clearly into one category or another; the percentage of factual truth varies considerably. Whatever the case, a book published as fictionFiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
is to be read as such, in contrast with one published as memoirs.
Works
Almost all of Basheer's writing can be seen as falling under the heading of prose fiction – short stories and novels, though there is also a one-act play and volumes of essays and reminiscences. Basheer's fiction is very varied and full of contrasts. There are poignant situations as well as merrier ones – and commonly both in the same narrative. There are among his output realistic stories and tales of the supernatural. There are purely narrative pieces and others which have the quality of poems in prose. In all, a superficially simple style conceals a great subtlety of expression.His literary career started off with the novel Premalekhanam
Premalekhanam
Premalekhanam is Vaikom Muhammad Basheer's first work to be published as a book. The novel is a humorous story of love...
, a humorous love story between Keshavan Nair – a young bank employee and an upper caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
Hindu (Nair
Nair
Nair , also known as Nayar , refers to "not a unitary group but a named category of castes", which historically embody several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom bore the Nair title. These people historically live in the present-day Indian state of Kerala...
) – and Saramma – an unemployed Christian woman. Hidden underneath the hilarious dialogues we can see a sharp criticism of religious conservatism
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
, dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
and similar conventions existing in society. This was followed by the novel Baalyakaalasakhi
Baalyakaalasakhi
Balyakalasakhi , is a Malayalam romantic tragedy novel written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer. Published in 1944, it is considered by many as Basheer's best work. The story revolves around Majeed and Suhra, who are in love with each other from childhood...
– a tragic love story between Majeed and Suhra – which is among the most important novels in Malayalam literature in spite of its relatively small size (75 pages), and is commonly agreed upon as his magnum opus
Masterpiece
Masterpiece in modern usage refers to a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or to a work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship....
work. In his foreword to Baalyakaalasakhi, Jeevithathil Ninnum Oru Aedu (A Page From Life), M. P. Paul
M. P. Paul
M. P. Paul was a scholar and a well-known literary critic of Malayalam. He was among the torchbearers of the progressive literature movement in Kerala...
brings out the beauty of this novel, and how it is different from run-of-the-mill love stories.
The autobiographical Janmadinam
Janmadinam
Janmadinam is a collection of short stories by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer published in 1945. The story after which the collection is named is about one day in the life of a writer struggling to make a living...
("Birthday", 1945) is about a writer struggling to feed himself on his birthday. While many of the stories present situations to which the average reader can easily relate, the darker, seamier side of human existence also finds a major place, as in the novel Shabdangal
Shabdangal
Shabdangal [Voices] is a novel by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer which talks about war, orphanhood, hunger, disease and prostitution. The whole length of the novel is a dialogue between a soldier and a writer. The soldier approaches the writer and tells him the story of his life...
("Voices", 1947), which faced heavy criticism for violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
and vulgarity
Vulgarity
Vulgarity is the quality of being common, coarse or unrefined. This judgement may refer to language, visual art, social classes or social climbers...
.
Mathilukal
Mathilukal
This article has details about the novel as well as its film adaptation.Mathilukal is a Malayalam novel written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer in 1965. It is one of the most cherished and well-known love stories in Malayalam. Its hero, Basheer himself, and heroine, Narayani, never meet, yet they love...
("Walls") deals with prison life in the pre-independence days. It is a novel of sad irony set against a turbulent political backdrop. The novelist falls in love with a woman sentenced for life who is separated from him by insurmountable walls. They exchange love-promises standing on two sides of a wall, only to be separated without even being able to say good-bye. Before he "met" Naraayani, the loneliness and freedomlessness of prison life was killing Basheer; but when the orders for his release arrive he loudly protests, "Who needs freedom? Outside is an even bigger jail." The novel was later made into a film with same name
Mathilukal
This article has details about the novel as well as its film adaptation.Mathilukal is a Malayalam novel written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer in 1965. It is one of the most cherished and well-known love stories in Malayalam. Its hero, Basheer himself, and heroine, Narayani, never meet, yet they love...
by Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Moutatthu "Adoor" Gopalakrishnan Unnithan is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer. Adoor Gopalakrishnan had a major role in revolutionizing Malayalam cinema and is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of India.. Adoor's first film Swayamvaram pioneered the new wave cinema...
with Mammootty
Mammootty
Mammootty is an Indian film actor and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in a few Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada films. During a career spanning more than three decades, he has acted in more than 360 films, and is only next to Prem Nazir in the number of lead roles...
playing Basheer.
Sthalaththe Pradhaana Divyan, Aanavaariyum Ponkurishum, Muccheettukalikkarante makal and Ettukaali Mammoonju featured the life of real life characters in his native village of Thalayolaparambu
Thalayolaparambu
Thalayolaparambu is a village town situated in Kottayam district of Kerala state, India. It belongs to the Vaikom legislative assembly and Kottayam parliament constituency, is one of the towns between Kottayam and Ernakulam....
(regarded as Sthalam in these works).
Novels
| # | Title | Translation in English | Year of Publishing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Premalekhanam Premalekhanam Premalekhanam is Vaikom Muhammad Basheer's first work to be published as a book. The novel is a humorous story of love... |
The Love Letter | 1943 |
| 2 | Baalyakaalasakhi Baalyakaalasakhi Balyakalasakhi , is a Malayalam romantic tragedy novel written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer. Published in 1944, it is considered by many as Basheer's best work. The story revolves around Majeed and Suhra, who are in love with each other from childhood... |
Childhood Companion | 1944 |
| 3 | Shabdangal Shabdangal Shabdangal [Voices] is a novel by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer which talks about war, orphanhood, hunger, disease and prostitution. The whole length of the novel is a dialogue between a soldier and a writer. The soldier approaches the writer and tells him the story of his life... |
The Voices | 1947 |
| 4 | Ntuppuppaakkoraanaendaarnnu | My Grandad Had an Elephant | 1951 |
| 5 | Maranaththinte Nizhalil | In the Shadow of Death | 1951 |
| 6 | Muchcheettukalikkaarante Makal | The Daughter of the Cardshark | 1951 |
| 7 | Sthalaththe Pradhaana Divyan | The Principal Divine of the Place | 1953 |
| 8 | Aanavaariyum Ponkurishum | Elephant Scooper and Golden Cross | 1953 |
| 9 | Jeevithanizhalppaadukal | The Shadows of Life | 1954 |
| 10 | Pathummayude Aadu | Paaththumma's Goat | 1959 |
| 11 | Mathilukal Mathilukal This article has details about the novel as well as its film adaptation.Mathilukal is a Malayalam novel written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer in 1965. It is one of the most cherished and well-known love stories in Malayalam. Its hero, Basheer himself, and heroine, Narayani, never meet, yet they love... |
Walls | 1965 |
| 12 | Thaaraa Specials | 1968 | |
| 13 | Maanthrikapoochcha | The Magic Cat | 1968 |
| 14 | Prempatta | The Loving Cockroach (Published posthumously) | 2006 |
Short Stories
| # | Title | Translation in English | Year of Publishing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Janmadinam Janmadinam Janmadinam is a collection of short stories by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer published in 1945. The story after which the collection is named is about one day in the life of a writer struggling to make a living... |
The Birthday | 1945 |
| 2 | Ormakkurippu | Jottings from Memory | 1946 |
| 3 | Anargha Nimisham | Invaluable Moment (See Anal Haq Anal Haq Anal Haq is a short story in the collection Anargha Nimisham written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, in typical Khalil Gibran style based on the life of the renowned Sufi, Mansur Al-Hallaj who was indicted and killed on charges of heresy.... ) |
1946 |
| 4 | Viddikalude Swargam Viddikalude Swargam Viddikalude Swargam is a Malayalam short story collection by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer published in 1948.-List of stories:#Viddikalude Swargam#Poovanpazham#Nilavu Kaanumpol#Aadyathe Chumbanam#Kaalpadu#Ozhinha Veedu... |
Fools' Paradise | 1948 |
| 5 | Paavappettavarudaey Vaeshya | The Prostitute of the Poor | 1952 |
| 6 | Vishwavikhkhyaathamaaya Mookku | The World-renowned Nose | 1954 |
| 7 | Vishappu | The Hunger | 1954 |
| 8 | Oru Bhagavadgeethayum Kuraey Mulakalum | A Bhagavadgeetha and Some Breasts | 1967 |
| 9 | Aanappooda | Elephant-hair | 1975 |
| 10 | Chirikkunna Marappaava | The Laughing Wooden Doll | 1975 |
| 11 | Bhoomiyudaey Avakaashikal | The Inheritors of the Earth | 1977 |
| 12 | Shinkidimunkan | The Fools' God Man | 1991 |
| 13 | Yaa Ilaahi! | Oh God! (published posthumously) | 1997 |
| 14 | Jeevitham Oru Anugraham | Life is a Gift (published posthumously) | 2000 |
Others
- Kathaabeejam [Story Seed] (Play) (1945)
- Nerum Nunayum [Truth and Lie] (Commentary and letters) (1969)
- Ormmayudaey Arakal [The Cells of Memory] (Commentary and reminiscences) (1973)
- Anuraagaththintaey Dhinangal [The Days of Desire] (Diary; originally titled Kaamukantaey Diary [The Diary of the Paramour] and changed later on the suggestion of M. T. Vasudevan NairM. T. Vasudevan NairMadathil Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair , popularly known as MT, is an Indian author, screenplay writer and film director. He was born in Kudallur, a small village in the present day Palakkad District, which was under the Malabar District in the Madras Presidency of the British Raj...
) (1983) - Bhargavi NilayamBhargavi NilayamBhargavi Nilayam is a 1964 Malayalam horror - romance film written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer and directed by A. Vincent. The film stars Prem Nazir, Madhu and Vijaya Nirmala in the lead roles, and had its story, screenplay and dialogues are written by noted Malayalam writer Vaikom Muhammad...
[Bhargavi's Mansion] (Screenplay for a film (1964) by A. VincentA. VincentAloysius Vincent born June 14, 1928 in Calicut, Kerala, India is an Indian cinematographer of Hindi movies and director of Malayalam movies. Since the mid 1960s he has directed some 30 movies...
which is credited as the first horror cinema in Malayalam; adapted from the short story Neelavelichcham [The Blue Glow]) (1985) - M. P. Paul (Reminiscences of his friendship with M. P. PaulM. P. PaulM. P. Paul was a scholar and a well-known literary critic of Malayalam. He was among the torchbearers of the progressive literature movement in Kerala...
) (1991) - Cheviyorkkuka! Anthimakaahalam!! [Hark! The Final Clarion-call!!] (Speech) (1992)
- Basheerinte Kathukal [Basheer's Letters] (Letters) (2008; Published posthumously)
Awards
- Padma Sri(1982)
- Kendra Sahitya Academy Fellowship
- Kerala Sahitya Academy Fellowship
- Kerala State Film Award for Best StoryKerala State Film Award for Best StoryThe Kerala State Film Award for Best Story winners:-References:**...
- MathilukalMathilukalThis article has details about the novel as well as its film adaptation.Mathilukal is a Malayalam novel written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer in 1965. It is one of the most cherished and well-known love stories in Malayalam. Its hero, Basheer himself, and heroine, Narayani, never meet, yet they love...
(1989) - Lalithambika Antharjanam Award(1992)
- Muttathu Varkki Award (1993) (Paaththummaayude AaduPaaththummaayude aaduPathummayude Aadu is a humorous novel by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer. The characters of the novel are members of his family and the action takes place at his home in Thalayolaparambu. The goat in the story belongs to his sister Paaththumma...
) - Vallathol Award (1993)