Basheer Centenary in Chennai-

an event that signifies brotherhood, friendliness, and Peace

Vasanthi Sankaranarayanan
January 17th 2008


Sometimes a group of people are enthused to do something extraordinary that fills old, tired souls like me with happiness and hope. For me, that was what happened when I watched the inaugural function of the three week long Basheer Centenary in Chennai, organized by a comparatively new organization, PERCH (Performers of Chennai) formed by two enterprising young people, Kaveri Lalchand and Rajiv Krishnan. I think this was their first event.

A Three week long celebrations to mark the hundredth year of Basheer’s birth (January 21, 1908). Who was Basheer? You ask that question in Kozhicode or anywhere in Kerala, everyone knows about him. He was a writer, a writer with a special brand of humour, a writer who wrote in Malayalam that could be understood even by the commonest of common people of Kerala and yet had strains of profound mysticism, difficult to translate into any other language or even paraphrase into any other regional dialect of Malayalam. As Paul Mathew of Perch put it, Basheer was not just a writer, he was a mystic and a mad man too. He had traveled all over India, done all kinds of jobs for survival. But, to me Basheer was first and foremost a humanist, a man of peace, celebrating whose life and works is the need of the hour. His philosophy of life was so simple and yet so profound; love human beings and this universe itself; feel the sweetness, joy and pathos of life; live in harmony with nature and all beings. He lived such a life in a small town, Beypore near Kozhicode. He was known as the “Sultan of Beypore”. He was indeed a Sultan, a large-hearted person, who could absorb the agonies of the entire world and still smile and make others happy.

In Kerala, the land of his birth, year-long celebrations have been planned. But, that is only natural, isn’t it? After all, what did they or any other region or establishment do for him while he was alive. They did not give him prestigious award , The Padmasri to Bharat Ratna awards, they did not elevate him to a “gnanapeeth”. Why, did they give him at least some Sahitya Akademi awards or the great “Kalidas Samman”. No, they did not. Did the Sultan of Beypore feel dejected and despondent? No. He led a full life, surrounded by loving friends and relatives, a man whose presence is felt only when he is absent. I am reminded of the movie, “Patton” where towards the end there is a passage, “They did not honour him like the victorious Roman Generals, with gold coins, girls, horses and festivities. The Germans, the enemies, whom he tried to conquer knew him better”. I think that is the situation of all truly great people. The people around them, the people for whom they fight and sacrifice their lives and comforts of life never know their worth. Only when the outsiders, the foreigners recognize their worth and honour them, the locals also rise and make gestures of appreciation. Tagore after he won the Nobel Prize, C.V. Raman after he was awarded the same prize. Oh India, the land which is famous for ignoring the living and honouring the dead, what do you know of the agonies of neglect, humiliation and outcasting? There are many Nandanars standing in front of Chidambaram temples yearning to go in and have a glimpse of the great God. But, will the doors open for them during their life time?

This is why it is so heartening and soul-uplifting when an organization like Perch, a non-Malayali, a non-Kerala organization decided to honour and celebrate a Kerala writer. This was felt by Aneesh Basheer, Basheer’s son who was specially invited for the inaugural function. He said “I am not a speaker. I cannot speak well in Malayalam or English. I am here by virtue of the fact that I am the son of Basheer. And Vaikom Mohammed Basheer was a great man (I have never heard a simpler and more poignant tribute given by a son to a father!). All over Kerala they are holding celebrations in honour of Basheer. But, I have never felt the warmth and hospitality that was given to me here by the organizers of this function”. I have a tendency to be dramatic. And it comes out at the most unexpected times. So, I walked up to Rajiv and Kaveri and said: “Folks, when the history of Malayalam Literature with its chapter on Basheer is written, your names will be there, in golden letters. “ They felt embarrassed. But, what to do, even small people have to make big gestures, at times like this, don’t we?

I have to comment on the elegant and appropriate manner in which the inaugural was held. Characters from Basheer’s famous short stories, like Mandan Muthapa, Ettukali Mammoonju came below the stage and kick-started the events by introducing themselves and making the audience participants of the event. They cleverly connected it to the “Oppana” dance performed by the girls trained at Saradhi Academy. Then Paul Mathew gave an introduction on Basheer and the purpose of the celebrations. The meeting, speeches short and to the point by representatives of the three organizations who collaborated in the event, the Malayalee Club, The Asan Memorial Organisation , Saradhi Academy of Arts and Culture spoke. After the Meeting the lamp was lit, not the traditional kuthuvilakku with burning wicks. A Hurricane lamp, with blue frames to signify the one film script that Basheer has written, “Neela Velicham”(Blue light) which came out as “Bhargavi Nilayam” on the silver screen. Hurricane Lamp for the poor malayali writer, not the golden brass lamp lit in front of Gods! Aneesh Basheer inaugurated the photo exhibition by placing a photograph of Basheer on the easy chair kept under a cane structure, symbolizing the famous mangosteen tree under which Basheer sat and talked with his friends. A film “Antamillatha Yatra” (Endless Journery) on Basheer by the documentary film maker, M.R. Rajan was then shown. That’s it. It was clear that a great deal of research had been done by Perch on Basheer. The events organized for these three weeks touch all aspects of Basheer’s life and works. The plays are carved out of his inimitable short stories; the dance was a Muslim folk dance performed at times of marriages. The week long festival at “Ente Keralam” would showcase the delicacies of the Muslim cuisine. Two films, “Mathilukal” by Adoor Gopalakrishnan and “Bhargavi Nilayam will be shown at Satyam Theatre. Adoor himself is coming to initiate a discussion on his film. It seems he said, when he was invited for the function, ‘Oh, so you are the Basheer Lady?” Yes, indeed she is the Basheer lady who is trying to spread the fragrance of a great man in distant lands. The events will conclude on January 27 with a seminar on Basheer and a music performance including all the favourite songs of Basheer. So, the many-faceted life and times of Basheer will be effectively and unostentatiously captured in Chennai, where two enterprising people have recognized the Sultan’s worth. Rajiv had staged a play entitled “Moonshine and Sky Toffee” combining two stories of Basheer, “Prema Lekhanam” (love letter) and “Mucheetttu kalikkarante Makal” (The card-sharper’s daughter) in 2004 at which time he asked his group of actors, “Have you read Basheer?” At that time they hadn’t. He insisted that they all should read him in translation. That is the beginning of this movement, the movement to honour Basheer. All movements have simple beginnings. But, they grow and grow into events that encompass not only the region where it began, but the whole universe.

The beginning of a new year is always fraught with mixed feelings. The challenges of the year and an unknown future are there. But, along with it there is a feeling of loss, loss of something precious, something poignant. At such times there must be events encompassing these two feelings – hope for the future and nostalgia for the past. The Basheer Centenary Celebrations by Perch has done that for me. In a world, filled with war and destruction, in a world where love is lost and hatred is breeding, in a world where inertia and apathy are slowly taking hold, this kind of a celebration is rejuvenating. All I can do is hope that the enthusiasm of Kaveri, Rajiv and their young friends will spread on to everyone in Chennai and outside Chennai. Basheer, wherever he is, must be
happy.