Noted Malayalam writer MT Vasudevan Nair passes away

Kozhikode: Noted writer and Jnanpith Award winner MT Vasudevan Nair, who had been undergoing treatment at a private hospital here following heart failure, has died, hospital sources said on Wednesday.

He was 91. “MT 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.

Popularly known as M T, he authored nine novels, 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.

His novel Naalukettu (The Ancestral House) solidified his place as a literary icon and is considered a classic in Malayalam literature. He also penned several acclaimed works, including Asuravithu, Manju, and Kaalam.

MT’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.

In 2005, MT was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honour.

He received the JC 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.

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.