VISHNU NARAYANAN NAMBOODIRI, SCORPIO *** [poetry books to read .txt] 📗

More than his reputation as a professor of English, Vishnu is much better known for his enormous contributions to Malayalam literature as a poet par excellence. He is the recipient of several awards for his poetry, which include the prestigious Kerala Sahitya Academy Award in 1979, Kendra Sahitya Academy award in 1994, Odakkuzhal Award in 1983, Asan Prize in 1996, Changampuzha Award in 1989, and Ulloor award in 1992. The Title of Sahitya Kalanidhi and the Akademi Award for total contribution also have been conferred on him. Some of the most acclaimed poems of Vishnu are Swathanthiriathekurichoru Geetham, Bhoomi Geethangal, India Enna Vikaram, Mukham Evide, Aparajitha, Athirthiyilekkoru Yathra, Aranyakam, that inimitable collection of romantic verses Pranaya geethangal and the recently published Parikramam, Ujjainiyile Rappakalukal and Sreevally.

From the very young age Vishnu created his own niche in Malayalam poetry, rather a strange phenomenon for a man who has been teaching English throughout his career. His first poem ‘Varsham Varunnu’ was published in 1961 in Mathrubhoomi, which was the leading Malayalam weekly for more than half a century. Vishnu distinctly stands high compared to other contemporary poets for he writes with lot of sensitiveness, sensibility and commitment to his own vision of human life and its virtues, to what he calls ‘Athmeeyatha’, beautifully synergised with radically modern thought processes. He acknowledges with pride that, while Prof Sheppard initiated him to English literature, it was Dr NV Krishna Warrier, that master craftsman as he calls him, who nurtured his poetry into greater heights of vision on Indian spiritualism, human virtues, commitment to society, significance of travel and pilgrimage and so on. His poetic talents that came to him as gift from his traditional background got refined and revitalised over the years by learning from the lives of Sreenarayana Guru, Kumaran Asan and Vallathol Narayana Menon, and by his long associations with late poets like Edassery Govindan Nair, Vailoppilly Sreedhara Menon, to name a few. The feather touch of spiritualism in his verses that enthrals us is really the outcome of this closeness to those great minds. Then, he also attributes his achievements to his close associations that he has had with a wide spectrum of well-known writers like Mahakavi G, NN Kakkad, Thayatt Shankaran, and KP Sankaran etc who were then part of the elite literary fraternity. Vishnu says that the greatest influence he had in fine-tuning his poetic abilities from outside had been the works of Kalidasa and WB Yeats, the Irish Poet.

Several pages are available in print in various Malayalam magazines and publications describing the poetry of Vishnu Naryanan Namboodiri and its influences on society in general and the literary minds in particular of Kerala. A literary review or criticism of his verses, therefore, will be out of place here and hence is not attempted. However, a brief account of how Vishnu’s poetry becomes so dear to us, the Malayalees can be a pleasant reading to most of us.

Vishnu started his poetic career at a time when Malayalam poetry was intensely watching the noisy emergence of what is called the Ultra-modern poetry with established poets like Ayyappa Panikkar, Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan, Kavalam Narayana Panicker and a band of others taking the lead. But the captivating tone or texture of ultra-modern poetry did not make much of an impact in the matrix of verse making which Vishnu was known for. It never encroached on to the undefined boundaries of ultra-modern poetry marked by a sense of frustration, fear of total annihilation, rejection of one’s own culture and heritage and a loss of self confidence engulfed by a pal of gloom. His poetry always remained a mirror of his firm faith on a progressive mindset, which does not break the outer, but safer, shell of our inherited Indian culture and the human virtues that we have adored for ages. His poetic sensibility is blended with the openness of a wounded mind, which at times helplessly snivel at the erosion of human values and the self-assured willingness to see the brighter side of life and find solace through spiritualism. Probably some of us might get a bit disappointed if we search for aggressive and revolutionary imagery in his verses, which we would find in plenty among the newer generation of Malayalam poets. Surely they are more turbulent and vibrant but a bit subtle for common readers like you and me. Vishnu’s poetry is like a cool, slow stream that flows from the heights of virtuous thoughts emanating from a well-balanced mix of ‘Atmeeyatha’ and reality. It comes to you like a ballet artist, brings a very soothing breeze along, marinates you into comfort and a frame of mental tranquillity and then passes by in its own pace, of course leaving some ripples for you to ponder over. But that comfort and tranquillity of feeling or whatever you may call stays in your subconscious mind forever and pops up time and again to upper senses urging you to reinvent your own self.

‘Ultimately one has one’s own poetic culture and I have mine” he says. He acknowledges with humility that a lot of smoke and dirt mired with castesim and untouchability still exists within his own community. ‘I am indebted to Veda Vyasa and the Vedas for my vision that guides my poetic endeavours. The caste systems are our own creation for protecting our vested interests. For me India is now more than a passion, she is wisdom. What I search for in the depth of the so-called passion is that pearl of wisdom; the wisdom of survival. That leads me to wide travel and Himalayan pilgrimages where I can interact with the soul of India.’ He adds.

Vishnu Narayanan Nampoodiri believes that Poetry is sort of a catalyst, which promotes introspection to know and learn more about oneself. ‘Poetry is a metaphor that emerges from the depth of culture and can be experienced as a beautiful flower. It has to be blended with our greatest gift from God, music. What I am writing does not concern me alone. What I am concerned for is what the readers feel about them. History will discard those creations, which do not create any impact on the readers. That is poetic relevance too’

Dr M Leelavathy writes ‘ genuine poets are those who have the mastery of seeing the virtues of past, present and future. They sow those seeds of wisdom carefully on human mind through crafty imagery. These will neither be eaten away by hogs nor will dry to death as a sapling on the surface of a rock. They will slowly and steadily grow up incarnating the Vedic saying ”Sadaiva” and will bear fruits and spread cool shadows for weary minds. Vishnu Narayanan Nampoodiri’s poetry belongs to this genre’. She continues ‘ though Namboodiri poets like MN Paloor, NN Kakkadu and Vishnu Narayanan draw inspiration from Vedic culture and Indian spirituality, none of them shows the immaturity not to acknowledge the Marxian philosophy of rich and poor syndrome. Vishnu’s poem titled “Karl Marxinte Kuteeram” shows exactly what he stands for’.

It will be of interest to readers that the greatest tribute to Vishnu and his poetry came from Mohandas, a college teacher from Kodakara, near Trichur. Having been enchanted by a poem of Vishnu, ‘Yugalaprasadan’, Mohandas started a mission of planting mango trees anywhere and everywhere possible with the help of his friends and students. The project grew in stature and Vishnu himself was invited to grace the occasion of planting the 1000th sapling. Vishnu took the seed of the poem from ‘Aranyaka’ a novel by Bhibhuthibhooshan Bandhopadhyaya and gave it the title ‘Yugalaprasadan’. The extraordinary character of the novel, Yugalaprasadan takes it as his mission to transplant seedlings, which otherwise would have died their natural death, from concrete jungles of urban civilisation to virgin forests and nurture them there to grow into plants and trees. What a great mission indeed! Mohandas took rebirth as Yugalaprasadan in Kerala thus fulfilling the vision of Vishnu Narayanan Namboodiri.

Vishnu Narayanan Namdoodiri is often called a friend of controversies. It is a misnomer. He is controversial because of his unflinching stand on the issues that erode social harmony and his relentless urge to record it without any inhibitions on any occasion that comes in his way. You may not find another literary figure in recent times crucified by religious fundamentalists as also by the so called revolutionists so severely in the recent past for no fault of his. In the early Eighties, The Bishops’ Council, Kerala came down heavily on him demanding a ban on his poem “ Adam and God”, prescribed then for the Degree classes. In 1997 as the high priest of Shree Vallabha temple he had to face the wrath of his own community for he went abroad on an assignment to render lectures on Indian philosophy and its virtues. He was accused of committing religious sacrilege for advocating the teaching of rituals and practices to Dalits and other backward classes. Even the leftist parties did not leave him alone. Though he had cast his first ever vote as a young man to the communists, how can they accept a man who often goes on pilgrimages to Himalayas and dared to wear the mantle of a temple priest? What makes Vishnu different is his firm commitment to what he believes right and the tenacity to challenge establishments for the noble cause even if it goes against his own mentor NV Krishna Warrier.

Vishnu has his own political outlook. He wrote and spoke praising the workers who took part in Punnapra –Vayalar struggles. He did not hesitate to criticise the Vimochana Samaram in 1959 and and hailed the communist ministry for bringing in the Education and the Land Reform bills. During the period of censorship and emergency he was the editor of Granthalokam. Though the press was under severe scrutiny he ensured that Granthalokam continued to carry its own free views without any reservations and inhibitions.

Another controversy erupted in 1984 when he took the lead role in organising Somayagam in Trivandrum. Hue and cry were raised by many including Kovilan, Thayttu Sankran, and others who accused him of trying to re-establish Brahmin supremacy and caste regime. His answer was that he went to the yagashala with dalits accompanying him. He wrote to Kovilan “My friend, come along with me! Wherever I enter you will also!” It was not over there. Questions were asked how he could sponsor a yagam in which killing of animals was a ritual, which he did not approve of. Pundits insisted, but Vishnu’s stand on the issue was clear. He did not relent, and won over the organisers to have the yagam held without shedding a drop of blood of an innocent animal.

Graver controversy