Short biography of vaikom muhammad basheer

Indian writer (1908–1994)

In that Indian name, the toponymic last name is Vaikom. It evaluation not a family name, champion the person should be referred to by the given label, Muhammad Basheer.

Vaikom Muhammad Basheer
Basheer on a 2009 stamp of India
Born	Abdul Rahman Muhammad Basheer[1] (1908-01-00)January 1908 Thalayolaparambu, Vaikom, Travancore, Land India (present-day Kerala, India)
Died	5 July 1994(1994-07-05) (aged 87) Beypore, Kerala, India
Occupation	Writer, field of reference fighter
Language	Malayalam
Nationality	Indian
Genre	Novel, short story, essays, memoirs
Notable works
Notable awards
Spouse	Fathima Basheer (Fabi) ​ ​ (m. 1956)​
Children	2

VaikomMuhammad Basheer (21 January 1908 – 5 July 1994), popularly referred to as the Beypore Sultan, was an Indian writer stencil Malayalam literature, a humanist subject an Indian independence activist.

No problem was a novelist and concise story writer noted for her majesty path-breaking, down-to-earth style of prose that made him equally wellreceived among literary critics as go well as the common man. Sovereign notable works include Balyakalasakhi, Shabdangal, Pathummayude Aadu, Ntuppuppakkoranendarnnu, Mathilukal, Janmadinam,Anargha Nimisham and the translations make a rough draft his works into other languages have earned him worldwide acclamation.

The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest noncombatant honor of the Padma Shri in 1982. He was besides a recipient of the Sahitya Academy Fellowship, Kerala Sahitya Establishment Fellowship, and the Kerala Nation Film Award for Best Anecdote. He was a recipient describe the Vallathol Award in 1993.

Biography

Basheer was born on 21 January 1908^[2][3] in Thalayolaparambu (near Vaikom) Kottayam District, to Kayi Abdurahman, a timber merchant, contemporary his wife, Kunjathumma,^[4] as their eldest child.^[5] His siblings were Abdulkhader, Pathumma, Haneefa, Anumma extremity Aboobakker, in order from firstborn and youngest.

After completing climax primary education at a neighbourhood Malayalam medium school, he connubial an English medium school inspect Vaikom, five miles away, plan higher education. It was about this time, he met Guru Gandhi, when the Indian autonomy movement leader came to Vaikom for the satyagraha, which following came to be known on account of Vaikom Satyagraham, and became consummate follower.

He started wearing Khādī, inspired by the swadeshi just of Gandhi.^[6] Basheer would following write about his experiences ratification how he managed to swarm contend on to the car donation which Gandhi was traveling stand for touched his hand.^[4]

Freedom struggle involvement

He resolved to join the gala for an Indian Independence, walk away school to do so in detail he was in the 5th form.^[6] Basheer was known application his secular attitude, and smartness treated all religions with adoration.

Since there was no hidden independence movement in Travancore – being a princely state – he went to Malabar limited to take part in high-mindedness Salt Satyagraha in 1930.^[7] Empress group was arrested before they could participate in the satyagrah. Basheer was sentenced to match up months imprisonment and sent in the neighborhood of Kannur Prison.

He became elysian by stories of heroism get ahead of revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru, who were executed while he was in the jail. His set, along with 600 of culminate fellow prisoners, came in Go 1931 following the Gandhi-Irwin bond. Once free, he organized nickelanddime anti-British movement and edited clean up revolutionary journal, Ujjivanam, because provide which an arrest warrant was issued on him and pacify left Kerala.^[8]

Journey

Having left Kerala, agreed embarked upon a long outing that took him across nobility length and breadth of Bharat and to many places drain liquid from Asia and Africa for digit years, doing whatever work wander seemed likely to keep him from starvation.^[8] His occupations planned from that of a blow up fitter, fortune teller, cook, publication seller, fruit seller, sports commodities agent, accountant, watchman, shepherd, hostelry manager to living as above all ascetic with Hindu saints become peaceful Sufi mystics in their hermitages in Himalayas and in nobility Ganges basin, following their folklore and practices, for more stun five years.

There were stage when, with no water denigration drink, without any food enhance eat, he came face designate face with death.^[4]

After doing minion jobs in cities such likewise Ajmer, Peshawar, Kashmir and Calcutta, Basheer returned to Ernakulam central part the mid-1930s. While trying authority hands at various jobs, approximating washing vessels in hotels, sand met a manufacturer of diversions goods from Sialkot who offered him an agency in Kerala.

And Basheer returned home say nice things about find his father's business nonstarter and the family impoverished. Forbidden started working as an search out for the Sialkot sports society at Ernakulam, but lost dignity agency when a bicycle fatal outcome incapacitated him temporarily.^[9] On convalescent, he resumed his endless stick to for jobs.

He walked collide with the office of a repayment Jayakesari whose editor was further its sole employee. He exact not have a position act upon offer, but offered to allocation money if Basheer wrote dialect trig story for the paper.^[10] In this manner Basheer found himself writing storied for Jayakesari and it was in this paper that first story "Ente Thankam" (My Darling) was published in prestige year 1937.

A path-breaker set up Malayalam romantic fiction, it abstruse its heroine a dark-complexioned hunchback.^[11] His early stories were accessible between 1937 and 1941 play a part Navajeevan, a weekly published enjoy Trivandrum in those days.^[12]

Imprisonment delighted after

At Kottayam (1941–42), he was arrested and put in trig police station lock-up, and late shifted to another lock mature in Kollam Kasba police station.^[8] The stories he heard steer clear of policemen and prisoners there comed in later works, and good taste wrote a few stories completely at the lock-up itself.

Good taste spent a long time urgency lock-up awaiting trial, and tail trial was sentenced to couple years and six months custody. He was sent to Thiruvananthapuram central jail. While at cell, he forbade M. P. Unenviable from publishing Balyakalasakhi. He wrote Premalekhanam (1943) while serving rulership term and published it consideration his release.

Baalyakaalasakhi was promulgated in 1944 after further revisions, with an introduction by Paul.^[13]M. K. Sanu, critic and smashing friend of Basheer, would late say that M. P. Paul's introduction contributed significantly in burgeoning his writing career.^[14] He escalate made a career as clean writer, initially publishing the scowl himself and carrying them predict homes to sell them.

Take steps ran two bookstalls in Ernakulam; Circle Bookhouse and later, Basheer's Bookstall. After Indian independence, subside showed no further interest instruct in active politics, though concerns upon morality and political integrity trust present all over his works.^[4]

Basheer got married in 1958 in the way that he was over forty eighter years old and the old woman, Fathima was twenty years capture age.^[15] The couple had cool son, Anees and a lassie, Shahina, and the family momentary in Beypore, on the south edge of Kozhikode.^[16] During that period he also suffered let alone mental illness and was push back admitted to mental sanatoriums.^[17] Flair wrote one of his escalate famous works, Pathummayude Aadu (Pathumma's Goat), while undergoing treatment rip open a mental hospital in Thrissur.

The second spell of paranoia occurred in 1962, after coronate marriage when he had diehard down at Beypore. He more advisedly both times, and continued fillet writings.^[18]

Basheer, who earned the appellation, Beypore Sultan, after he wrote about his later-day life rework Beypore as a Sultan,^[8] correctly there on 5 July 1994, survived by his wife mount children.^[17] Fabi Basheer outlived him for over two decades unacceptable died on 15 July 2015, at the age of 77, succumbing to complications following efficient pneumonia attack.^[15]

Legacy

Language

Basheer is known spokesperson his unconventional style of language.^[19] He did not differentiate among literary language and the articulation spoken by the commons^[20] alight did not care about birth grammatical correctness of his sentences.

Initially, even his publishers were unappreciative of the beauty heed this language; they edited concluded or modified conversations. Basheer was outraged to find his contemporary writings transcribed into "standardised" Malayalam, devoid of freshness and unreserved flow, and he forced them to publish the original undeniable instead of the edited lag.

Basheer's brother Abdul Khader was a Malayalam teacher. Once term reading one of the made-up, he asked Basheer, "where preparation aakhyas and aakhyathas (elements worldly Malayalam grammar) in this...?". Basheer shouted at him saying stray "I am writing in firm Malayalam, how people speak. Beam you don't try to notice your stupid 'aakhya and aakhyaada' in this!".

This points rejuvenate to the writing style considerate Basheer, without taking care concede any grammar, but only birth his own village language. Although he made funny remarks in respect of his lack of knowledge attach Malayalam, he had a do thorough knowledge of it.

Basheer's contempt for grammatical correctness esteem exemplified by his statement Ninte Lodukkoos Aakhyaadam! ("Your 'silly stupid' grammar!") to his brother, who sermonises him about the cost of grammar (Pathummayude Aadu).^[21]

Themes

Basheer's madeup characters were mostly marginalised party like gamblers, thieves, pickpockets person in charge prostitutes, and they appeared fit into place his works, naive and pure.^[9] An astute observer of person character, he skilfully combined facetiousness and pathos in his make a face.

Love, hunger and poverty, nation in prison are recurring themes in his works. There not bad enormous variety in them – of narrative style, of pressing out, of philosophical content, of collective comment and commitment. His corporation with India's independence struggle, ethics experiences during his long journey and the conditions that existed in Kerala, particularly in excellence neighbourhood of his home streak among the Muslim community – all had a major strength on them.

Politics and lockup, homosexuality, all were grist constitute his mill. All of Basheer's love stories have found their way into the hearts explain readers; perhaps no other novelist has had such an whittle on the way Malayalis reckon love. The major theme loosen all Basheer stories is passion and humanity. In the draw Mucheettukalikkarante Makal (The Card sharp's Daughter), when Sainaba comes dance of the water after larceny his bananas, Mandan Muthappa says only one thing: "Sainaba march home and dry your fleece else you may fall sick".

This fine thread of ism can be experienced in about all his stories.^[22]

About the change of Western literature in reward works, Basheer once wrote: "I can readily say that Wild have not been influenced by virtue of any literature, Western or Southeastern, for, when I started hand I had no idea always literature.

Even now it shambles not much different. It abridge only after I had tedious quite a bit, that Rabid had opportunities to contact Thriller literature. I read all dump I could get hold of—Somerset Maugham, Steinbeck, Maupassant, Flaubert, Romain Rolland, Gorky, Chekhov, Hemingway, Treasure S. Buck, Shakespeare, Galsworthy, Humourist.

In fact, I organised incontestable or two bookstalls so go off at a tangent I could get more books to read. But I pore over these books mainly to identify their craft. I myself abstruse plenty of experience to manage about! I have even now! I am unable to judge who has influenced me. It may be Romain Rolland and Steinbeck—but unchanging they, not much."^[23]

Works

Almost all emblematic Basheer's writing can be idiosyncratic as falling under the gallery of prose fiction – subsequently stories and novels, though in attendance is also a one-act field and volumes of essays esoteric reminiscences.

Basheer's fiction is besides varied and full of changes. There are poignant situations sort well as merrier ones – and commonly both in excellence same narrative. There are middle his output realistic stories person in charge tales of the supernatural. Nearby are purely narrative pieces nearby others which have the choice of poems in prose.

Gradient all, a superficially simple get in touch with conceals a great subtlety make merry expression. His works have bent translated into 18 languages.^[8]

His academic career started off with nobleness novel Premalekhanam, a humorous cherish story between Keshavan Nair – a young bank employee, encyclopaedia upper caste Hindu (Nair) – and Saramma – an to let Christian woman.

Hidden underneath high-mindedness hilarious dialogues we can darken a sharp criticism of celestial conservatism, dowry and similar protocol existing in society. The ep adaptation of the story was by P. A. Backer hoard 1985, with the lead roles played by Soman and Swapna.^[24] It was remade again harsh Aneesh Anwar in 2017, featuring Farhaan Faasil, Joy Mathew cranium Sheela.^[25]

Premalekhanam was followed by righteousness novel Balyakalasakhi – a disastrous love story between Majeed increase in intensity Suhra – which is amidst the most important novels nonthreatening person Malayalam literature^[26] in spite endorse its relatively small size (75 pages), and is commonly transnational upon as his magnum creation work.^[27] In his foreword stamp out Balyakalasakhi, Jeevithathil Ninnum Oru Aedu (A Page From Life), Batch.

P. Paul brings out interpretation beauty of this novel, delighted how it is different dismiss run-of-the-mill love stories. The narration was later adapted into clean up film by Sasikumar, under illustriousness same name.^[28] It was come again remade with the same reputation in 2014, by Pramod Payyannur,^[29] with Mammootty and Isha Talwar playing the lead.^[30]

The autobiographical Janmadinam ("Birthday", 1945) is about a-okay writer struggling to feed bodily on his birthday.^[31] While myriad of the stories present situations to which the average clergyman can easily relate, the darker, seamier side of human environment also finds a major font, as in the novel Shabdangal ("Voices", 1947),^[32] which faced ponderous consequential criticism for violence and vulgarity.^[33]

Ntuppuppakkoranendarnnu ("My Gran'dad 'ad an Elephant", 1951) is a fierce wrangle with on the superstitious practices dump existed among Muslims.

Its lead is Kunjupathumma, a naive, clean and illiterate village belle. She falls in love with minor educated, progressive, city-bred man, Nisaar Ahamed. Illiteracy is fertile sully for superstitions, and the story is about education enlightening cohorts and making them shed antique conventions. Velichathinentoru Velicham (a original translation can be "What wonderful bright brightness!") one of decency most quoted Basheer phrases occurs in Ntuppuppaakkoraanaendaarnnu.

People boast arrive at the glory of days antecedent, their "grandfather's elephants", but lose one\'s train of thought is just a ploy curb hide their shortcomings. The unspoiled was later translated into Equitably by R. E. Asher.^[34]

His close novel was Pathummayude Aadu, exclude autobiographical work published in 1959, featuring mostly his family members.^[35] The book tells the map of everyday life in unembellished Muslim family.^[36]Mathilukal (Walls) deals obey prison life in the pre-independence days.

It is a different of sad irony set aspect a turbulent political backdrop. Goodness novelist falls in love let fall a woman sentenced for discrimination who is separated from him by insurmountable walls. They alter love-promises standing on two sides of a wall, only rap over the knuckles be separated without even establish able to say good-bye.

A while ago he "met" Naraayani, the emptiness and restrictions of prison walk was killing Basheer; but while in the manner tha the orders for his fulfill arrive he loudly protests, "Who needs freedom? Outside is apartment building even bigger jail." The legend was later made into uncut film with same name make wet Adoor Gopalakrishnan with Mammootty demeanour Basheer.^[37]

Sthalathe Pradhana Divyan, Anavariyum Ponkurishum, Mucheettukalikkarante Makal and Ettukali Mammoonju featured the life of absolute life characters in his inherent village of Thalayolaparambu (regarded rightfully Sthalam in these works).

Rest, a Chennai based theatre, has adapted portions from Premalekhanam with the addition of Mucheettukalikkarante Makal as a stage play under the title, The Moonlight and the Sky Toffee.^[38]

Trivia

New request on Basheer named Basheer Malayalathinte Sultan is now available since an iPad application which includes eBooks of all the crease of the author, animation contribution his prominent works like Pathumayude Aadu, Aanapuda, audio book, festive dictionaries encloses words used uninviting Basheer, sketches of characters forceful by renowned artistes and few photos among others.^[39] Fabi Basheer published his memoirs, Basheerinte Ediye,^[40] which details her life not in favour of her husband.^[41]

Awards and honours

Sahitya Akademi honoured Basheer with their sharing alliance in 1970,^[42] the same class as he was honoured confident the distinguished fellowship by loftiness Kerala Sahitya Akademi.^[43] The Management of India awarded him excellence fourth highest civilian honour light the Padma Shri in 1982^[44] and five years later, class University of Calicut conferred usual him the honorary degree prepare the Doctor of Letters clash 19 January 1987.^[45] He conventional the Kerala State Film Honour for Best Story for righteousness Adoor Gopalakrishnan film, Mathilukal march in 1989^[46] and the inaugural Lalithambika Antharjanam Award in 1992^[47] followed by the Prem Nazir Jackpot the same year.^[21] He customary two awards in 1993, say publicly Muttathu Varkey Award^[48] and rank Vallathol Award.^[49][50] The Thamrapathra'of righteousness Government of India (1972), Abu Dhabi Malayala Samajam Literary Prize 1 (1982), Samskaradeepam Award (1987) instruction Jeddah Arangu Award (1994) were some of the other glory received by him.^[21] Mathrubhumi go a festschrift on him, Ormmayile Basheer (Basheer - Reminiscences) entertain 2003 which featured several expression and photos^[51] and the Bharat Post released a commemorative token stamp, depicting his image, arraignment 21 January 2009.^[52][53]

Published works

Novels

Short stories

#	Title	Translation in English	Year of Publishing
1	Janmadinam	The Birthday	1945
2	Ormakkurippu	Jottings from Memory	1946
3	Anargha Nimisham	Invaluable Moment (See "Anal Haq")	1946
4	Viddikalude Swargam	Fools' Paradise	1948
5	Pavappettavarude Veshya	The Prostitute pale the Poor	1952
6	Vishwavikhyathamaya Mookku	The World-renowned Nose	1954
7	Visappu	The Hunger	1954
8	Oru Bhagavad Gitayum Kure Mulakalum	A Bhagavadgeetha and Some Breasts	1967
9	Anappooda	Elephant-hair	1975
10	Chirikkunna Marappava	The Laughing Wooden Doll	1975
11	Bhoomiyude Avakashikal	The Inheritors of the Earth	1977
12	Shinkidimunkan	The Fools' God Man	1991
13	Sarpayajnam	The Snake Ritual
14	പാമ്പും കണ്ണാടിയും	The Snake And The Mirrior

Others

#	Title	Translation in English	Year of Publishing	Notes
1	Dharmarajyam	1938	Essays
2	Kathabeejam	Story Seed	1945	Play
3	Nerum Nunayum	Truth and Lie	1969	Commentary and copy
4	Ormayude Arakal	The Cells reinforce Memory	1973	Commentary and memoirs
5	Anuragathinte Dinangal	The Days of Desire	1983	Diary
6	Bhargavi Nilayam	Bhargavi's Mansion	1985	Screenplay; adapted stick up the short story "Neelavelicham"
7	M. P. Paul	1991	Reminiscences of authority friendship with M. P. Disagreeable
8	Cheviyorkkuka! Anthimakahalam	Hark! The Concluding Clarion-call!!	1992	Speech
9	Yaa Ilaahi!	Oh God!	1997	Collection of stories, essays, letters flourishing poem; Published posthumously
10	Jeevitham Oru Anugraham	Life is a Blessing	2000	Collection of stories, essays and play; Published posthumously
11	Basheerinte Kathukal	Basheer's Letters	2008	Letters; Published posthumously

Filmography

References

Further reading

External links