The publication of the short story Ente Thankam in 1937 introduced a new trajectory to Malayalam literature, featuring a dark-complexioned hunchback as its heroine. This work marked the entry of Vaikom Muhammad Basheer into a career that spanned decades, shifting from active involvement in the Indian independence movement to becoming a prolific novelist, essayist, and screenwriter whose prose resonated with both critics and the general public.
Political Activism and Incarceration
Basheer left school during his fifth form to join the fight for Indian independence. Influenced by the swadeshi ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, he adopted the wearing of Khadi. In 1930, he traveled to the Malabar district to participate in the Salt Satyagraha, resulting in his arrest and a three-month sentence in Kannur Prison. Following his release, he edited the revolutionary journal Ujjivanam, which led to an arrest warrant against him. Later, he faced further detention in Kottayam and Kollam before being sentenced to two and a half years at the Thiruvananthapuram central jail.
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For seven years, Basheer traversed India, Africa, and Asia, undertaking various roles to survive. He worked as a loom fitter, cook, watchman, and accountant, and spent over five years living among Hindu saints and Sufi mystics in the Himalayas. Upon returning to Ernakulam in the mid-1930s, he attempted to run an agency for a Sialkot sports company before a bicycle accident incapacitated him. Destitute, he approached the publication Jayakesari, where he began his writing career by contributing stories.
Literary Development and Personal Life
Basheer authored several significant works including Balyakalasakhi, Pathummayude Aadu, and Mathilukal. His writing style integrated common speech with literary form, eschewing complex artifice. He established his own publishing outlets, such as the Circle Bookhouse. In 1958, at age fifty, he married Fathima, who was twenty. The couple settled in Beypore, where they raised their children, Anees and Shahina. Despite periods of mental illness that required hospitalization, he continued writing, notably producing Pathummayude Aadu while undergoing treatment in Thrissur.
Recognition and Final Years
The Government of India awarded Basheer the Padma Shri in 1982. He also received the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, and the Vallathol Award in 1993. Known as the Beypore Sultan due to his writings about his life in Beypore, he remained a prominent figure in the cultural landscape until his death on 5 July 1994. His wife, Fabi Basheer, survived him until 2015.
Fast facts
- Born: 1908, Thalayolaparambu
- Died: 1994, Beypore
- Primary Language: Malayalam
- Notable Works: Balyakalasakhi, Mathilukal, Ntuppuppakkoranendarnnu
- Awards: Padma Shri, Vallathol Award, Sahitya Akademi Fellowship
- Occupations: Writer, novelist, screenwriter, freedom fighter
Questions readers ask
Why is Vaikom Muhammad Basheer called the Beypore Sultan?
He earned the title after writing about his life as a resident of Beypore, where he spent his later years.
What was the significance of his first published story?
Published in 1937 in the journal Jayakesari, Ente Thankam was a path-breaker in Malayalam romantic fiction for casting a dark-complexioned hunchback as the lead heroine.
Achievements
- Notable work: Balyakalasakhi
- Notable work: Ntuppuppakkoranendarnnu
- Notable work: Mathilukal
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