Man of Impossibles
Memoir / M.K. SANU
Prof. M.K Sanu is an independent intellectual whose literary contribution and intervention in the society is remembered for ever. Renowned poet Prabha Verma recalls his life and works spanning a centuary.
A single adjective is not enough to describe Prof. M.K. Sanu. He is in the forefront in the list of people who carry the traits of many legacies in their personality. Well known in the society as a writer, critic, editor, teacher, biographer, orator, social worker, legislator and the president of Kerala Sahitya Akademi; the cultural maestro’s epithets cannot be completed in a one liner. He was in the unparalleled heights in all the fields he had worked. Throughout his life, spanned almost a century, devoted almost every stage of services, he made every impossibles possible through hard work and dedication. Sanu Mash, people fondly called him so, established his literary personality as of an independent intellectual committed to progressive writing. He followed the path of great poet Kumaranasan who philosophised that the duty of art is to be a blessed by the world. He was an advocate of progressive literary movement though initially he was not supportive. This change reflected in his literary works too.
He had in-depth knowledge in Western dramas and drama theories. His book on drama, Natakavicharam is a work that familiarised us with Western and Eastern drama techniques and theories. New ideas were meticulously interwoven in his writing. As the title Wind and Light (Kattum Velichavum) of his first work on the art of criticism shows he blew the wind and flashed the light of modern criticism to the minds of people.
We experience a romantic wave in the field of biography with him; he stands out with the most authentic and at the same time emotional biography of Sree Narayana Guru, the great poet Kumaranasan, Sahodaran Ayyappan, and renowned poet Changampuzha Krishna Pillai. If those were not written by him, many life details about them would have remained hidden. This is Sanu magic of turning hidden histories into a spark of unforgettable. His biographical works can be described as the mother of biographies in its treatment, narration and techniques.
Sanu Mash’s views on life, his political, literary and cultural stances, which proclaimed the greatness of humanity had great influence of Sree Narayana philosophy of which more researches are required.
In the field of criticism, refutation was not his method. He evaluated literary works only in the social and aesthetic context. While acknowledging the independent personality of the writer, he emphasised his relationship with society. Neither imposing his scholarship upon or belittling the work or person he adopted a unique method of review while entering into the depth of experiences and experiments of the work. This approach of new reading reflected in his lectures too. His art of criticism was pure and beautiful like a stream, or a gentle breeze. The reader would astonish and say, ‘Oh, was there a level like this too?’
Sanu Mash was the first among the critics who established that the character Vasavadatta in poetry Karuna written by Kumaranasan was not described as just a body of a prostitute but sublimate her mind and soul. Sanu Mash also maintained an experiential method of criticism that elevates even an ordinary reader to the higher level of a critic imparting an aesthetic experience of the work in him. This can be seen in many works like Prabhat Darshan, Rajaveethi, and Avadharanam.
Sanu Mash’s speeches reach deep into the hearts of the listeners. I recall a literary conference held in Karthikapalli about seven decades ago under the chairmanship of renowned critic and educationalist Joseph Mundassery where Sanu Mash made a powerful speech disagreeing with Mundassery. His speeches later became a claim of Kerala, especially for the progressive literary movements. His lectures were analysis of life through literature that travelled until horizons. For a student, he was the captain of the ship who navigated it through the turfs and tempest and anchored safely. He created a Sanumagic of mesmerism in teaching
Many of my poetry have been blessed with his literary review. He wrote a prominent essay based on my Shyama Madhavam (Lament of the Dusky Lord). He wrote this, he told me once, out of pain he experienced when some people eagerly attempted to tear that work apart using non-poetic criteria. He wrote preface to my poetry Ponnin Kolus (Golden Anklet). He made original and meticulous observations about Shyama Madhavam in his speech delivered at the Vayalar Award ceremony where I was presented with the award. I remember this with gratitude.
Sanu Mash’s views on life- his political, literary and cultural stances, which proclaimed the greatness of humanity, had great influence of Sree Narayana philosophy of which more researches are required. He showed us that a good class can be beneficial than reading hundred books. He did a remarkable job as a member of the legislature and proposed a bill in the assembly for differently-abled children. As an editor, he gave great representation to the new generation of writers in the Kumkum weekly. As the president of the Sahitya Akademi, he turned the academy into a platform for the presentation of various literary thoughts.
There is a notion that the literary people experience a creative explosion internally that uplift one’s mind to the next level of growth. How many explosions of creativity might have experienced his mind! In every field he worked, Sanu Mash created a wave of passion and emotion that was never seen before. The state is impoverished due to the vacuum created by such a great personality leaves us.
The author is a renowned poet and writer; recipient of many acclodes – Saraswati Samman, Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi and Award Vayalar Award etc.