Littérateur M.T. Vasudevan Nair has said that the iridescent brilliance of humanism marked the life of yesteryear writer Vaikom Mohammed Basheer.
“The times we live in often make us think if humanism has been lost forever,” he said, after presenting the Basheer Puraskaram instituted by Pravasi Doha, an organisation of NRKs in Qatar, to auteur Adoor Gopalakrishnan at the Changampuzha Park here on Monday.
Mr. Vasudevan Nair said he would address Basheer as “Guru” in order to convey his deep respect for the humanist writer. Basheer was someone who clearly realised that the real heir to the earth also included the numerous living organisms that are present on the planet and not just human beings. His vision, in fact, went beyond the love for mankind to embrace unalloyed affection and care of each and every organism on earth.
Mr. Gopalakrishnan said that he had always viewed Basheer with awe and considered Pathummayude Aadu a great piece of literature. “Basheer represented a rare confluence of a great writer and a great human being,” he said.
Writer N.S. Madhavan, who delivered the remembrance talk, said the language of Basheer’s always remained fresh and new. “It’s a rarity that the language he used in the 1940s still stays afresh without getting obsolete. His language was enjoyed by scholars and laymen alike.”
Mr. Madhavan also pointed out that Basheer was the first to question the model of development that puts environmental concerns on the backburner.
