Prof. M. Krishnan Nair

An enduring Thiruvananthapuram memory for me is Professor M. Krishnan Nair (1923 - 2006) walking down Statue Road, crisp khader shirt-dothi, gold frame glasses and 'kaalankuda' umbrella shielding him against the sun. He smoked heavily, ransacked bookshops, collected books worth several lakhs rupees, tore asunder lame writing and shook our sahridaya sensibilities through his Sahitya Varaphalam column for 36 years. In fact, after he shifted his column from Kalakaumudi to Malayalam Vaarika, I too switched weekly loyalty likewise.  He was forthright in his comments about writers new and old and gathered many enemies in the process. In literature, he simply did not have any holy cow, except perhaps poet Changampuzha. He was the only critic who could call Thakazhi a chronicler and Pottekkatt a glorified journalist and state that VKN's humor was forced. It is due to him that several people including me learned about the greats of contemporary world literature like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, Pramodaya Ananta Tur. et al. He would even explain how these names ought to be pronounced. He had an eye for the sensational and that extra spice in his columns made him stand out among the regular crop. Tens of thousands of readers took to it like flies to fruit. Some of his columns are collected in books, I do have a treasured volume with me.  After he passed away his huge collection of books was donated to the Sahitya Akademi as per his wish. Even today when I read a new book, the question I ask myself is, 'What would Prof. Krishnan Nair have thought of this writer/work?'

Click here to sample some of his columns. 

(2014)