CM flays bid to curb creative freedom

Says EMS played a key role in popularising literature

Attempts being made to curtail the creative freedom of artistes pointed to an indifference towards cultural values and went against the democratic ethos of the nation, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.

According to him, the Constitution guaranteed creative freedom for artistes who represented creative avenues including cinema and literature. “Unfortunately, certain sections that have been perturbed by creativity and the influence wielded by artistes in society attempted to stifle artistes’ freedom of expression in an autocratic manner. They lacked the ability to respond to art forms that advocated disagreeable thoughts. As a result, they aimed at subduing creative freedom through the imposition of bans,” he said.

Compilation

Mr. Vijayan was speaking after releasing a compilation of selected writings of E.M.S. Namboodiripad, communist ideologue, published by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi, at a function here on Thursday. “The observations made by EMS while interpreting the Marxist ideology with reference to the fields of language, literature, and art continued to remain a guiding light for writers, artistes, linguists, and researchers,” he said.

He also highlighted the role played by EMS in popularising literature during the progressive movement in Malayalam literature. “Arts and literature, which were viewed as means of entertainment and confined to a particular section, gradually became a catalyst for social progress. EMS had written extensively about the sufferings of the downtrodden and staunchly opposed caste barriers that divided the society,” Mr. Vijayan said.

Unique works

The Chief Minister also called for analysing literary works on the basis of various underlying aspects including society, history, psychology, and geography during the present times of interdisciplinary studies. The literary works of EMS were unique as they took into account all such factors.

Mr. Vijayan presented the first copy of the book to Kerala State Women’s Commission member and EMS’s daughter E.M. Radha.

Kerala Sahitya Akademi president Vaisakhan presided. Cultural Affairs Minister A.K. Balan, State Planning Board member B. Ekbal, literary critic B. Rajeevan, Kerala State Literacy Mission director P.S. Sreekala, Akademi secretary K.P. Mohanan, and executive member V.N. Murali spoke.