American author Saul Bellow once chanced upon the English translation of a novel written in a language he was unfamiliar with. The Nobel laureate was so impressed by Pathumma’s Goat that he wrote an impressive review of the book in the New Yorker magazine .
“But the person who wrote the novel was least enthusiastic about it when he got a clipping of the article from some of his fans in the U.S. Vaikom Mohammed Basheer took it in a lighter vein, as usual, saying ‘see even Saul Bellow has written about me’,” artist Paul Kallanode recalled on Thursday evening at an event held to mark the writer’s memory.
Basheer’s 25th death anniversary falls on Friday, July 5. The event was organised by the Bankmen’s Club, Calicut and the Basheer Anusmarana Samiti.
Beyond Kerala
Pointing out that Basheer was someone who grew beyond Kerala’s geographical limits, Mr. Kallanode said that the writer created a unique world through his literary works, through his characters.
Basheer spoke about serious issues through funny anecdotes and situations. “In a column he used to carry in Narmada magazine, Basheer was once asked if he believed in any ideology. The reply was that he believed only in ‘Basheerism’ of which he was a world leader,” Mr. Kallanode said. But not many were able to grasp the depth of this ‘-ism’, he added.
No memorial yet
K.J. Thomas, secretary of the Basheer Anusmarana Samiti, who presided over the event, rued the lack of efforts to set up a memorial for the writer in Kozhikode, which was Basheer’s home for decades.
Mr. Thomas said that in 2009 the then government had sanctioned ₹50 lakh to construct a memorial. However, the authorities could not find a suitable place and the funds were taken back with interest last year. “We hope the government will make an announcement tomorrow,” Mr. Thomas added.
Writer Myna Umaiban delivered the Basheer memorial lecture. Student editors who were chosen for the Basheer Award for college magazines were honoured at the event.
Exhibition
There was an exhibition of Basheer’s photos taken by veteran photographer Punaloor Rajan and screening of short films, Basheer the man directed by M.A. Rahman, and Oru Manushyan by T.V. Chandran.
On Friday, movies Balyakalasakhi and Bhargavi Nilayam, which were based on Basheer’s works, will be screened.
