College denies nod to release book on campus

Thampy Antony with his debut novel Bhoothathankunnu.

Actor, producer, and writer Thampy Antony has lashed out at the management of Mar Athanasius Engineering College at Kothamangalam, where he is an alumnus, for denying permission to hold the release of his debut novel Bhoothathankunnu at a seniors’ get-together in the college on Tuesday.

In a social media post, Mr. Antony, who is based in the U.S., criticised the management for “thinking the book would misguide the younger generation.” The author, who left for the U.S. on Tuesday night, told The Hindu that the novel mapped the place, Kothamangalam, of his concepts and that it was an inseparable mix of fact and fiction, with a bit of his life in exile thrown in.

“Back in the 1970s, when I was a civil engineering student of the college, life was a lot more free and exciting. Our hostel did not even have a warden and we could walk in and out any time of the day or night. But I understand that these days, colleges are treating students as if they are in a boarding school. Unfettered freedom actually brings in a sense of self-control, but rigorous discipline foments unsavoury tendencies,” said Mr. Antony, who re-imagined the Kothamangalam of his novel as Diablo (‘devil mountain’ in English) on whose foothills he lives in the U.S.

“It also marks an era, the Kerala of the 1970s, with a number of real-life people, including P. Rajan [a symbol of police brutality during the Emergency] and his father Eachara Warrier appearing as characters.”

College Principal Soosan George, however, argued that while Mr. Antony had enquired if the August 29 get-together of the alumni from the 1967 batch could be used as an occasion for the release of the book, no decision was taken on that.

Principal’s version

“He had given a copy to former professor P.M. George and me, but Mr. George told me later that it contained some disparaging remarks about a former faculty member who is no more. That is why we decided not to have it released on the campus. We are not against him releasing the book elsewhere,” she said.

Mr. Antony, who had co-produced films and acted in award-winning movies like Janaki (which he says will be released after Onam), has been a prolific short story writer lately thanks to digital technology. His is currently working on his second novel.