5 days ago
A Divine satirist
Basheer's irreverent humour, spiritual depth and unwavering humanist vision remain strikingly relevant—offering a luminous counterpoint to the discord of our polarized world
The Sacred, the Silly & the Sublime
By: Dr Azeez Tharuvana
Vaikom Muhammad Basheer's works form a rich treasure mine—each reading reveals new layers of meaning that resonate with our times.
Shabdangal (Voices) exemplifies this, especially relevant amid global wars, refugee crises and the search for human connection.
Though short, the novel raises profound questions, like this conversation:
'Everyone has a philosophy for life. I try to live by mine.'
'I don't have a philosophy. Maybe because I don't feel connected to anyone?'
'But you do—you're connected to everyone.'
'What relationship?'
'Do you have a navel? It connects you to your mother—even if you never knew her… In the end, all of us are connected.'
Basheer boldly explored themes like gender identity and the struggles of transgender individuals—topics still finding space in public discussion today. At the time, many conservative critics were shocked, but modern readers recognize his intent: To open up unfamiliar, often uncomfortable worlds to the Malayali imagination.
His wide travels and deep empathy for the poor gave him a rare sensitivity. For Basheer, experience was everything.
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Living with Sufis and mystics, working various jobs, and meeting people on society's fringes—hijras, male sex workers—he realized that life's truths came from lived realities. Phrases like 'Anal Haq' (I am the Truth) and 'Aham Brahmasmi' (I am the Brahma) shaped his spiritual worldview.
He saw that organized religion often demanded blind submission. He believed so-called sinners and criminals were often just people who had lost their way seeking peace, dignity and redemption.
From this emerged a new kind of spirituality—one that embraced compassion over dogma and change over obedience.
Like in the story Bhoomiyude Avakaashikal (The Inheritors of the Earth), animals and birds appear frequently in Basheer's work. Long before environmental themes became common in Malayalam literature, Basheer was already weaving thoughts about nature and the environment into his stories. These early glimpses of ecological awareness reflect the depth of Basheer's philosophical thinking—a belief in the unity and sacredness of all living things.
This is the philosophy of oneness that flows through all of Basheer's writing—a gentle, powerful consciousness that sees the whole universe as connected. His language—simple, direct and full of life—was unlike anything in Malayalam literature. As MN Vijayan said: 'He sang playful tunes to his deepest sorrows… He reminded us, 'I am my language.'' He stretched and reshaped the language, giving it new life. In fact, long before Dalit and feminist writers began questioning the limits of language, Basheer had already done so.
He coined Lodkus Akhaya and Palungusan Vyakarana to poke fun at scholars but though some claimed he ignored grammar, Basheer in fact mastered and reshaped language with care and intention. Balyakalasakhi was a 500-page manuscript trimmed into a timeless 80-page classic.
His works remain fresh because they can be read through many lenses—social, emotional, political, spiritual. At their core, they celebrate love, compassion, and unity.
Basheer's spirituality transcended religion. He believed in a divine spirit that connected all beings. This gave rise to a a certain intensity, a kind of madness. His mind often wandered along the thin line between mysticism and what others might call the abnormal.
His creativity flowed from this unique space—where spiritual insight and unconventional thoughts lived side by side.
In a letter from a mental hospital, he wrote: 'I tried to understand everything… life, death… Is God a human idea? I believed—God exists. Call Him Allah, Khuda, or Lord—Allah exists…' To truly understand Basheer, we must open our hearts to the wide, tender world he saw so clearly.
(The writer is assistant professor and HOD, Malayalam dept, Farook College)
