page 2 ( 34 ) Std VII Malayalam Teacher

 page 2

         ( 34 )

     In VIIth standard, our Malayalam Teacher was Mr Vasudevan, who was really a master not only in Malayalam but also in English and Sanskrit.  He spoke about the origin of Malayalam language, which is one of the Dravidian languages, the others being Kannada and Tamil.  In the earlier times, the language was known as  Manipravalam due to the excess use of Sanskrit words.  However, Malayalam has emerged as an independent language from Tamil. He spoke seriously but his tone had a poetic quality.  When he spoke, he pointed out examples from common life to make the facts clear.  Sometimes, his jokes touched the political scenario of Kerala as well as India as a whole.  K. Karunakaran was the Chief Minister of Kerala and Rajiv  Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India at that time.  After the assassination of Indira Gandhi, when the newspapers reported that her son Rajiv Gandhi would become the next Prime Minister, I could't believe it.  I thought that how could a son bereaved of mother's death could become the Prime Minister of a country. But when he sworn in as Prime Minister, I thought, "yes, he has the courage".

     Our Teacher, through his satire and humour attacked the political leaders, spiritual leaders, social workers & aroused hilarious laughter.  Many magazines containing pulp literature were popular in Kerala at that time, almost all of them were published from Kottayam district.  Our Teacher laughed at all these magazines and it's readers too much and I can't describe how funny  his words were.  He teased the youth who imitated the western culture,  ignoring the social problems and fogetting their duties towards family and India's great cultural heritage.  In his opinion, ultimately, it would lead to their destruction.

     Sometimes, he would close his eyes and utter a shloka from Ramayana or Mahabharata.  Then he would open his eyes and describe its meaning in Malayalam.  He spoke to us about the classics Ramayana,Mahabharata, then, Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads.  There are four Vedas, Rigveda,Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda.  There are eighteen Puranas.  More than two hundred Upanishads are known, of which the first dozen or so are the oldest and most important and are referred to as principal or main Upanishads.  I realised that he had profound knowledge in everything.  I instantly realised that he was a different man - a man who belonged to higher level.  He was a simple man, very lean, wearing a white shirt and mundu  ( the traditional cloth worn by men in Kerala ).  He said that when 'chathurvarnyam' existed at  its peak,  only the high caste people had the right to hear the Vedas.  If a person from  lower caste  heard the Vedas, 'Lead' should be melted and poured into that person's ears.  That was the rule.  I was shocked to hear it.  Let me point out a fact here -  our Teacher did not belong to upper caste.  Therefore, I took a decision that when I grow up, I would learn Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads, Ramayana and Mahabharata.  But I admit with regret that till this moment  I havenot made a detailed study of the above mentioned books.

     On the 1st day, when he entered the class, we stood up and said, "good morning, sir".  He didn't reply anything for a moment, then he said, 'namasthe', folding his palms together.  He asked us to do like that.  Then he allowed us to sit down.  He introduced our Malayalam textbook to us and asked us to buy it as early as possible. Being a Govt School, it would take sometime ( sometimes one week ) for everyone  to get the textbook .  The Teachers were used to this.  It was a fact that everyone in the class was not able to write and read the language properly, though it was our mother tongue.  The failed ones sat in the last bench.  He advised us to bring the copywriting book and notebook the following day.  Some of the notebooks were available in our school itself but for others we depended the shops nearby.  He wrote the vowels on the blackboard  and asked us to write down in our copywriting book.  There are 15 vowels and 41 consonants in Malayalam.  Then the consonants were written on the board and we wrote them down in our book.  During this time, he said that if we learn Malayalam, we can learn any language in the world.  He came near each bench and desk and examined the manner in which we wrote in the book.  All of us sat on the bench slightly  slanting for writing  in the book.  He placed all our books straight -  then everyones' books overlapped with others'.  He said that we should not bother about that.  We should sit straight, the book must be straight when we write.  Even now, sometimes, when I write hurriedly in a slanting position, I would remember him and suddenly would I straighten my book and body and write.

     In the notebook, it was compulsory to put a margin.  We had already practised it in the lower classes.  But he confirmed it again.  Then at the middle of the notebook, a line should be drawn ( with a pencil ).  On the left side, the newly learnt word would be written, at the line drawn in the middle of the notebook, a hyphen  is drawn, at the right side, the meaning of the word is written.  We had practised it in the Lower Primary School itself but some naughty boys wouldn't do that.  Therefore, he would examine everyone's notebooks and confirm it.  He himself put the margin on the blackboard, wrote the new word on the left side, put a line in the middle and wrote the meaning on the right side, as a model, in good handwriting.      

     When he taught us poetry from the ancient poets, ( the ancient triumvirate poets ), I don't know upto which level I reached.  When he taught Thunchath Ezhuthachan's Adhyatma Ramayanam and Sri Mahabharatham, he could refer them with the contemporary world.  Similarly was  the case with Cherusseri's Krishnagadha, which depicts the story of Lord Krishna.  When he taught Kunchan Nambiar's Tullal poems, he stated that even the kings could be criticised while this art form was being performed.  There were poems from the modern poets ( modern triumvirate  poets )  also.  Kumaran Asan's poems aimed at changes in the existing society.  The caste system was strong in Kerala.   In one of his works, "Chandalabhikshuki", a buddhist monk asks a low caste ( chandala ) woman to give him some water.  Hearing this, the young woman wonders why he asks such a question to her.  Later she becomes a "bhikshuki" in the ashramam.   When I first read that poem, I  wondered because there is a similar situation in Bible.  Jesus Christ and his disciples passed through Samaria.  Then Jesus had weary and sat near a well. After sometime,  a woman from Samaria came to draw water.  Jesus asked her to give him some water.  She was wondered and asked him why he asked her such a question because he was a Jew and she was a woman of Samaria.  Later, when she realised that he was Jesus, she became his disciple ( John 4 : 4 - 26 )
     Vallathol Narayana Menon has also made great contributions to Malayalam.  He is also regarded as one of the nationalist poets of the language.  He is well known for  the setting up of Kerala Kalamandalam at Cheruthuruthy, on  the banks of Bharathapuzha River.  There, the traditional Keralite dance Kathakali is being revitalised.  Ulloor S Parameswara Iyer was another important poet.  He wrote his Mahakaavya, Umakeralam, then short narratives or khandakaavyaas viz. Karnabhooshanam and Pingala.
     The explanations I have written here are only an introduction to the Malayalam literature.  There are many distinguished poets and prose writers in Malayalam. Unfortunately, I can't describe everyone here.