# Ajayan | Frozen customs, like chains of antiquity, have the power to imprison human intellect, stifling creativity and hindering the flow of progress, according to Malayalam’s all-time great writer Anand.
“We must remain ever vigilant, ensuring that such customs do not decay the very core of our existence. The wars waged in the name of purity and eternal concepts are not recent phenomena; they are the echoes of a history that has long sought to preserve what is seen as sacred, even at the cost of stifling evolution. Yet, the journey of life, which began with evolution, marches onward, undeterred,” he said,
This holds even greater significance in a time when the nation finds itself ensnared in the tangled webs of a relentless revival of customs and traditions. These age-old practices, revered for their antiquity, are woven into the very fabric of society, often constraining the vibrant flow of modern thought and progress. In this atmosphere, religion has ascended to a throne of unquestionable supremacy, casting its long shadow over the evolving narrative of the nation.
In these times when reverence for tradition outshines the flickering light of progress, the once-promising flame of renaissance, which was the guiding force of enlightenment and transformation, now languishes in the background, Anand told Metro Vaartha in a free-wheeling chat when he came to address the recent inaugural session of the Peruvanam International Village Festival at Cherpu in Thrissur.
It is as though the nation stands at a crossroads, said Anand. His words assume significance with a stunning irony where the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya - on the very ruins of a demolished religious structure - is hailed as a second freedom struggle. The rhetoric of revivalism seeks to reshape the contours of national identity.
Looking homewards, Anand pointed to a glaring paradox in Kerala, where the very heart of the Renaissance movement, once a beacon of progressive ideals, has now been reduced to a grotesque distortion. He highlighted that the Renaissance, in its original form, was about liberating the body from the shackles of oppression, about dignity and rights and covering the body, though then for women. But today, it seems to be fixated on covering the body. The ongoing debates over temple entry allowing men to enter temples bare-chested is a stark contrast to the enlightened vision of the past.
What makes this even more ironic is the hypocrisy that pulses through the veins of tradition itself. A point in case was reformer Mannath Padmanabhan who fiercely championed the entry of lower castes into temples and vehemently criticized the ritual of sprinkling punyaham to "cleanse" the Vaikkom temple after that. Now, the same ‘cleansing’ ritual performed after women were allowed entry into Sabarimala was justified by the current leader of the very organization founded by Mannath, Anand noted.
Culture, woven through the cycles of time, is itself a journey, one that never truly ends. It is in the realms of art and imagination that this journey finds its most exquisite expression, transforming the mundane into something exquisite, Anand noted.
On his seminal work, Aalkoottam, also his first novel and whether the politics that pulses through its pages still resonate today, Anand, after a moment of contemplative silence, began to trace the intricate genesis of the novel, a labour that took eight long years.
“The characters,” he mused, “were born from the winds of change that swept across India in the wake of Independence. They were part of the new generation, post-Independence, brimming with hope and aspirations.” The climax of this youthful optimism, he explained, came in the tragic wake of the Chinese attack in 1962, an event that shattered the collective spirit of the nation as also Pandit Nehru, the towering figure of post-Independence India. He was touched by the tremors of this defeat, a sorrow that eventually contributed to his demise within two years.
“To me,” Anand continued, with a depth of reverence, “Nehru remains the one great leader this country has had. He is the solitary figure who could hold India together in the face of its vast diversity and complexities, a unifying force in a time of monumental transition.”
From that moment of hope and unity, Anand spoke of a slow, inexorable descent, one that unfolded step by step, a decline profound in its impact. The era of Indira Gandhi, marked by the dark shadow of the Emergency, was the first in this downward spiral. “The present period,” he lamented, “has seen an even greater fall, one so vast that it defies easy description.” His voice, tinged with sorrow, reflected the weight of this disillusionment. The last few years, he confessed, had only magnified the sense of despair, as if the nation now stood at the precipice of an irreversible unraveling.
Judiciary, one of Anand's recurring themes, often finds a stark portrayal in his works, unmasking the arduous journey of seeking justice - a struggle poignantly captured in his acclaimed story Harji. Reflecting on the state of justice, Anand observed that moments of genuine contentment have been exceedingly rare and scattered.
He pointed to two pivotal periods of disillusionment: the Emergency, which sent shockwaves through the very edifice of the Supreme Court, and the current Modi regime, which, he lamented, mirrors a grimmer reality. “One can’t say what’s in store,” Anand admitted, his voice heavy with grief and a profound sense of helplessness.
Clinging to the fragile thread of democracy, he remarked, “The only shield we have left is the democratic process, or rather the act of electing governments.” Yet even this, he suggested, offers little solace, for the post-election reality often diverges sharply from the pre-election promises. “Once in power, we cannot be sure of these leaders, many of who turn out to be the very antithesis of what they vowed, or worse, shift their allegiances entirely.”
Anand stands tall as a beacon of candour, unflinching honesty and unwavering commitment to truth, qualities that elevate him to the pinnacle of Malayalam literature. His words, imbued with profound philosophical insight and piercing clarity, resonate deeply with readers. This rare blend of intellectual rigour and heartfelt authenticity cements his place as the most seriously read Malayalam writer. His narratives lay bare a truth in the most simple style, transcending time and inspiring generations to confront, question and reflect.