Malayalam writer ‘forced’ to call back novel from print

The Kerala government, the Opposition and leading writers have rallied behind S Hareesh after he was targeted by fringe elements and forced to withdraw a novel being serialised in a leading Malayalam weekly magazine.

PWD Minister and occasional poet G Sudhakaran, senior CPI(M) leader and former chief minister VS Achuthanandan, and Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala extended support to the young novelist support and urged him to resume writing.

Poet and scholar Satchidanandan described as ‘shameful’ the circumstances leading to the withdrawal of ‘Meesa,’ the novel. All those who believe in democracy and constitutional freedoms should stand together for Hareesh, he was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Hareesh had informed the magazine about his desire to withdraw after certain Sangh Parivar activists had taken objection to ‘objectionable dialogue’ between two characters in the novel.

He went on to allege that the activists had bullied him in cyberspace and threatened family members with dire consequences if the novel was not withdrawn forthwith.

They found a dialogue in the second chapter published in the July 15 edition of the magazine to be derogatory to the Hindu religion and insulting to ‘temple-worshipping Hindu women.’

On Friday, a group of BJP-Hindu Aikya Vedi activists had vandalised an exhibition of books on spirituality organised by the publishers of the magazine in Kochi. “Hareesh withdraws his novel ‘meesa’, literature is being mob lynched, darkest day in kerala’s cultural history, lightless days to follow,” Kamalram Sajeev, editor-in-charge, had tweeted shortly after Hareesh announced his decision.

In the next issue, the magazine would carry a statement from the novelist on why he was pulling out. Hareesh does not want to get his novel published in book form either, agencies quoted Sajeev as saying in Kozhikode.

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