Legend of lines passes away at 75

Vijayan started off as a lecturer. In 1958, he made his first foray into full-time journalism. The same year he left for Delhi to develop his interests as a cartoonist and joined the now-defunct Shankar’s Weekly. In 1963, he joined the English daily The Patriot as a staff cartoonist. He also worked for The Hindu and The Statesman.

Born in Mankara in Palakkad district on July 2, 1930, Vijayan penned his first short story in 1953 titled Tell Father Gonsalves.

As a writer, who was ‘‘vibrant’’ with his down-to-earth style, Vijayan often reinterpreted history to suit the needs of his storyline. Dharmapuranam, Khasakinte Ithihasam, Madhuram Gayathi, Gurusagaram and Pravachakante Vazhi are his five novels.

Gurusagaram earned him the Kendra Sahitya Academy award in 1987. In 1990, he bagged the Kerala Sahitya award and in 1991, the Vayalar award. He was awarded the Padma Shree in 2001.

Vijayan was also presented with the state government’s prestigious Ezhuthachan Puraskaram for his outstanding contributions to Malayalam literature.

Vijayan, who also translated some of his works into English on his own, was the first Malayalee author to highlight the issue of environmental degradation. Criticised by some for his approach towards socialists, Vijayan had an affinity towards religion and mysticism — Gurusagaram is a testimonial to his guru.

He had been in hospital for the past two weeks following complications arising from Parkison’s disease, hospital sources said. The cause of his demise was multiple organ failure.

Hundreds thronged the Kerala Sahitya Akademi to pay their last respect to O.V. Vijayan, who passed away in Hyderabad on Wednesday morning. ‘‘It is a great loss,’’ said writer Kovilan, summing up the general mood.

Vijayan’s body was brought to the Akademi at 4.10 pm. After half-an-hour, Vijayan’s wife Theresa, his sister and writer, O.V. Usha and publisher Ravi D.C. took the body to his native place, Palakkad, for the last rites.

People from all walks of life paid their respects. ‘‘Today we discuss Vijayan’s death, tomorrow we will be discussing his immortality,’’ Sukumar Azhikode said.

‘‘Vijayan created a third summit in Malayalam literature. He is one of the two writers in Malayalam who could be characterized for a novel. The other is Basheer. Vijayan once shared with me a private anguish that people who should have read his works had not done so. I told him that his readers were yet to come. Attempting to confine him to labels show the depths to which our literary criticism can plunge,’’ Azhikode added.

‘‘He was the most sensitive of writers. He chose words with great care, and his language reflected an extraordinary flexibility,’’ said M.N. Vijayan.

While K. Venu described Vijayan as ‘‘a vigorous spokesperson of democracy’’, Kerala Kalamandalam secretary Balachandran Vadakkedath said he interpreted regionalism in international terms.