Award Winning Malayalam Author Forced To Withdraw Novel After Threats From Right Wing Groups

After getting threats from right-wing groups, Malayalam writer S Hareesh had to withdraw his novel Meesha (Moustache) from Mathrubhumi, a leading weekly being published in serial form. The Sahitya Academy award winner had published just three chapters of the novel. ¡°I am too weak to take on the people who rule the country. I worked on the novel for five long years,¡± Hareesh said.

The novel, which was being published in serial form in the ¡®Mathrubhumi¡¯ weekly, angered the ¡®critics¡¯ for certain controversial remarks contained in it.

Mathrubhumi Weekly¡¯s editor, Kamal Ram Sajeev described the incident as " literature is being mob lynched" adding that it was "the darkest day in kerala¡¯s cultural history,lightless days to follow."

s.hareesh withdraws his novel ¡® meesha¡¯, literature is being mob lynched, darkest day in kerala¡¯s cultural history,lightless days to follow.

¡ª Kamalram Sajeev (@kamalramsajeev) July 21, 2018

Meesha, which was only published three chapters was the first novel by Hareesh, who is an award winning short story writer.

Set in the 1950s and 60s, Meesha deals with lives of Dalits and the backward communities of Southern Kerala during that period.

The novel ran into controversy over a conversation between two characters, where they discuss the reason for young women dressing their best when going to temples.

One of them implies that they are "unconsciously declaring that they are willing for an intimate relationship" and the priests, he adds, are "masters in this matter".

Many took offence on the conversation alleging that it was showing the charger of Hindu women in bad light.

Many right wing groups like the Kerala Hindu Aikya Vedi and BJP Mahila Morcha led protest against the weekly and writer demanding an apology.

BCCL

Following the days of hate campaign on Facebook against him, Hareesh, who works as a clerk at the Village Office at Neendoor in Kottayam deactivated his account and according to people close to him, went into depression.

Hindu Aikya Vedi president K P Sasikala said, the protests will continue until Mathrubhumi tenders an apology for publishing the ¡°insulting¡± novel.

Reacting to the incident, Congress MP from Kerala, Shashi Tharoor used it to reiterate his Hindutva Taliban remark.

Those who do not believe my warnings about the emergence of a Hindutva Taliban might learn from what has just happened to Malayalam writer Hareesh (& even more chilling, the threat to chop off his hands, Taliban-style): https://t.co/cJZYHKw5gu

¡ª Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) July 21, 2018

This is not the first time a Malayalam writer was forced to withdraw a literary work for hurting religious sentiments.

In December, poet Pavithran Theekkuni had to recalls his poem 'Purdah' (veil) after allegedly receiving threats from Islamic fundamentalists.

In February this year Kureepuzha Sreekumar, a noted Malayalam poet was attacked by a group of right-wing supporters after he delivered an address mocking right-wing politics and activism.