Ernakulam: Kerala’s political history is mostly intertwined with the literature and the cultural activities in the State from time to time. Litterateurs intervening in politics and expressing their opinions and stands in political issues is nothing new in Kerala.
A senior in the literary and cultural arena in the State, M K Sanu, fondly referred to as Sanu Master, has always maintained an inseparable relation with the politics in Kerala, before and after the State’s formation.
Sanu Master cast his vote before and after India’s independence. During the times of the princely state rule and thereafter, only those who paid the tax had the right to vote. He remembers how he used to vote even then. Even after India became independent, the voting process was open. Some groups used to bring people to vote and force them to vote as told by them. It was the rich men and feudal lords who used to make people vote openly.
If the votes were cast as told by them, compensation would be given. There was also a system of paying in advance for the votes. Once the nature of the voting procedure became secretive, publicly paying money for votes also ended.
Sanu Master said that he has never abstained from voting in the elections. Though the influence of money became minimal in the election, caste and religion still influence the voters. Though literature and cultural activities were his forte, Sanu Master had his political perspectives.
M K Sanu recalls when he led the talks on fielding him for the assembly elections as the president of the Purogamana Kala Sahithya Sangham. He contested as an independent candidate with the support of the Left camp in Ernakulam some coaxing by EMS Namboodiripad in 1987.
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“Achutha Menon and Gowri Amma had reached Ernakulam to campaign for me. Prominent persons from the literary and cultural arenas, including Thoppil Bhasi and Malayattur Ramakrishnan, were also active in the election campaigning. Many who used to harbour anti-Left stands had also tried to make me win. In the statement released seeking votes for me, M Govindan, who was against the Communist parties, had also signed. Nuns and pastors had also voted for me," Sanu Master remembers.
"On seeing two very elderly persons come to vote, I had asked the workers to help them. Later, I came to know that the elderly couple had reached to vote for the first time as told by their son in Delhi to vote for Sanu Master. I also remember a kidney transplant patient who was admitted in Banglore, postponing his surgery date and coming to vote. Sanu Master says he was supported by all sections of people and that is how he got elected to the Assembly. After becoming an MLA, I could help many people. I presented a bill to protect the rights of children with intellectual disabilities in the Assembly. I raised my voice by reciting a poem in the Assembly to develop Gosree bridges Ernakulam. I had also presented a Library bill," he recollects.
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"Though I was asked to contest for the second time to the Assembly, I did not pursue it again on realising that politics is not my cup of tea. I also denied the post of the legislator as I knew I can't be restricted to the framework of the party," he said.
M K Sanu Master also analysed that the Left is not able to win in the Ernakulam constituency because of the community vote banks. Sanu Master tells the younger generations not to neglect politics.
"Politics is what decides the destiny of a populace. Politics must reach the hands of those who ensure the welfare and security of the people. Disapproving politics will be dangerous," Sanu Master said.
"I see the possibility of a second term for the Left in the coming elections. What happens in the coming days cannot be predicted," he opined.
