Postcards from a storyteller

By: Sivadas VarmaBeneath the shade of the mangosteen tree, the plaintive melody of Soja Rajakumari… drifted from Vaikom Muhammad Basheer’s weathered gramophone. Between songs, his voice would fill the air, peppered with laughter as he took playful jabs at relatives, friends and the quiet absurdities of everyday life.“Our friendly chats, often flavoured with Fabi’s sulaimani and Saigal’s soulful songs, lasted for,” recalls KP Achuthan, who shared an intimate friendship with the legendary storyteller.Their bond began in the late 1940s when Achuthan was a student at Ernakulam Law College. Introduced by Ponjikkara Raffi, they often met at Circle Book House near Boat Jetty—later bought and renamed by Basheer as Basheer Book House.

“I would skip classes to join the intellectual gatherings there, sharing moments with Ramu Kariat, Vayalar Rama Varma, and actor Sathyan,” says Achuthan.'“Somehow, Beypore Sultan became a part of my life and influenced me in all walks of life,” adds Achuthan, retired joint director of the Coir Board. Basheer was always keen to maintain the warmth of their relationship through frequent letters. Almost all of Basheer’s letters contained characters or indications of his future projects.

Knowing Achuthan’s reading habits, he sent all his books with custom-written cover letters.On June 15, 1967, one such postcard arrived with Basheer’s controversial A Bhagavad Geeta and a Few Breasts. He advised Achuthan to give the Geeta to his sweetheart and keep the second part himself—a request made on postcard that Achuthan still preserves.His comments were often cheeky. When sending Premalekhanam, he urged Achuthan to revisit old romantic memories.After Achuthan’s marriage, replies were dictated to his wife, Shyamala Kumari, due to his poor handwriting. Recognizing this, Basheer began addressing her in his letters. He often referred to his own wife as Queen Fabi, daughter Shahina as princess and son Anees as prince—alongside news about his beloved pets.He affectionately called Achuthan Periya Nair and his wife Omana Kunjamma. The humour and warmth in these letters revealed the simplicity and heart of a man who found stories in everything around him.“Sultan picked his characters from life itself,” says Achuthan. “This endless list includes his intimate friends and his pet animals who could communicate with their master through the language of love,” Achuthan says.