Joseph Mundassery (17 July 1903 – 25 October 1977) was a literary critic and Indian politician from
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
state. He specialised in the Malayalam language and literature. In
Kerala politics, he is remembered as the Education Minister who was behind the controversial
Education Bill of the
first EMS communist ministry of 1957.
Early life
Joseph Mundassery was born at Kandasankadavu,
Thrissur
Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and t ...
. After his schooling locally he took his bachelor's degree in Physics and later a master's degree in
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
and
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...
. Until 1952, he was the Head of the Department of Foreign Languages at
St. Thomas College, Trichur.
Mundassery entered politics through the
Kochi Prajamandalam and was elected as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) of the princely state of
Cochin
Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...
in 1948 from the constituency of Aranattukara. Later on, he became an MLC in the
Travancore-Cochin Assembly in 1954, from Cherpu.
After the formation of the state of Kerala in 1956, he won the Assembly election in 1957, from
Manalur
Manalur is a small village in Thrissur district of Kerala state, south India. It is one of the constituencies in Thrissur district.
Demographics
India census, Manalur had a population of 17130 with 8237 males and 8893 females.
Politics
Mana ...
, and went on to become Kerala's first Education Minister (1957–59) in the
EMS Communist ministry. Finally, in 1970, he was elected as an MLA from
Trichur constituency.
A doyen of letters and a cultural leader
As a prominent figure in the field of Malayalam
literary criticism, Mundassery was one among a well-known trio of Malayalam critics, the others being
Kesari Balakrishna Pillai
Akathoot Balakrishna Pillai (1889–1960), better known as Kesari Balakrishna Pillai, was a Malayalam writer, art and literary critic and journalist, considered by many as one of the most influential thinkers of modern Kerala. He was the eponymous ...
and
M. P. Paul.
Through his controversial theory about Rooparbhadrata – formal excellence – Mundassery ushered in a new chapter of literary
hermeneutics
Hermeneutics () is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. Hermeneutics is more than interpretative principles or methods used when immediate ...
, which was unheard of in
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...
until then. According to the theory, the proclaimed aim of the author would inevitably lead to
intentional fallacy
In literary theory and aesthetics, authorial intent refers to an author's intent as it is encoded in their work. Authorial intentionalism is the view that an author's intentions should constrain the ways in which a text is properly interpreted. Op ...
, and an author should be evaluated on more objective criteria like his role as a spokesman of his age.
He was the President of the Kerala Sahithya Parishad from 1965 to 1967, and an executive (and a founding) member of the
Kerala Sahitya Akademi
The Kerala Sahitya Akademi or Academy for Malayalam literature is an autonomous body established to promote the Malayalam language and literature. It is situated in City of Thrissur, Kerala in India.
History
The academy was inaugurated on 15 ...
. He was also instrumental in establishing the
Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi
Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy is located in Thrissur city, of Kerala, in India. It was established on 26 April 1958, inaugurated by then Indian Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The academy started a cultural centre at the Bahrain Ker ...
.
As an educationist
Mundassery's notability as an educationist rests partly on the reforms that he partially succeeded in bringing about in the educational sector in Kerala when he was the Education Minister. He authored the controversial
Education Bill of the First communist ministry of Kerala. To a great extent, the proposed bill directly led to the snowballing of the
Vimochana Samaram
The Liberation Struggle in Kerala (1958–59) was a period of anticommunist protest against the first elected state government in Kerala, India, which was led by E. M. S. Namboodiripad of the Communist Party of India. Organised opposition to ...
and the subsequent downfall of the
E.M.S. Namboodiripad's first communist ministry in 1959.
Even though the Bill failed to pass through the Assembly, many of its provisions were later implemented by subsequent governments, albeit with amendments. As the Education Minister of the first democratically elected ministry of the newly formed State of Kerala, Mundassery was instrumental in the establishment and restructuring of some of the early universities and prime educational institutions of the state, having had experience as the
Vice Chancellor
A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system.
In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...
of the
Cochin University of Science and Technology
Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) is a state government-owned autonomous university in Kochi, Kerala, India. It was founded in 1971 and has three campuses: two in Kochi (Kalamassery and Ernakulam) and one in Kuttanad, Ala ...
.
Mundassery was the guru of many pupils at St. Thomas College, Trichur, among whom were some of the future leaders of Kerala such as
C. Achutha Menon
Chelat Achutha Menon (13 January 1913 – 16 August 1991) was the Chief Minister of Kerala state for two terms. The first term was from 1 November 1969 to 1 August 1970 and the second 4 October 1970 to 25 March 1977. He was instrumental in ...
and
Mathai Manjooran
Mathai Manjooran (13 October 1912 – 14 January 1970) was an Indian independence activist from Kerala, socialist revolutionary, founder of the Kerala Socialist Party, Member of Parliament, Minister of Labour (economics) in the second E.M.S. ...
.
Mundassery died in 1977.
Books
* Literary criticism: ''Karuna Nirupanam'' (1939), ''Mattoli'' (1943), ''Anthareeksham'' (1944), ''Kavyapeetika'' (1945), ''Manadandham'' (1946), ''Prayanam'' (1947), ''Karinthiri'' (1951), ''Roopa Bhadratha'' (1951), ''Kalathinte Kannadi'' (1954), ''Puthiya Kazhchappadil'' (1955), ''Rajarajante Mattoli'' (1961), ''Natakantham Kavithwam'' (1962), ''Prabhaashanaavali'' (1967), ''Pashchathya Sahithya Sameeksha'' (1967), ''Nanayaathe Meen Pidikkamo'' (1967), ''Vayanashalayil'' (1949-69; in four parts), ''Asan Kavitha: Oru Patanam'' (1971), ''Vallathol Kavitha: Oru Patanam'' (1971)
* Poetry: ''Chinthamadhuri'' (1928)
* Short story: ''Randu Rajakumarimar'' (1938), ''Sammaanam'' (1943), ''Illapolice'' (1947), ''Kadaksham''
* Novel: ''Professor'' (1948), ''Konthayil Ninnu Kurissilekku'' (1954), ''Parappurathu Vithacha Vithu'' (1966)
* Autobiography: ''Kozhinja Ilakal'' (in three parts) (1960, 1965, 1976)
* Biography: ''
Maxim Gorky
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Макси́мович Пешко́в; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (russian: Макси́м Го́рький, link=no), was a Russian writer and social ...
'' (1952), ''Budhiman Jeevikkunnu'' (1965)
* Essays: ''Viswaviharam'' (1934), ''Prabandha Deepika'' (1936), ''Matham Avideyum Ivideyum'' (1955), ''Pothuvidyabhyasam Enthu Engane'' (1961), ''Vyakthiyil Ninnu Pouranilekk'' (1962), ''Shastram Jeevithathil'' (1964), ''Upanyasa Deepika'' (1964)
* Travelogue: ''China Munnottu'' (1953), ''Otta Nottathil''
* Miscellaneous: ''Neenda Kathukal'' (1956), ''Kristhvanukaranam'' (1936), ''Stuntukal'' (1954)
References
Mundassery.org* Visvavijnanakosham, 1971 edition.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mundassery, Joseph
1903 births
1977 deaths
People from Thrissur district
Malayalam-language writers
Writers from Kerala
Malayali politicians
St. Thomas College, Thrissur alumni
Kerala MLAs 1970–1977
Education Ministers of Kerala
Kerala MLAs 1957–1959
Communist Party of India politicians from Kerala