Joseph Mundassery

Joseph Mundassery
Born	(1903-07-17)17 July 1903 Trichur,Kingdom of Cochin (present-dayKerala,India)
Died	25 October 1977(1977-10-25)(aged 74)
Occupation(s)	Literary critic, politician, social reformer, educationalist

Joseph Mundassery(17 July 1903 – 25 October 1977) was a literary critic and Indian politician fromKeralastate. He specialised in the Malayalam language and literature. InKerala politics,he is remembered as the Education Minister who was behind the controversialEducation Billof thefirst EMS communist ministry of 1957.

Early life

Joseph Mundassery was born at Kandasankadavu,Thrissur.After his schooling locally he took his bachelor's degree in Physics and later a master's degree inSanskritandMalayalam.Until 1952, he was the Head of the Department of Foreign Languages atSt. Thomas College, Trichur.

Mundassery entered politics through theKochi Prajamandalamand was elected as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) of the princely state ofCochinin 1948 from the constituency of Aranattukara. Later on, he became an MLC in theTravancore-CochinAssembly in 1954, from Cherpu.

After the formation of the state of Kerala in 1956, he won the Assembly election in 1957, fromManalur,and went on to become Kerala's first Education Minister (1957–59) in theEMS Communist ministry.Finally, in 1970, he was elected as an MLA fromTrichur constituency.

A doyen of letters and a cultural leader

As a prominent figure in the field of Malayalamliterary criticism,Mundassery was one among a well-known trio of Malayalam critics, the others beingKesari Balakrishna PillaiandM. P. Paul.

Through his controversial theory about Rooparbhadrata – formal excellence – Mundassery ushered in a new chapter of literaryhermeneutics,which was unheard of inMalayalamuntil then. According to the theory, the proclaimed aim of the author would inevitably lead tointentional fallacy,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 theKerala Sahitya Akademi.He was also instrumental in establishing theKerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi.

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 controversialEducation Billof the First communist ministry of Kerala. To a great extent, the proposed bill directly led to the snowballing of theVimochana Samaramand the subsequent downfall of theE.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 theVice Chancellorof theCochin University of Science and Technology.

Mundassery was the guru of many pupils at St. Thomas College, Trichur, among whom were some of the future leaders of Kerala such asC. Achutha MenonandMathai Manjooran.

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(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(1956)

References

• Mundassery.orgArchived1 November 2017 at theWayback Machine
• Visvavijnanakosham, 1971 edition.
• Joseph Mundassery Scholarship

External links

• P. P. Raveendran (2002).Joseph Mundasseri.Sahitya Akademi.ISBN978-81-260-1535-1.