He burnt his creativity in criticisms: MK Sanu

KOCHI: ‘’Azhikode burnt his creativity in criticisms,” according to Prof M K Sanu. After a strained relationship for the past few decades,  Sanu does not bear any grudge to the man who criticised him sharply. He  said after a visit to the hospital where Azhikode was ailing: “I find only a brother in him now, and have nothing more to say.’’“I have known him for a long time and we were close friends once upon a time. He used to stay with me in my Kochi home and we did share good times. I’ve never bothered to reply to his criticisms, not because I feared him but I didn’t feel the need to, for they were immature,” he said.  But they parted ways owing to ideological reasons. “I was with him and helped him fulfil most of his ambitions - becoming the principal of the SNM Training College, Moottakunnam, and heading the Sahitya Parishad, although he was against organising litterateurs  and other bodies.“The latent hunger for power and vested interests surfaced now and then and our stand differed on many occasions. Azhikode could have tapped his vast potential and contributed much more to literature than wasting his time in bickering, lambasting and controversies. It was just for publicity,” he said.When asked about his contribution to literature, he said “He has not contributed in a big way. His first work ‘Asante Seethakavyam’ in the 1950s was relevant to the time, but today it appears immature sans any sense of proportion. I did send him words of appreciation and encouragement. Another piece is his ‘Malayala Sahitya Vimarsanam’ which is pedantic but not exactly remarkable, he said.