When the mainstream media in Kerala slow-pedalled in updating the new generations about the changes in Malayalam literature and culture that were upturning old prejudices and traditional approaches, little magazines stepped in, considering it their duty to take up that responsibility. Sankramanam (literally meaning “Transition”) was a social and cultural publication that joined the ranks of Sameeksha, Yugarashmi, Anweshanam, Kerala Kavitha, Jwala and others. But it went a step further, and published books as well as anthologies of poetry. During those days, several artists and youngsters who were advocates of modernism were enthusiastic participants in the Sankramana Sandhya programmes (poetry-reading sessions) that were conducted at various places, in association with the release of the latest issue of Sankramanam.
The first issue of Sankramanam came out while I was doing my MA at the Institute of English. It was published every month, though not at regular intervals, and, in all, more than 50 issues were published from 1978 to 1984. It was started under the initiative of KN Shaji, who was my junior in UC College and became its chief editor. The editorial board included Apsalan Vathussery, Maupassant Vallath, Balachandran Chullikkad, Venu V Desam and myself. After a few months, however, Shaji went on a sabbatical, left the Sankramanam team and much later, started another magazine called Niyogam. Three months after the launch of Sankramanam, its publication was shifted from Aluva to Thiruvananthapuram. As PK Rajasekharan, a critic, wrote in Pakshikkoottangal, his study of little magazines, “As soon as the publication of Sankramanam was shifted to Thiruvananthapuram, it underwent a great transition”.
My living quarters – Room number 17 in Ashoka Lodge at Spencer Junction, opposite the University College, Thiruvananthapuram – became the office of Sankramanam. That the same lodge was the birthplace of Aksharam, the little magazine begun by the poet Ayyappan in 1973, was a matter of pure coincidence and my decision to roost on Ashoka, which provided a perch for those interested in reading and literary discussions, was merely fortuitous. The room had only enough space for a cot, a table and a chair, but that did not come in the way of accommodating guests if they were prepared to adjust to the circumstances. As the lodge was situated in the heart of the city, writers and other friends who were subscribers of Sankramanam found it convenient to come and go as they pleased.
When a few members of the editorial board left, new ones shouldered the responsibilities. The services of KX Raju, who had been my classmate at UC College, were available all the time. VK Unnikrishnan, who was employed at the office of the University of Kerala, pitched in whenever he could. There were several others who extended a lot of support, the most noteworthy among them being Renji Panicker who would go on to become a screenplay writer, film director and actor. He not only contributed poems and articles under the name “K Renji” but cooperated hugely and wholeheartedly to bring out Sankramanam, doing the editing work as well.
During those days a man named John C, who ran a small business in the Palayam market nearby, used to come to Ashoka Lodge every day to meet a friend of his. An industrious man with a lot of practical wisdom, John C was not greatly interested in literature or education, but he watched our Sankramanam activities with keen interest. We soon made him our business manager because it eased our path towards taking loans. However, he went beyond his call of duty, helped out in the sale and distribution of Sankramanam, and thus guaranteed its continued existence. I gratefully recall the help he rendered and the cooperation he extended. Today he is the proprietor of Variety Mall in Thiruvananthapuram city that sells beauty products for women, and enjoys a rich clientele.
Although M Krishnan Nair was no great fan of modernist literature and although we never solicited articles from him, he would drop in at the lodge on most evenings before he proceeded to the Indian Coffee House. As he spoke about world writers and their works, we listened with great enthusiasm.
The persons who contributed the most to Sankramanam were Ayyappa Paniker and G Aravindan. At one stage, the last page of the magazine always carried a cartoon by Aravindan. Later, KK Balaraman, a student of journalism at the Kariavattom campus of the University of Kerala, contributed his cartoons, and they attracted critical attention. Ayyappa Paniker’s poems, translations and articles lent a respectable dimension to Sankramanam in the eyes of literature enthusiasts. Pradeep Panangad, the cultural historian who has made a mark in the field of new media, commented in his book titled Malayala Samanthara Masika Charitram (The History of Parallel Magazines in Malayalam): “Sankramanam could create new stars in the wide skies of Modernism in Malayalam. It always attempted to open doors to the new world of literature. For that reason, proponents of Modernism like Ayyappa Paniker showed a special affinity towards Sankramanam”.
What filled the Sankramanam team with a deep sense of gratification was that alongside contributing creative pieces to it, Ayyappa Paniker went through each and every issue. As soon as the printing and binding of the magazine was over, we took it to him. I also remember going to the houses of Aravindan, KS Narayana Pillai, Narendra Prasad, VP Sivakumar and others in association with Sankramanam. We did not send a single issue to Ayyappa Paniker by post. Even when the number of subscribers mounted to 5,000, we took each issue, and handed it personally to him. Then we waited for his evaluation. His glancing through it constituted a certificate of approval, as far as we were concerned. Whenever we faced setbacks or felt low, his certification worked as a shot in the arm. The positive strokes given by him and other writers held us from collapsing, and encouraged us to march forward. MK Sanoo writes about the conversation he once had with Ayyappa Paniker in the course of a trip.
One of the topics of conversation was Sankramanam, edited by Priyadas. He spoke seriously about the need to not only compliment the creative contributions made by Sankramanam in drawing readers closer to the changes taking place on the plane of sensibility in literature but extend all possible support as well. Editorial responsibilities were discharged without any fanfare. A smooth and seamless transition of sensibility was facilitated. These were the two virtues of Sankramanam he highlighted. He also reminded me that all of us were obliged to give it all the help we were capable of. He fulfilled his duties in this regard. As a result, the magazine succeeded in acquiring a unique identity and making unique contributions to our culture.
Personal and idealistic dimensions were very dominant in the relationship between Ayyappa Paniker and Priyadas. In general, it was a similar relationship that he (Ayyappa Paniker) maintained with others too.
The 1980s marked a transition from modernism to postmodernism. Therefore, topics related to it got reflected in nearly all the discussions we had with Ayyappa Paniker. Keen readers of Sankramanam could detect this subtle shift in sensibility in most of the poems the magazine carried.
After class hours, Ayyappa Paniker used to walk from the Institute of English, situated behind the office complex of the University of Kerala, towards the main road from where he took an autorickshaw to go home. On many days, I joined him on some pretext or another as he walked the distance. Once when our conversation happened to touch upon the poems in Sankramanam that conveyed the shift in literary sensibility, I mentioned my wish to collect and publish them in an anthology. Immediately, he suggested its title – Aadhunikothara Kavitha (Postmodern Poems). He saw that I was terribly excited. But a few days later, when we walked the same route, he observed that my spirits had become somewhat dull. He asked me when the book would get published. I reluctantly had to admit that the paucity of funds was a major hurdle. In reply, Ayyappa Paniker casually mentioned that he would sound the idea with DC Kizhakemuri.
The next day, when I went to the Institute, Ayyappa Paniker told me that he had settled the matter with DC Books. The expenses would be taken care of, the firm would publish and sell copies of the book, retrieve its investment, and offer the rest of the profits to me. If this condition was acceptable, I could hand over the material to the firm! A month after I sent the matter, the book was published by DC Books. Kala Kaumudi carried an advertisement of the book without charging me anything. (Let me take this opportunity to thank the editors S. Jayachandran Nair and NRSnBabu for their generosity.) Within a very short period of time, 1,000 copies of Aadhunikothara Kavitha were sold.
I slowly began to experience how, even while remaining my teacher, Ayyappa Paniker had shapeshifted to become my mentor. Not only did he not allow a wish of mine to remain a pipe dream and get snuffed out eventually, he encouraged me to go ahead with it, and even lent his hand to make Aadhunikothara Kavitha a tangible reality for me. With the publication of this book, the cash-strapped Sankramanam magazine gained a certain gravitas, got more subscribers, and carved a special and serious place for itself in readers’ forums as well as in their minds.
Excerpted with permission from Ayyappa Paniker: The Man Beyond The Litterateur, Priyadas G Mangalath, translated from the Malayalam by Radhika P Menon, Konark Publishers.
