CM, others mourn loss of M.K. Sanoo

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has condoled the death of critic and orator M.K. Sanoo who passed away in Kochi on Saturday.

Recalling Sanoo’s contributions to Kerala society and history through his activities, discourses, and writings, Mr. Vijayan said his demise was an irreparable loss, particularly to the progressive movement. His was a quiet but forceful voice in the socio-cultural milieu. He was an excellent teacher, orator, public activist, social worker, writer, and literary critic and in step with the State’s progressive achievement.

His four-year term as an MLA was noteworthy. He was always eager to hear the problems of the people directly and bring them to the attention of Minister and officials, the Chief Minister said.

Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, in his condolence message, said Prof. Sanoo was a multifaceted personality – literary critic, biographer, orator, and a teacher. He left his imprint not only on literary criticism but also the area of Malayalam biographies. Recalling Sanoo’s biographies of Changampuzha, Basheer, and P.K. Balakrishnan, Mr. Satheesan praised his writing and oratorial skills.

Communist Party of India State unit secretary Binoy Viswam said Sanoo led a full life as a writer, literary critic, orator, and teacher. He had left a lasting imprint on Malayalam literature and on society. He was a Left fellow traveller and gained recognition as a legislator too. He was full of empathy and interacted with all sections of society.

Expressing his grief, Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary M.V. Govindan said Kerala had lost a multifarious personality. Sanoo always took care to uphold Left principles and reformist thinking. He was a leading light who endeared himself to the people through his work and progressive thinking.

‘Sans political considerations’

Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said Sanoo was a shining star of Malayalam criticism who had left a void that could not be filled. He enriched Malayalam literature with a few select books. As a legislator, he participated in all events without political considerations. Sree Narayana Guru’s philosophy was the essence of his thinking.

Paying tributes to Sanoo, Bharatiya Janata Party State (BJP) president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in a message that Sanoo’s demise was indeed a loss to the Malayalam literary tradition and cultural sphere. His contributions as a teacher, legislator, writer, thinker, and orator were immense.

BJP leader K. Surendran said the State had lost a great literary critic in Sanoo. His scholarship of Sree Narayana Guru’s philosophy was very deep. As a legislator, he functioned without considerations for political affiliations. He maintained good ties with the BJP.