'Meesha' Row: Mathrubhumi Weekly Editor Kamalram Sajeev Resigns, Says 'Long Live Secular India'

In what is believed to be a direct fallout of the row over the Malayalam novel, Meesha, which had faced the wrath of certain Hindu groups, Mathrubhumi Weekly editor Kamalram Sajeev on Tuesday stepped down from the influential magazine with a note, saying, “Long live secular India.”

In a brief announcement on Twitter, Sajeev said: “Resigned from Mathrubhumi : 15 years of creative and active journalism with mathrubhumi weekly ends.thanks don, manila, subi, sreekumar and shereef, my beloved colleagues. long live secular India!”

Mathrubhumi had removed Sajeev from the charge of weekly on October 25 and appointed writer Subhash Chandran in his place.

When contacted by Outlook on Monday before Sajeev officially announced his resignation, Mathrubhumi Joint Managing Director, M.V Shreyams Kumar had said that Sajeev’s removal from the weekly had nothing to do with the Meesha row.

“He has been with us for the last 15 years. It's a natural thing. It has nothing to do with the Meesha row,” he had said.

Asked about Mathrubhumi’s stand on Meesha, Kumar said, “We have made our stand clear. How many times you need us to make it clear?"

Mathrubhumi Joint Managing Editor P V Nidhish Chandran had also echoed the same line.

“We have appointed Subhash Chandran in the weekly. Kamalram has gone on a long leave. We will decide upon his next role once he returns,” he told Outlook on Monday.

Noted Malayalam writer S. Hareesh had withdrawn ‘Meesha’ (Moustache) from Mathrubhumi weekly in July this year, citing threats from certain groups who targeted him for “anti-Hindu dialogues” in the novel.

Sajeev had announced the withdrawal on Twitter with a bitter note. “S. Hareesh withdraws his novel ‘Meesa’, literature is being mob lynched, darkest day in Kerala’s cultural history, lightless days to follow,” Sajeev had tweeted.

Later, the Supreme Court on September 5 dismissed a plea seeking to ban Meesha, saying "craftsmanship of a writer deserves to be respected".

Reacting to the developments, noted scholar J Devika told Outlook: “It is sad. It shows the decline of Mathrubhumi weekly. It seems Mathruhbumi is under pressure from certain companies which feed the Hindutva politics in Kerala”