The maestro of lines whose sketches transcended the mindscapes of his illustrious characters through his seemingly abstract yet absorbingly detailed lines, Namboothiri enjoyed a long creative association with legendary Malayalam novelists and writers.
It was no secret that literary giants like M T Vasudevan Nair wanted their stories to be illustrated by Namboothiri.
“Line drawings were my forte; lines can bring about a three-dimensional character to structures on flat surfaces unlike other drawings," Namboorthiri said during an exclusive interview with Onmanorama.
"I see things in a three-dimensional format, and mostly that’s the kind of illustration that appeals to me. Any style that has come along with it is merely coincidental,” he said.
“While sketching characters, I’ve often felt that they must be people I’ve met and known. We meet so many people every day who influence us. So this was a natural progression. Although, while re-imagining characters in 'Randamoozham', I had to think through them. Even though M T Vasudevan Nair attempted to humanise his protagonists, they had to look more than human”.
He drew inspiration from the Chola and Pallava sculptures, and those from Mahabalipuram, Ajanta and Ellora. Keeping temple structures in view, he modified his view and recreated Bhima and others in 'Randamoozham'.
“It was not my Bhima that people saw in Randamoozham, but his”, MT would later say.
The VKN connection
It's a known fact that VKN adored Namboothiri. VKN had once said that his story was a postscript to Namboothiri's illustrations.
“VKN and I shared a special bond. I used to visit him at his home. We used to correspond through letters as well”.
There is a well-known incident of correspondence between Namboothiri and VKN that was the talk among many circles once. "When VKN came to know that my illustration of one of his women characters was becoming the talk of the town, he wrote to me saying, “If she is indeed so beautiful, you should be sending her to me instead of letting her stay with you!”
VKN would later say that he was fascinated by 'Namboothiri's women.'
“There were times when I felt that the illustrations could have been better. I had a similar concern with VKN's Sir Chathu. When I told him that I would have preferred to draw them differently, he said, he would then rewrite the story for me!”
No wonder then that readers see these characters through Namboothiri's lines.