The revolutionary poet Vayalar Ramavarma has inspired generations of Communist leaders and workers through his poems and songs.
But his son, Vayalar Sarathchandra Varma, who has also proved his mettle as a lyricist, has no qualms penning promotional songs for candidates of any hue — be it red, saffron or the tricolour.
For the upcoming Assembly elections in the state, Mr Verma has written promotional songs for not only KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala, sbut also for finance minister and CPI(M) leader Thomas Isaac, and CPI(M) candidate Arif.
“I will write for BJP also, but they haven’t approached me so far,’’ quips the lyricist who prefers not to mix politics with creativity. Let all parties grow,” Mr Varma told Deccan Chronicle.
“The only thing I abhor is fight in the name of caste and religion. Artistes need not to support or oppose any political ideology,” he added.
He has a different take on politics.
“My politics begins and ends when I cast my vote,” he says. “It has got nothing to do with my personal or artistic life.”
Mr Varma also feels it is wrong to paint his father Vayalar as a Communist poet.
“It was true that many of his songs were instrumental for the popularity of Communist movement,” he says.
“But he also wrote several devotional songs such as Nithya visudhayam Kanyamariyame.”
An active SFI worker at Mar Ivanios College here during his student life, Mr Varma says he does not like to disappoint those approach him for songs.
And he lavishes praise on all candidates.
A song on Mr Chennithala, who contests from Haripad, runs like this: Hariyude kalpadu pathiyunna kara thante haramaya jana nayaka (Hero of the land that is blessed by the feet of Lord Vishnu).
We only wonder if those lines would make the old comrades of his father cringe.