2402:8100:3926:9906:243F:5868:46B2:BEB3 at 13:49, 11 October 2021

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{{Short description|Indian politician (1903–1977)}}
{{more citations needed|date=August 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Joseph Mundassery
| image = Joseph Mundassery .jpg
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1903|07|17}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1977|10|25|1903|07|17}}
| birth_place = [[Thrissur, Kerala]], India
| occupation = Literary critic, politician, social reformer, educationalist
}}
'''Joseph Mundassery''' (17 July 1903 – 25 October 1977) was a literary critic and Indian politician from [[Kerala]] state. He specialised in the Malayalam language and literature. In [[politics of Kerala|Kerala politics]], he is remembered as the Education Minister who was behind the controversial [[Kerala Education Bill, 1957|Education Bill]] of the first EMS communist ministry of 1957.

==Early life==
Joseph Mundassery was born at Kandasankadavu, [[Thrissur]]. After his schooling locally he took his bachelor's degree in Physics and later the master's degree in [[Sanskrit]] and [[Malayalam]]. Until 1952, he was the Head of the Department of Foreign Languages at St. Thomas College, Trichur.

Mundassery entered politics through the [[Kochi rajya prajamandalam|Kochi Prajamandalam]] and was elected as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) of the princely state of [[Kingdom of Cochin|Cochin]] in 1948 from the constituency of Aranattukara. Later on he became an MLC in the [[Travancore-Cochin]] Assembly in 1954, from Cherpu.

After the formation of the state of Kerala in 1956, he won the Assembly election in 1957, from [[Manalur (State Assembly constituency)|Manalur]], and went on to become Kerala's first Education Minister (1957–59) in the EMS Communist ministry. Finally, in 1970, he was elected as an MLA from Trichur constituency.

==A doyen of letters and a cultural leader==
[[File:Mundassery with Thakazhi and Kuttippuzha.jpg|thumb|alt=Joseph Mundassery with Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai and Kuttippuzha Krishna Pillai|Joseph Mundassery with Malayalam authors of his time, Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai and Kuttippuzha Krishna Pillai]]
As a prominent figure in the field of Malayalam [[literary criticism]], Mundassery was one among a well-known trio of Malayalam critics, the others being [[Kesari Balakrishna Pillai]] and [[M. P. Paul]].

Through his controversial theory about Rooparbhadrata – formal excellence – Mundassery ushered in a new chapter of literary [[hermeneutics]], which was unheard of in [[Malayalam]] until then. According to the theory the proclaimed aim of the author would inevitably lead to [[intentional fallacy]], and that an author should be evaluated on more objective criteria like his role as a spokesman of his age.

He was the President of the Kerala Sahithya Parishad from 1965 to 1967, executive (and founding) member of the Kerala Sahithya Academy. He was also instrumental in establishing the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy and was a member of the Kendra Sahithya Academy.

==As an educationist==
[[File:Professor Joseph Mundassery swearing in.jpg|thumb|alt=Prof Joseph Mundassery swearing in as Education Minister|Prof Joseph Mundassery swearing in as Education Minister at the first Kerala Ministry]]
Mundassery's notability as an educationist rests partly to the reforms that he partially succeeded in bringing about in the educational sector in Kerala when he was the Education Minister. He authored the controversial [[Kerala Education Bill, 1957|Education Bill]] of the First communist ministry of Kerala. To a great extent the proposed bill directly led to the snowballing of the [[Vimochana Samaram]] and the subsequent downfall of the [[E.M.S. Namboodiripad]]'s first communist ministry in 1959.

Even though the Bill failed to pass through the Assembly, many of its provisions were later implemented by subsequent governments, albeit with amendments. As the Education Minister of the first democratically elected ministry of the newly formed State of Kerala, Mundassery was instrumental in the establishment and restructuring of some of the early universities and prime educational institutions of the state, having had experience as the [[Vice Chancellor]] of the [[Cochin University of Science and Technology]].

Mundassery was the guru of many pupils at St. Thomas College, Trichur, among whom were some of the future leaders of Kerala such as [[C. Achutha Menon]] and [[Mathai Manjooran]].

Mundassery died in 1977.

==Books==

Novels: ''Professor'', ''Konthayil Ninnu Kurissilekku'', ''Parappurathu Vithacha Vithu''.

Literary Criticism: ''Kavyapeedhika, Manadandam, Mattoli, Manushyakathanugayikal, Vayanashalayil (3 parts), Rajarajante Mattoli, Natakantham Kavithwam Karinthiri, Kumaranasante Kavitha - Oru Padanam, Valltholinte Kavitha - Oru Padanam Roopabhadratha, Anthareeksham, Prayanam, Pashchathya Sahithya Sameeksha''.

Short Stories: ''Sammanam, Kadaksham, Illapolice''.

Travelogues: ''Ottanoottathil, China Munnottu''.

Autobiography: ''Kozinga Elagal'' ( part I and part II ).

==References==
* [http://mundasseryfoundation.org/About.htm Mundassery.org]
* Visvavijnanakosham, 1971 edition.

== External links ==
* {{cite book|author=P. P. Raveendran|title=Joseph Mundasseri|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mU7zHtik0ZoC|year=2002|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|isbn=978-81-260-1535-1}}

{{Malayalam Literature |state=collapsed}}
{{Kerala Sahitya Akademi Fellowship}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mundassery, Joseph}}
[[Category:1903 births]]
[[Category:1977 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Thrissur district]]
[[Category:Malayalam-language writers]]
[[Category:Writers from Kerala]]
[[Category:Malayali politicians]]
[[Category:St. Thomas College, Thrissur alumni]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 1970–1977]]
[[Category:Education Ministers of Kerala]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 1957–1959]]
[[Category:Communist Party of India politicians from Kerala]]

Joseph Mundassery - Revision history

2402:8100:3926:9906:243F:5868:46B2:BEB3 at 13:49, 11 October 2021