Perhaps I shall meet with troubles and many disappointments, but I have made up my mind to be polite and sincere to everyone; more cannot be asked of me.

- Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Idiot

Enne thallendammaava, njaan nannaavoola (Beat me not, uncle, I'm incurable!) is a Malayalam phrase about an inveterate brat appealing to his uncle, who was spanking him to correct his ways. The line was recently used in a delectable song composed by Vineet Sreenivasan and Shaan Rahman, which went further thus: I’ll never be good until the end, I’m driven by a demonic rhythm, surrounded by demons….

Recalled this again when Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called Geevarghese Mar Coorilos a vivaradoshi (idiot). The Chief Minister’s retort was against a Facebook post by the Metropolitan of the Niranam Diocese of Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church. He asked Kerala’s Left to learn lessons from the huge anti-incumbency wave that led to its drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls or face its comrades’ fate in Bengal and Tripura. Vijayan was particularly miffed at Mar Coorilos comment that the Left Democratic Front should not expect another flood to bail it out in the next assembly election like 2021. The priest listed several reasons for the LDF’s rout, like the failed economic policies, profligacy, poor policing, hostility to media, corruption, neglect of the poor, violence unleashed by the SFI, intolerance of criticism, appeasement of religious organisations, right-wing policies and so on. “His comments show that there might be idiots among priests too,” was the Chief Minister’s response.

So, the “vivaradoshi” joins the glossary of the delectable terms Pinarayi has used recently against his critics. Who can forget the nikrishtajeevis, kulamkuthis and paranaris of the Chief Minister’s prolific vocabulary? What gives a special gravitas to his latest usage is its timeliness. Can there be a better time to abuse a respected priest than barely two days after the LDF’s pathetic rout? Especially when what fuelled the anti-incumbency tsunami was such lovely ways the Chief Minister as well as the wonderful life-saving exercises of his bodyguards on those who dared to shout slogans against him.........

© Mathrubhumi English