M K Sanoo won most of the major literary and cultural awards in Kerala. However, his most treasured honour was a statement by Sreedevi, wife of Malayalam’s greatest romantic poet, Changampuzha Krishnapillai. Sreedevi said that even though she had lived with Changampuzha, it was after reading Sanoo’s biography that she completely understood the man and the poet. This was the biggest recognition a biographer could earn for his sincerity and authenticity.

Sanoo’s biography, ‘Changampuzha Krishnapilla: Nakshatrangalude Snehabhajanam’ was the result of years of hard work. The book made not only Sreedevi but also all Malayalis shower Sanoo with affection.

Prior to Sanoo’s biography, Changapuzha was a much-misunderstood personality. The poet created sweet melodies during a short life, which earned him many admirers, similar to a rainbow that briefly appears during moonlight. However, many of the incidents related to Changampuzha were misconceptions. Similar to a surgeon, Sanoo dissected the poet’s life, separating reality from myth. Sanoo brought Changampuzha’s life to light, shedding darkness. He told the real story authoritatively, sans praise or contempt. Sanoo’s biography was impartial, but it also had a genuine compassion.

Sanoo’s exceptional work was also a landmark in Malayalam criticism and appreciation of Changampuzha’s poetry. In addition to Sreedevi’s recognition, Sanoo received several honours from the people of Kerala for his biography on the poet.

During his childhood, Sanoo loved reading about great people who dedicated their lives to the welfare of humanity. This reading later led him to the field of biographies. Sanoo was inspired to write on the life of his guiding light, Sree Narayana Guru, by C R Kesavan Vaidyan. He wrote ‘Asthamikkatha Sooryan’ after reading a newspaper article on Albert Schweitzer.

After his book on Guru, Sanoo considered writing an exhaustive biography on Sahodaran Ayyappan. Sanoo’s ‘Yukthivadi M C Joseph’ was based on the simple and principled life of M C Joseph. He also wrote simple but beautiful biographies on Kumaranasan, M Govindan, P K Balakrishnan and Vaikom Muhammed Basheer, among other great people.

Sanoo’s ‘Thazhvarayile Sandhya’ is a collection of his memories of the famous personalities he knew in person. Sanoo completed his last biographical work after turning 90, on legendary critic Kesari Balakrishna Pillai. Incidentally, the title of a book by Sanoo sums up his contributions to Malayalam – ‘Asthamikkatha thelicham’ (The brightness that never fades).