Bangalore: The Narendra Modi government might be tying itself into knots over its response to the offer from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to assist Kerala in a time of crisis but Malayalam newspapers have raised the bar on expressing gratitude in bold letters, so to speak.
Mathrubhumi, the Malayalam newspaper that is an institution in Kerala and the cradle of many a literary giant, converted the main page of its UAE edition on Tuesday morning into a full-page salute to the Emirates where a large number of Malayalis live.
" NANNI," said the banner headline on the page, below which was the explanation: "'Nanni' is the Malayalam word for 'thank you', and when you thank someone from the bottom of your heart, we believe you should do it in your mother tongue."
Contrast this with the bland manner in which the external affairs ministry responded publicly on Wednesday: "In line with the existing policy, the government is committed to meeting the requirements for relief and rehabilitation through domestic efforts."
However, before the specific UAE aid plan was reported and soon after the Emirates had expressed its solidarity with Kerala, Prime Minister Modi, too, was effusive. "A big thanks to @hhshkmohd (His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE) for his gracious offer to support people of Kerala during this difficult time. His concern reflects the special ties between governments and people of India and UAE," Modi had tweeted on August 18 after an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas in Kerala.
Mathrubhumi's page made no specific mention of the UAE's offer of Rs 700 crore for flood-hit Kerala but thanked the "wise leaders" of the Emirates for setting up a national emergency committee and "extending every support to us in our hour of need".
Mathrubhumi, which played a stellar role in the freedom struggle, was recently the target of a vicious campaign after its sister publication ran a novel that upset groups echoing the Sangh parivar's views.
Asked about the UAE page, M.P. Veerendra Kumar, the chairman and managing director of Mathrubhumi, told The Telegraph: "When we were suffering here due to the floods, they thought of us and were magnanimous to offer help. So we have to thank them for their kindness."
The next day, it was the turn of Malayala Manorama, another hugely popular newspaper that happens to be an institution in Kerala, to say "thank you".
In Wednesday's UAE edition, Manorama not only said " Nanni" in the Malayalam script but added "Shukran (thanks)" in Arabic. The paper added in Arabic and English: "Thank you for holding our hands, for wiping our tears, for being with us."
Mathews Varghese, editorial director of Malayala Manorama, told this newspaper: "As Kerala's leading newspaper, we thought it apt to express our gratitude for the support extended by the UAE government."
The first to prominently thank the UAE was Madhyamam - widely read by Malayalis in the Gulf and a newspaper inaugurated by veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar who died on Thursday - on August 19, followed by Chandrika, a newspaper associated with the freedom movement and the Indian Union Muslim League, the next day.
Mathrubhumi and Manorama picked up the thread soon after. The newspapers had thanked the UAE before the Indian government formally reaffirmed its commitment to "domestic efforts", although the Centre's reluctance was already known. There is no indication that the newspapers were sending any message to the Centre through the expression of gratitude.
