E. K. Nayanar
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| E. K. Nayanar | |
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Former Chief Minister of Kerala
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| Constituency | Palakkad, Irikkur, Malampuzha, Thrikkarippur, Thalassery. |
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| Born | December 9, 1919 Kalyassery, Kannur, Kerala |
| Political party | Communist Party of India (Marxist) |
| Spouse | K. P. Sarada |
| Children | 2 sons and 2 daughters |
| As of Nov 2, 2007 Source: Government of Kerala |
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Erambala Krishnan Nayanar (December 9, 1919 - May 19, 2004) was a prominent Indian political leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). He held the post of Chief Minister of Kerala three times 1980-81, 1987-91 and 1996-2001. He holds the distinction of serving the post for the longest period of time - 11 years, spanning 4009 days[1]. He was a member of the Polit Bureau of CPI(M).
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[edit] Early Life
He was born into wealth and privilege in British-ruled Malabar (north Kerala) (exactly in Kalyassery in Kannur district), at a time when the Congress was considered by the authorities as a recruiting ground for subversives, and communist ideas were sprouting in the country. His father Govindan Nambiar, however, believed in the feudal way of life and would often fly into a rage when the young Nayanar began to frequently don the Gandhi cap as a student volunteer enticed into the national movement by his close relatives, most prominently, uncle and the late communist leader K.P.R. Gopalan.
[edit] Early Political Life
Nayanar would say later that among the events that made a deep impression on him at that time was the commotion at home and his village following the admission of a Dalit girl in the local family-run school at the behest of K.P.R. Gopalan and his compatriots. Nayanar famously helped in the establishment of a library and named it 'Shri Harshan Library', after Harshan, a member of the oppressed caste who was tortured to death at the Kannur Central Jail for his participation in the national movement.
Northern Kerala then was a den of pervasive class and caste oppression, corruption and brutal policing methods..[citation needed] The first signs of protest too had emerged and like many of his contemporaries Nayanar played an ardent role in the student and youth movements in his native Kalliasseri village. He dropped out of school in his final year, as political activity began to demand much of his time, even running away from home for a brief time when his father beat him up for participating in an anti-liquor agitation. The event led to a change in domestic equations and made him enter politics full time. By the late 1930s, Nayanar had become an active member of the student and farm worker's movements in Malabar and was led into the socialist path by prominent leaders like P. Krishna Pillai.
[edit] Aaron Mill Protest
Nayanar became known as a political organiser soon after he was put in charge of the workers of the Aaron Mill in Kannur district. He was entrusted with the job of organising the mill workers in secret but the union's activities became well-known and the management dismissed about 30 workers. What followed was an indefinite strike by the workers seeking reinstatement of their colleagues and demanding more concessions. The 46-day-long agitation was led by Nayanar locally, with support from Krishna Pillai and the A.K. Gopalan from outside. Rallies of farmers carrying farm produce were held to help the starving families of the agitating mill workers. The agitation spurred the growth of the communist movement in north Kerala even while it firmed up the management's resolve to suppress it. Workers and their leaders, including Nayanar, were beaten up and arrested.
[edit] Morazha incident
Kerala was in turmoil by the time Nayanar came out of jail after six months. The Pradesh Congress Committee with its socialist orientation was then organising a protest against rising prices of essential commodities and the oppressive policies of the government. Nayanar was one of the organisers of a protest rally at Morazha in Kannur district on September 15, 1940, in which a sub-inspector and a head constable belonging to a police party trying to disrupt the meeting were killed. Nayanar went into hiding for over six years without realising that he was not listed as an accused in the case. During this period he played an important role in the establishment of the communist and farm worker's movements in Kasaragod district and south Karnataka. In fact, Nayanar's elder brother was instead named as the accused in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment, at the initiative reportedly of the managers of the Aaron Mill.
[edit] Kayyur incident
Like many members of the fledgling communist movement, Nayanar too was intoxicated by the thrill of organising the party. Under Krishna Pillai's instructions, he worked in the Kayyur-Cheemeni areas of Kasaragod district, even while trying to escape detection by the police. A strong movement had grown in a short period of time against the oppressive feudal system. A head constable who tried to abuse and beat up some activists leading a demonstration was stoned by party workers. The constable jumped into the river Tejaswini and drowned. The police then unleashed a reign of terror at Kayyur. Nayanar and a few of his friends escaped to the forests of East and West Eleri areas.(Later when he became the chief minister, he proposed a Government College in the very same area he spent many years in hiding. The Government college Elerithattu established itself in 1981. The college is now renamed as E.K.Nayanar Memorial Government college, Elerithattu). Nayanar was listed as the third accused in the case, though he was not directly involved in the particular incident. Four other accused in the case were sentenced to death. He continued to work for the party incognito until 1946, when the new provincial government decided to drop the case.
[edit] After Independance
In later years, Nayanar used to recite a Malayalam poem repeatedly to his comrades, which roughly translated, meant: "A life, however beautiful, my friends, has something missing in it, if it has not been to the hangman's chambers, the prison or the battle field." It had a lot of meaning for Nayanar, who had indeed worked "underground" in all regions of the State. After the Kayyur incident, Nayanar had switched his area of activity to Travancore (south Kerala) where, masquerading (initially) as a proof reader in a prominent Malayalam newspaper, Kerala Kaumudi, he organised party activities from Thiruvananthapuram to Kanyakumari and later in Kottayam and Alappuzha. Nayanar devoted boundless energy to the communist cause and rose in the Communist Party of India (CPI), becoming the Kannur taluk secretary in 1948 and the Kozhikode district secretary in 1955. In most of his media interviews, Nayanar reminded everyone in his inimitable naughty style: "Does (Chief Minister) A.K. Antony know every panchayat in Kerala? He does not. But I know every village in this State like the back of my hand. There is no place where I have not been in hiding from the police."
Nayanar was a member of the national council and State executive of the undivided CPI. When the party split in 1964, he was among the 32 members who walked out of the CPI national council to form the CPI(M). He was a member of the central committee of the CPI(M) from the 7th Congress in 1964. He was elected to the Polit Bureau at the 14th Congress in 1992. He served as the secretary of the Kerala state committee of the CPI(M) from 1972 to 1980 and again from 1992 to 1996.
In 1967 he was elected to Lok Sabha from Palghat (now Palakkad). He was elected to Kerala Assembly six times. Among the legislative constituencies he won from were Irikkur, Malampuzha, Thrikkaripur and Thalassery.
He became the Chief Minister of Kerala for the first time on January 25, 1980. His term ended in 1981. He served a four-year term starting from 1987 and a full five-year term in 1996.
He was a capable journalist having edited the Deshabhimani daily and written innumerable articles in regular columns. Nayanar died on May 19 2004 in New Delhi following a heart attack.
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| Preceded by C.H. Mohammed Koya |
Chief Minister of Kerala 1980– 1981 |
Succeeded by K. Karunakaran |
| Preceded by K. Karunakaran |
Chief Minister of Kerala 1987– 1991 |
Succeeded by K. Karunakaran |
| Preceded by A. K. Antony |
Chief Minister of Kerala 1996– 2001 |
Succeeded by A. K. Antony |
