| Kummanam Rajasekharan | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Residence | Madhavanivas, Ernakulam |
| Religion | Hindu |
Kummanam Rajasekharan (കുമ്മനം രാജശേഖരൻ), popularly known as Rajettan, is the state general secretary of the Hindu Aikya Vedi and is a Hindu leader and a social reformer.[1] He was born in a village Kummanam, four Kilometers away from Kottayam town of Kerala. He played a pivotal role in the historical ‘movement against Nilakkal temple land encroachment’ and ‘Paliyam Declaration’[2] pronounced by prominent Hindu religious scholars.In 1987, he resigned from the government and became a full-time pracharak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, while instrumental in spearheading Kerala’s Vishva Hindu Parishad,Kshetra Samrakshana Samiti, Balasadanams, and Ekal Vidyalayas. He was instrumental in bringing together several spiritual organizations and encouraging them to work for the improvement of the Hindus. As of 2011 he holds the responsibilities of Hindu Aikya Vedi organization secretary,Sabarimala Ayyappa Sewa Samajam General Secretary and Janmabhumi daily chairman. He is known for his disarming simplicity and extraordinary oration.[3]
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Born at Kummanam village of Aymanam in Kottayam district, Rajasekharan after his schooling at his birthplace, continued his studies at C.M.S collage, Kottayam and graduated from there. Then he has completed his post graduate diploma in journalism and joined in various periodicals to acquire training in journalism. He never married and dedicated his life for serving society and one of the rare leaders who follows simple lifestyle.[4]
Rajasekharan started his journalism career by joining to Deepika daily, Kottayam in 1974. Later he played different roles in many dailies in Kerala. He was the sub editor of Rastravartha daily, Kochi, He also took the role of sub editor in Keraladesam daily Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Bhooshanam daily Kottayam and Kerala dwani daily Kottayam. In 1976, he took a short break from his journalism career and joined the Food Corporation of India, Kochi. In 1987, he resigned from this government job and became a pracharak (Fulltime worker) of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh or the RSS. Like all other RSS pracharaks, he stays single and leads a life away from his immediate family.
He came into contact with the world's largest voluntary organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh during his student days. In 1979, he became the district secretary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and later was associated with many Hindu organizations in Kerala in various capacities.,[5][6]
On 24 March 24, 1983, a church priest proclaimed that two members of his parish had unearthed a stone cross established by Jesus' apostle Saint Thomas in 57 AD from near the Mahadeva temple at Nilakkal, in what is one of the most sacred of all Hindu pilgrimage areas - the 18-hilled garden of Lord Ayyappa. While the priest staked his claim, proposing to build a Christian church on the site, Hindus, shocked at his audacity, mounted a powerful protest that lasted for six months and finally resulted in the relocation of the proposed church. These agitations against the temple land encroachment gave impetus to the Hindu awakening in Kerala in the 1980s and 1990s. Kummanam Rajasekharan played a pivotal role in the agitation with the support of his organization.[9]
On the evening of 2 May 2003, a group of Hindu fishermen sitting on the beach near a temple was attacked suddenly, without provocation by a mob of Muslims armed with swords. After a chaotic ten minutes, nine people were massacred. Many were seriously wounded. The killers escaped into the local Juma Masjid, the Marad enquiry commission’s (Justice Thomas P Joseph) report notes the submission of then Kozhikode Police Commissioner T. K. Vinod Kumar that hundreds of local Muslim women converged into the mosque to prevent the police from entering it. After the mass protest carried out by various Hindu organizations under the banner of the Hindu Aikya Vedi,Keral government decided to announce compensation for victims' families and a judicial inquiry to the incident. As the general secretary of Hindu Aikya Vedi, Kummanam Rajasekharan played a tremendous role in this movement.[10]