N. S. Parameswaran Pillai or Nadakkal Parameswaran Pillai (1931–2010) is the co-founder of Indian Coffee Houses in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

with T. K. Krishnan. He is also the author of a history of

Indian Coffee House Indian Coffee House is a restaurant chain in India, run by a series of worker co-operative societies. It has strong presence across India with nearly 400 coffee houses. It has been a hub for Communist and Socialist movements for generations. Th ...

, a

worker cooperative A worker cooperative is a cooperative owned and Workers' self-management, self-managed by its workers. This control may mean a firm where every worker-owner participates in decision-making in a democratic fashion, or it may refer to one in which ...

Historian of I.C.H. movement

His book 'Coffee Housinte Katha' or 'The Story of Coffee House' is in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

, the regional language of Kerala, the home state of

A. K. Gopalan Ayillyath Kuttiari Gopalan (1 October 1904 – 22 March 1977), popularly known as A. K. Gopalan or AKG, was an Indian communist politician. He was one of 16 Communist Party of India members elected to the first Lok Sabha in 1952. Later he beca ...

the Communist Leader of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and the father of the ICH movement. He published this work under the pen name, Nadakkal Parameswaran Pillai. It won Abu Dhabi Shakti Award in 2007.

Early life

Pillai was born in Pallippuram, a hamlet of

Alappuzha Alappuzha or Alleppey () is the administrative headquarters of Alappuzha district in States and territories of India, state of Kerala, India. The Kerala Backwaters, Backwaters of Alappuzha are one of the most popular tourist attractions in Indi ...

in Kerala on 25 May 1931. He was a school drop out after the completion of 4th standard, due to poverty. He engaged in a lot of jobs like Construction Worker, Cook, Bearer in Hotel, Wendor of Peanuts and Pan, Coir Factory Worker, Water Boy in Cochin Harbour, Clerk in Ration Depot, Clerk of Advocate etc. After a long wandering he became a last grade employee on daily wages of

Coffee Board Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of th ...

's India Coffee House of

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the Central Business District of the city of Kochi in Kerala, India and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Many major establishments, including the Kerala High Court, the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation a ...

in 1945.

Trade Unionist

In late 1940s he became a trade unionist. He was one of the founders of India Coffee Board Labours Union. He was the secretary. Later, he has engaged in union activities at Thrissur, Coimbatore, Ootty, Madras and Kottayam also.

Co-operator

He has deputed to form Worker's Coffee Houses in Kerala by the union. As a result of the initiative of TK and Pillai, cooperative societies of Coffee Board workers were formed at

Thrissur Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and t ...

and

Palakkad Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated municipal ...

. The first Indian Coffee House of Kerala was inaugurated by AKG on 8 March 1958 in Thrissur. Pillai was the Manager cum Counter Clerk. It was the beginning of ICHs in Kerala. Pillai guided the ICH movement for three decades. He served the society at Thrissur as Founder Secretary, Sales Manager, Chief Sales Officer and Chief Executive Officer. He was the Founder Secretary of Palakkad Society too. Pillai was also the Director, Deputy Chairman and Chairman of the Federation of ICH societies,

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

, the national umbrella organisation comprising all ICH societies of the nation.

Politics

Pillai became a secret member of undivided

Communist Party of India Communist Party of India (CPI) is the oldest Marxist–Leninist communist party in India and one of the nine national parties in the country. The CPI was founded in modern-day Kanpur (formerly known as Cawnpore) on 26 December 1925. H ...

in late 1940s. He became Secretary of Naickanal Branch of CPI. After the division in CPI he became activist of

Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)/CPIM/CPM) is a Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist communist List of political parties in India, political party in India. It is the largest communist party of India in term ...

. Posts held by him were Naickanal Branch Secretary, Trichur Town North Branch Secretary and Member of Trichur Town North Local Committee.

Family

He was married to Smt. K. N. Lalithamma a member of Kattipparambil family of Edappally in

Ernakulam District Ernakulam, ; ISO: ''Eṟaṇākuḷaṁ'', in Malayalam: എറണാകുളം), is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala, that takes its name from the eponymous city division in Kochi. It is situated in the central part o ...

. She is also one of the founder members of ICH Co-operative Society, Thrissur. They have four children: N. P. Chandrasekharan (Director - News and Current Affairs, Kairali T. V.), N. P. Gireesan (

), N. P. Murali (Muscat) and N. P. Sunitha, (House Wife). His daughters in law are Girija K.(Information Kerala Mission), Jaya Gireesan and Maya Murali. His son in law is N Ramesh.

Death

Parameswaran Pillai died on 17 December 2010, aged 79. Because he was an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

, his body was cremated without religious ceremonies.

References

*''Coffee Housinte Katha.'' Published Current Books, Thrissur. .

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pillai, Nadakkal Parameswaran Coffeehouses and cafés in India Trade unionists from Kerala Businesspeople from Kerala 1931 births 2010 deaths People from Alappuzha district 20th-century Indian businesspeople Communist Party of India (Marxist) politicians from Kerala 20th-century Indian politicians Indian atheists