Padayatt Kesavapillai Vasudevan Nair (2 March 1926 – 12 July 2005), popularly known as PKV, was the 9th
Chief Minister of Kerala
The chief minister of Kerala is the chief executive of the Indian state of Kerala. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with the chief minister. Fol ...
and a senior leader of the
Communist Party of India (CPI). He was elected to the Lok Sabha four times, in
1957
1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year ...
,
1962
Events January
* January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand.
* January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism.
* January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wor ...
,
1967
Events
January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 5
** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
and
2004, and to the
Kerala Legislative Assembly twice, in
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...
and
1980. He became Chief Minister on 20 October 1978, following
A. K. Antony's resignation as Chief Minister.
However he resigned on 7 October 1979 owing to differences with other parties in the
United Front
A united front is an alliance of groups against their common enemies, figuratively evoking unification of previously separate geographic fronts and/or unification of previously separate armies into a front. The name often refers to a political ...
.
He was the founder-president of the Travancore Students Union,
All India Students Federation (AISF) and
All India Youth Federation (AIYF). He remained with the CPI after the split in the Communist movement in 1964 and was elected the party's State secretary in 1982.
Early life and education
He was born in Kidangoor village in Kottayam, Kerala to a
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
Nair
The Nair , also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom histo ...
family of Kesava Pillai and Nanikutty Amma. He was their eldest child. He began his political life as a student activist while studying in
Union Christian College, Aluva
Union Christian College, Aluva (known as UC College) is a college affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam.
It is one of the earliest colleges in India to be established and managed by Indian Christians. It was founded in 1921 by four ...
, when the whole country was in upheaval having entered the final phase of
freedom struggle. After graduating in Physics he went on to study law at Government Law College,
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
. PKV had his baptism in politics during his student days as an activist of the
All India Students Federation (AISF).
Political career
Youth politics
He joined the
Communist Party of India in 1945 like many young radicals of his time who thought Congress were too moderate and pro-rich. The subsequent years saw him evolve as a student and youth leader. He was the president of Travancore Students' Union in 1947 and elected as President of All Kerala Students Federation in 1948.
Politics in Travancore-Cochin state
PKV was first arrested for making a speech against the royal ruler of Travancore. He was among hundreds of communists who went underground when the Communist Party of India was banned following its adoption of the
Calcutta Thesis that called for armed struggle against the ruling government in 1948. He took part in underground activities from 1948 to 1951 and was arrested in 1951 in connection with students' movement.
P K Vasudevan Nair and Balraj Sahani backed the idea of All India Youth Federation. Delhi's firebrand youth leader,
Guru Radha Kishan was very active in organising the first national conference of AIYF in Delhi, this wholehearted effort was visible when more than 250 delegates and observers across India representing several youth organizations of various states attended this conference. PKV had acted as president of
All India Students Federation,
All India Youth Federation (AIYF) and Vice President of
World Federation of Democratic Youth
The World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) is an international youth organization, and has historically characterized itself as left-wing and anti-imperialist. WFDY was founded in London in 1945 as a broad international youth movement, ...
(WFDY).
Niyamasabha MLA and Lok Sabha MP
He was elected to the Lok Sabha from
Tiruvalla
Thiruvalla, alternately spelled Tiruvalla, is a town in Kerala and the Headquarters of the Taluk of the same name located in Pathanamthitta district in the State of Kerala, India. The town is spread over an area of . It lies on the banks of ...
in 1957 from
Ambalappuzha in 1962 and from
Peermade
Peermade, also spelt Peerumedu (Malayalam: പീരുമേട്) is a village, Grama Panchayat and hill station in the state of Kerala, India. It lies above sea level in the Western Ghats (Sahyadri) about east of Kottayam on the way to The ...
in 1967. He was in the panel of chairmen and secretary of CPI Parliamentary Party in the Lok Sabha from 1967 to 1970. He was elected the MLA from
Alappuzha in 1977 and 1980.
Chief Minister
When the Communist Party split in 1964, he stayed with the CPI. After a long national parliamentary career, PKV returned to state politics in the 1970s and was elected to the Kerala Assembly in 1977 in the election held after the Emergency. He was the Industries Minister in the
Karunakaran and
A.K. Antony ministries from April 1977 to October 1978. When Antony resigned in 1979 protesting against the Congress' choice of
Indira Gandhi as a candidate in
Chikmagalur
Chikmagalur, known officially as Chikkamagaluru, is a city and the headquarters of Chikmagalur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the foothills of the Mullayanagiri peak of the Western Ghats, the city attracts tourists fro ...
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-p ...
by-election, PKV became Chief Minister with the support of the Congress on 29 October 1978 and occupied the post till 7 October 1979.
Personal life
![Cpipkvtvnd (87)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Cpipkvtvnd_%2887%29.JPG)
Whether in or out of power, he had always led a simple life and had been accessible to all sections of people. An ardent communist, the epitome of simplicity and a crusader for people's causes in his long political career spanning six decades that saw him elected to the post of Chief Minister, four-time MP and leader of CPI's Parliamentary Group in the Lok Sabha. He had left a vivid impression in the minds of the people.
From 1982 to 2004, PKV had stayed away from electoral politics, concentrating his time and energy on the organisational front. During this period, he mostly served as the state secretary of CPI.
PKV also served as editor of Janayugom daily, the organ of the Communist Party of India between 1954 and 1957.
Death
P. K. Vasudevan Nair died at 3.35 PM on 12 July 2005 in AIIMS, New Delhi following multiple organ failure brought about by chronic heart ailment and severe diabetes. He was serving as the
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-p ...
MP from
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
constituency, elected in
2004 elections. He was cremated at his daughter's house at
Pulluvazhy
Pulluvazhi is a small village in Rayamangalam Grama punchyathu in the Ernakulam district of Kerala state, India. It is close to the towns Perumbavoor, Muvattupuzha and Kothamangalam
Kothamangalam, , is a municipality in Ernakulam district ...
near
Perumbavoor
Perumbavoor (, Malayalam: പെരുമ്പാവൂർ) is a historic place located at Bank of Periyar (Poorna River) in Ernakulam District in the Indian state of Kerala. It is a part of the Kochi metropolitan area It lies in the no ...
.
His wife, Lakshmikutty Amma, who was the younger sister of
P. Govinda Pillai, a veteran Marxist scholar and PKV's classmate, died eight years later on 6 July 2013. The couple are survived by their three sons and two daughters.
References
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nair, P. K. Vasudevan
1926 births
2005 deaths
Communist Party of India politicians from Kerala
Chief Ministers of Kerala
Indian independence activists from Kerala
People from Kottayam district
Malayali politicians
Indian atheists
India MPs 1957–1962
India MPs 1962–1967
India MPs 1967–1970
India MPs 2004–2009
Lok Sabha members from Kerala
Leaders of the Opposition in Kerala
Chief ministers from Communist Party of India
Kerala MLAs 1977–1979
Kerala MLAs 1980–1982
Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram alumni