The house of S L Venkatachala Iyer, maternal uncle of V R Krishna Iyer, in Shekharipuram in Palakkad, which was donated to the ‘gramajana samooham’
Palakkad :
The ancestors of V R Krishna Iyer were ardent philanthropists and have their lineage rooted to the ‘agraharams’ in Palakkad. His maternal family in Shekharipuram had donated their house styled ‘Govinda’ to the ‘gramajana samooham’. The palatial house, a portion of which was rented out to meet the daily expense of the Lakshminarayana Swamy Temple in Shekharipuram– which now owns the property– was gifted by Iyer’s uncle, said Latha Ramanan, a neighbour. She said that Iyer’s uncle S L Venkatachala had donated the house before he left for Mumbai. The three sons of Venkatachala are no more, and one of his daughters is settled in Chennai. She said the grandchildren of Venkatachala had planned to construct a building in the compound of the house so that people could gather and recite vedic verses.
Iyer’s paternal family was from Vaidyanathapuram here. His nephew, Dr S V Ramachandran was a renowned surgeon, who stayed near Government Victoria College.
Jana Jagratha Samithi secretary Dr P S Panicker said Iyer was the president of the Janakeeya Prathirodha Samithi, which spearheaded hundreds of protests on varied issues which affected the adivasis, DPEP to cases relating to land encroachments, and other issues affecting the underprivileged.
Dr Panicker reminisced how at the ‘pattaya mela’, by then LDF Government in Attappadi – in which then Chief Minister E K Nayanar participated– Justice Krishna Iyer had said the land distributed to the adivasis at the pattayamela was unfit for cultivation and they should be provided fertile land instead, causing much embarrassment to the hosts.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by A Satish / December 05th, 2014
Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer used to spend his evenings with a walk along the banks of the Kochi backwaters. He has to his credit around 70 books, mostly on law, and four travelogues. Photo: The Hindu Archives
Eminent jurist and former Supreme Court judge, Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer, passed away at a private hospital in Kochi around 3.30 p.m. on Thursday. He died due to renal and cardiac failure, hospital sources said. He was hospitalised for a fortnight.
Justice Iyer, known for his forthright views, turned 100 recently. He was sworn in as the judge of the Supreme Court on July 17, 1973 and retired at the age of 65 on November14, 1980.
Born to a leading criminal lawyer V.V. Rama Ayyar in 1915 in Thalassery, Justice Iyer had his education at the Basel Mission School, Thalassery, Victoria College, Palakkad, Annamalai University and Madras Law College. After starting legal practice in 1937 under his father in the Thalassery courts, he used to appear for workers and peasants in several agrarian struggle-related cases in his early years of practice.
He became a member of the Madras Legislative Assembly in 1952. He held portfolios such as law, justice, home, irrigation, power, prisons, social welfare and inland navigation in the first Communist government in Kerala headed by E.M.S. Namboodiripad that came to power in 1957. He was instrumental in passing several pieces of people-oriented legislations during his tenure as minister in the Communist government.
He resumed his legal practice in August 1959 and threw himself into the legal profession after he lost the 1965 Assembly election. He was appointed a judge of the Kerala High Court on July 2, 1968. He was elevated as Judge of the Supreme Court on July 17, 1973, and retired on November, 14, 1980. He served as a Member of the Law Commission from 1971 to 1973.
His landmark judgments include the Shamser Singh case which interpreted the powers of the Cabinet vis-à-vis the President, Maneka Gandhi case which gave a new dimension to Article 21, Ratlam Municipality case, and Muthamma’s case. He had pushed for reformative theory, in contrast to deterrence theory in the criminal justice system. He also received brickbats for granting conditional stay on the Allahabad High Court verdict declaring former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s election to the Lok Sabha void.
In 2002, Justice Iyer was part of the citizen’s panel that inquired into the Gujarat riots along with retired justice P.B. Sawant and others. He was conferred with Padma Vibhushan in the 1999. He had unsuccessfully contested to the post of President against Congress nominee late R. Venkitaraman in 1987. He also headed the Kerala Law Reform Commission in 2009. He has to his credit around 70 books, mostly on law, and four travelogues. Wandering in Many Worlds is his autobiography. He has also authored a book in Tamil, Neethimandramum Samanvya Manithanum.
He has been actively involved in social and political life after his retirement, almost till a few weeks when ill-health and advancing age took their toll on him. His 100th birthday was celebrated in Kochi last month and a number of programmes were organised by members of the legal fraternity, citizenry and his friends and well-wishers to felicitate him. Justice Iyer’s wife predeceased him. He is survived by two sons.
The body of Justice Iyer will be taken to the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Kadavanthra, on Friday, where members of the general public will be able to pay homage to the departed jurist, said M.G.Rajamanikyam, Ernakulam district collector. The funeral will take place at Ravipuram crematorium at 6 p.m. on Friday, he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National / by k. C. Gopakumar / Kochi – December 04th, 2014
Economic thinker and social scientist Pulapre Balakrishnan has been handed the 2014 Malcolm Adiseshaiah award for contribution to development studies. The award was instituted by the Malcolm and Elizabeth Adiseshaiah Trust, which runs the Madras Institute of Development Studies in Adyar.
An alumnus of Madras Christian College, Balakrishnan also studied at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Oxford and Cambridge. With a formidable academic training followed by research at prestigious institutions across the world, he is now professor at the Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram.
Delivering the Malcolm Adiseshaiah memorial lecture on the topic ‘Macroeconomic reversal in India,’ Balakrishnan said that macroeconomics was in riotous disarray.
“Some of the triumph that had accompanied the rise of the New Classical Economics has dissipated after the global financial crisis,” he pointed out.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / November 22nd, 2014
Body of N Gopalakrishnan, writer and social activist who died here on Wednesday morning, will be cremated at the Mavoor Road crematorium on Friday.
Gopalakrishnan (80) died at a private hospital here following a heart attack.
After his retirement as member of claims tribunal of Indian Railways in 1984, Gopalakrishnan was actively engaged in social and cultural activities in the city.
He had translated former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao’s autobiography into Malayalam and K P Ramanunni’s Sufi Paranja Katha into English.
He also translated M T Vasudevan Nair’s novel Varanasi into English. He won the Kendra Sahitya Akademi’s award for translation in 2006.
Gopalakrishnan was also an active member of the Kozhikode Pain and Palliative Society and was in the forefront of collecting fund for the Society.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kozhikode / TNN / November 20th, 2014
If you thought canonisation of two blessed souls from the state—Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Mother Euphrasia—scheduled to be held on Sunday was wonderful enough, think again. Out of the 30 pious men and women the Catholic Church in India has placed on the path of beatification, 28 are from Kerala, a feat that could well earn it the ‘Cradle of Saints’ epithet in the future.
Catholics in Kerala comprise less than one per cent of the global Catholic population.
Out of 28 revered spiritual men and women, three each have acquired the status of the Blessed (third of four stages of canonisation) and the Venerable (second stage), while 21 are Servants of God (first stage).
The other two Indians on the list with status of The Blessed are Mother Teresa and Fr Joseph Vaz, a missionary who served in Sri Lanka. Interestingly, Devasahayam Pillai is the only layman on the list. All others are bishops, priests, or nuns. The Kerala list includes Fr Zakharias, a Spanish missionary, and two German missionaries —Mother Petra Morningman and Br Fortnatus — who served, died and were buried here. “This is a list of people likely to be canonised. The process cannot be completed within a definite time period. The long list shows the depth of faith of Catholics here,” said Fr Varghese Vallikkat, deputy secretary, Kerala Catholic Bishops Council and director of the Pastoral Orientation Centre.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Babu K Peter / November 19th, 2014
A silence blanketed Thekkumveettil House on Shantipuram Road at Palarivattom here as a sea of crowd swept to the residence of Mercy Williams, the former Mayor of Kochi, who passed away at the age of 65 on Wednesday.
Kochi Mayor Tony Chammany was among the first to pay tributes to the first woman Mayor of the city.
Senior LDF councillor M Anilkumar, Deputy Mayor B Bhadra, Corporation standing committee head T J Vinod Kumar and GCDA chairman N Venugopal also rushed to the spot to pay respects.
Mercy, who was born and brought up in Fort Kochi, studied at St Teresa’s. After securing an MA degree in Sociology with first rank and gaining a gold medal from the college, she joined St Teresa’s College as a lecturer and served there for over 25 years.
She joined politics after retiring as the head of Sociology Department from the college. The move surprised many. But the LDF independent candidate not just swept votes to become a first-time councillor, but also became the first woman Mayor of Kochi city.
“Known for her sincere and straight-forward approach, babus were afraid of her. Consequently, corruption allegations were comparatively low during her tenure,” said Anil Kumar.
Mercy was sworn in as Mayor when Kochi was gripped by an absolute crisis on waste management front. The dumping of waste at Willington Island had to be stopped due to complaints from the Navy.
A similar situation emerged at Cheranalloor owing to public agitation. Heaps of waste remained on roads with no place to dump.
It was for the Mayor to face the heat, remembered senior journalists.
“Mercy issued a bylaw for waste management, a first in the state, which gave buckets to every house for decentralised waste segregation. Kochi was announced a ‘binless’ city.
“Spadework was started for Brahmapuram plant and plastic bouquets were abhorred even in public functions,” said a veteran journalist. Mercy could also effectively liaison with the Delhi circle to get funds pumped in for big ticket projects in Kochi, including ADB loan and JNNURM funding.
Altogether, the city received `900 crore for projects during her tenure. When she left the chair, it was not without begetting ‘the most clean city award in India’ for Kochi from the then Union Minister Jairam Ramesh.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Nidheesh MK / November 20th, 2014
Samuthirakani in a still from Vasanthathinte Kanal Vazhikalil, a biopic on P. Krishna Pillai.
Anil V. Nagendran’s film ‘Vasanthathinte Kanal Vazhikalil’ is on the life and times of P. Krishna Pillai who fought against injustice all his life.
Period films have a niche audience in Kerala. So Anil V. Nagendran was always puzzled why no filmmaker had seen it fit to make biopics on the early firebrand leaders of Kerala; political activists who had jumped into the struggle for freedom and human dignity without a thought for their future as individuals or politicians. Anil decided to make amends by making a series of After tasting success with a series of audio biographies on the stalwarts of the Left movement in Kerala, eminent leaders such as EMS, AKG and P. Krishna Pillai. With people like the late actor Murali and composers like P. Bhaskaran participating in his venture, Anil’s audio biographies were a run-away success. That gave him the confidence to turn director with a biopic on the eventful life of P. Krishna Pillai, Vasanthathinte Kanal Vazhikalil. The film is on the life and times of this indomitable organiser and activist who dedicated his life to fight against injustice.
The movie, starring Samuthirakani in the lead role of Krishna Pillai, reaches theatres today. Excerpts from an interview with Anil, the director, scriptwriter and producer of the film.
Anil V. Nagendran with P.K Medhin and Samuthhirakani. / by Special Arrangement
What was the motivation for making a film of this genre?
I did a lot of reading for my audio production on the late leader. During my research, I spoke to a number of senior leaders who worked with him and had interacted with this pioneer of the Communist movement in Kerala. It was a journey of discovery to learn about this relentless fighter and audacious activist who did not seem to have known the meaning of fear. While there were several films on doughty political activists from other countries, there was almost nothing on this brave Malayali who had lived all his life for the downtrodden.
What is the focus of your film?
Although I touch upon the socio-political background of the Kerala in the thirties, the film focusses on the major events in the forties in Kerala. Here was a man who had held the tricolour and kept it flying during a protest when Congress men defied the salt law in Malabar and braved the blows of the British police. Ringing in the changes that were to transform Kerala, he became the first non-Brahmin to ring the bell inside Guruvayur temple. He was also at the forefront of the Vaikom Satyagraha. This Gandhian and staunch Congressman went on to sow the seeds of the Left movement in Kerala. Later on, he became immersed in battling for the rights of the oppressed and labouring classes. When he died of snakebite at the age of 42, he was a hero of the working class in Kerala. My aim was to highlight the valour, determination and personality of this freedom fighter from Kerala. There is nothing overtly political about the film and I must admit that the film was shot with the help of people owing allegiance to different political parties. Their politics differed but not their admiration for the man who dreamt of a free and equal society.
The film was in the making for a long time
I was adamant that we would not make any comprises while making this film. Under the leadership of art director K. Krishnankutty, a set that we made in Kollam covered an area of six km. Since it was a period film, we had to ensure that there were no electric line, poles, lamp posts and so on. Effort and imagination were necessary to recreate the times in which I have told my story. Some of the events are fiction, which was necessary to aid the narrative. But the movie has not deviated from his life. We have used real footage of some of the milestones of the struggle for Independence. Since we were handling a slice of history, I wanted to spare no effort to get the facts right.
What is special about the 3,000 actors in the film is that many of them are actually labourers who we chose and trained to act in the film. KPAC Lalitha, Siddique, Mukesh, Devan, Sudheesh, V.K. Baiju, Shari, Surabhi, Bheeman Raghu, Rithesh and Tamil actor Bharani are some of the actors. Sudheesh plays EMS while Baiju acts as AKG. The star attraction, I feel, is octogenarian P.K. Medhini, who has acted, composed and sang in the film. It was an honour to work with this stalwart of the progressive movement in Kerala. This is award-wining cinematographer Kaviyarasu’s first work in Malayalam.
Another interesting aspect about the film is its music. Eight composers have scored the songs and this film happened to be the last work of Dakshinamoorthy Swami. M.K. Arjunan, Medhini, Perumbavoor Ravindranath, C.J. Kuttappan, James Vasanthan, A.R. Rehana and Anchal Udayakumar are the other composers. Twenty singers have sung the nine songs.
Why is it being released again after its first release in April this year?
The movie was released in March, when the State was on the eve of going to the polls. A complaint was filed with the Election Commission that the movie was to campaign for the Left. Since there was no intention like that, I decided to withdraw the film from theatres.
But please remember that this film is not about political parties and partisan politics. This movie is a tribute to a brave son of Kerala.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Friday Review / by Saraswathy Nagarajan / Thiruvananthapuram – November 13th, 2014
CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan offers birthday greetings to Justice V R Krishna Iyer who turns 100 on Thursday, in Kochi on Wednesday | Express
Kochi :
As per Malayalam calendar, Justice V R Krishna Iyer will be turning 100 on Thursday. From legislating orders in favour of the deprived as the state’s first Law Minister, to giving path-breaking verdicts, voicing casual campaigns, penning 105 books and colossal list of other published works, he played a pivotal role in defining some of the crucial moments.
The city has geared up for the special occasion with a host of programmes that will be attended by dignitaries, including legendary singer Yesudas and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
A group of organisations, including the International Interfaith Dialogue India (IIDI), Kerala Khadi Pracharak Samithy, Kerala Santhi Samithi, Ashraya Charitable Trust and the Vaikom Mohammed Basheer Malayalam Patana Kendram will lead the celebrations. There will be an all-religion prayer at 7 am followed by celebrations at 10.30 am at his residence ‘Sadgamaya’, to be presided over by IIDI president M D Nalappatt.
Singer and IIDA peace ambassador Yesudas will deliver the keynote address. CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan visited Iyer at his residence on Wednesday. Chandy will attend a public meet as part of the celebrations on Sunday.
Express caught up with a few who cherish their memorable moments with the veteran jurist.
What surprised journalist BRP Bhaskar was Krishna Iyer’s commitment to the cause of the poor when he came to inaugurate a seminar on the adivasi issue which he organised in Kozhikode some time ago.
“He and the late Sukumar Azhikode had once issued a statement at the government’s instance which disappointed the tribal people. I was, therefore, keen about his presence.
He wanted me to arrange a person to stand in the queue and buy a ticket for the morning train from Ernakulam.
The person whom I entrusted with the task overslept. Iyer overlooked the lapse, stood in the queue, bought the ticket and came to Kozhikode,” Bhaskar said.
To Krishna Iyer, Excise Minister K Babu was always ‘omnipresent’. Even before he was a minister, Babu was a regular at most of the functions in the city as he is now.
“I liked him calling me omnipresent. One day while I was passing by in my car, I saw him take his evening walk along the Marine Drive. I stopped the car and requested him to join me for a labour union meet I was off to. Much to my surprise he got into the car instantly. I was overwhelmed by his humbleness,” said Babu.
At the meeting, recollects Babu, Iyer took the mike and gave a stunning extempore in which touched upon the different aspects of labour movement history in India. Immediately after the seminar, leaving an awe-struck audience behind, he left the hall to continue his stroll. He is always prepared to inspire people, Babu said.
P Rajeeve MP shares a bond with Iyer right from his formative years. “During my college days, he would call me up in late nights summoning me urgently. Reason? It could be just to discuss a book of Mao,” said Rajeeve.
“One of my most memorable moments is when he came all the way to Delhi to meet the Prime Minister to request for a Metro service for Kochi. He was 98 then. When he reached 7RCR, the then PM Manmohan Singh came out of his room and said “Welcome Rajarshi!” he said.
Only very few like Rajeeve know that Iyer has a soft spot for ice creams.
Kochi Mayor Tony Chammany never escaped the criticism of Iyer who vehemently attacked him a few months ago for the bad roads in the city.
“But at another instance, when I was late for a programme in which we both were guests, he didn’t allow the orginisers to start the event until I arrived. He stood by the point that the first citizen of the city deserves to be treated with respect,” said Chammany.
“He will gracefully respect you, but don’t expect him to stop speaking out his mind.”
One reason why everyone loves Iyer, said M A Baby MLA, is that he had lended support to the needy.
“Once when powerful lobbies of self-financing colleges were against my decision to intoduce an Education Bill in the 2006 LDF Government, Iyer gave me strong support. I wouldn’t forget it,” he said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / November 13th, 2014
Wolfgang Theuerkauf / by Special Arrangement / The Hindu
Wolfgang Theuerkauf, a German who dedicated over 30 years of his life to the conservation of plants of southern India, passed away in Wayanad on Thursday. He was 66.
Affectionately called Swamy by his loved ones, Mr. Theuerkauf established the Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary at Alattil, near Periya, in north Wayanad, where he nurtured hundreds of thousands of plants endemic to the Western Ghats for over three decades without any external support. He is survived by his wife Leela and two children, a son and a daughter.
Mr. Theuerkauf was suffering from liver cirrhosis and was bedridden for the last couple of weeks. He breathed his last on Thursday night at the sanctuary. The last rites were performed on Friday at the sanctuary.
A German by birth, Mr. Theuerkauf decided to settle down in India in the late seventies when he was attracted by the teachings of Sree Narayana Guru. He was a disciple of Nataraja Guru, the successor of the spiritual leader. He was also closely associated with Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati.
Mr. Theuerkauf established a small ashram at Alattil and created the sanctuary as a Noah’s Ark for endemic plants on 50 five acres in 1981. The botanist was known for his works related to rainforest restoration activities, especially in the Mukkuruti forest in Karnataka.
He pioneered the cause of conserving endangered plants, organic farming and alternative energy mechanisms. In 1981, Mr. Theuerkauf became an Indian citizen and married Leela, a Malayali woman from Periya.
A treasure trove
The sanctuary is a treasure trove for scholars, nature photographers and botanists across the globe.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has named the Gurukula as one of the 25 global centres of biodiversity. In 2006, he won the Whitley Award, the highest environment honour in the U.K., for the most effective conservation effort across the world.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by E.M. Manoj – T. NandaKumar / Kalpetta , Thiruvananthapuram – November 08th, 2014
Diverse events are on the cards to celebrate the birth anniversary of renowned ornithologist Salim Ali, often observed as the National Bird Watching Day, on November 12.
The events are being organised by the Social Forestry wing of the Dept of Forests and Wildlife and World Wildlife Fund-India.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / November 11th, 2014
