INTRODUCTION
- Elamkulam Manakkal Sankaran Namboodiripad popularly known as E.M.S Namboodiripad was an Indian Communist politician, theorist and freedom fighter.
- He played a major role in the formation of the Communist Party of India(CPI).
- He was the first Chief Minister of Kerala from 5 April 1957 to 31 July 1959.
- His autobiography is named as “Athmakatha”.
A WALK THROUGH HIS LIFE
- He was born on 13 June 1909 in the village of Perinthalmanna of Malabar District.
- He was born in an upper-caste Nambudiri Brahmin family and was the son of a landlord.
- He was the eldest son of Manakkal Parameswaran Namboodiripad and Ammalu Amma.
- He did his schooling from the Zamorin’s High School in Kozhikode
- He later joined the Madras Christian College where he became active in student politics and was elected as the president of the college union.
- After completing His Education, He worked as a Teacher and later as a Lawyer.
- In 1920’s,He started his political career by joining the Indian National Congress(INC)and the Indian National Trade Union Congress(INTUC).
- In 1931,He was jailed for the participation in the Salt Satyagraha Movement led by Great Mahatma Gandhi.
- He played an important role in the Congress movement and was one of the founders of the Congress Socialist Party in Kerala.
- He was actively involved in the party’s struggle against the British Raj and was imprisoned several times for his activities.
- In 1934,He became the All India joint secretary of the Congress Socialist Party.
- During this period of his Life,He became enlightened with Marxism(Theories of Karl Max).
- He soon left the Indian National Congress and became a member of the Communist Party of India(CPI).
- He became increasingly involved in the activities of the Communist Party and he was eventually elected to the party’s central committee.
- In 1936,He along with five others formed the Communist Party of Kerala.
- In 1939,He was elected as the secretary of the Kerala Region Committee of the Communist Party of India(CPI).
- He was one of the main supporter of “Aikya Kerala” which led to the formation of Kerala as a separate State.
- In 1957, Namboodiripad became the first Chief Minister of the Indian state of Kerala.
- As Chief Minister of Kerala from 1957 to 1959, he led the “First Democratically-Elected Communist Government in the World”.
- As Chief Minister, He implemented a number of socialist policies including Land reform, Free Education and the establishment of a welfare State.
- The land reforms implemented by him in 1957 terminated the landlordism in the Kerala State.
- He also worked to improve the status of women in the state and helped to reduce poverty.
- He was a major follower of Indian democracy and he opposed the use of violence to achieve political goals.
- He was also active in organizing the Punnapra-Vayalar Revolt in 1946 which was a revolt of the commoners against the cruel feudal landlords.
- He also served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India from 1964 to 1978.
- In 1967, He again became the Chief Minister of Kerala heading the ministry till 1969.
- He was also effective in establishing the State-run Kerala University and the Kerala State Electricity Board.
- He strongly opposed the dictatorship nature of the Communist Governments in the Soviet Union, China and other countries.
- He was awarded the Soviet Land’s Nehru Award in 1967 and the Lenin Peace Prize in 1971.
- He passed away on March 19,1998 at the age of 89.
- He remained an influential figure in Indian politics until his death in 1998.
- He has still been remembered as a great leader and one of the most influential political figures of modern India.
- His legacy continues to inspire many in India and he is praised for his commitment to Social Justice.
ems, nambuthiri, namboothiripadu, nambooripadu