V S Achuthanandan — Communist, mass leader, icon
V S defined communist politics for about eight decades. He was the last survivor of the 32 leaders who walked out of the stormy national council meeting of the undivided CPI in 1964 to form the CPM. But it is not just the years that he lived through or the epochs that he witnessed or participated in — India's struggle for Independence, the Punnapra-Vayalar revolt of 1946 that paved the way for Kerala to join the Indian Union, the split in the Communist Party in 1964, the fight against the Emergency in 1975 or the country's tectonic shift from a planned economy to a free market in 1991 — that defined him. Comrade V S was the last living link to an Indian politics shaped by workers' and peasants' movements, and the idea that mass struggle could be a vehicle for social change.
As I write this on a rainy day in New Delhi, I can't help but notice the visuals being beamed live from Thiruvananthapuram: Even school children could be seen milling around the AKG Centre to catch a glimpse of the departed leader. I can't help but think that even their grandfathers might not have been born when V S took up the red flag, while toiling as a tailor or lifting bales in a coir factory to earn his daily bread. Little wonder, then, that he chose to name his autobiography Life is a Struggle. As the news of his demise came in, there was a common thread in tributes, ranging from Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to the grassroots worker: V S proved that life and struggle are not two different things.
What makes Comrade V S a darling of the masses? It has as much to do with his commitment to the cause he believed in as with his passion. In the ever-changing world of realpolitik, V S chose to be a man of the party organisation for decades. One of the State Committee members of the undivided CPI that came to power in 1957 in Kerala, V S became a minister for the first time — Chief Minister to be precise — at the age of 82 in 2006. There were only two pillars in his world — the party and the people.
As CM, the biggest allegation against V S was that he behaved more like the Opposition leader. The jibe was about the mass agitations he led — such as against encroachment in the tourist paradise of Munnar by powerful vested interests or the fast he underwent demanding a ban on the deadly pesticide endosulfan. What his opponents failed to grasp — and what the masses instinctively grasped — was that he was a man fighting the system, not the Opposition. It is precisely this conviction that made him an unlikely champion of the free software movement.
His uncompromising stand on core issues of corruption, the environment and violence against women earned him a few foes but his popularity skyrocketed. As CM, he once famously refused to present an award to a then-star of Malayalam cinema who was battling charges of sexual harassment. That was V S. Setbacks only emboldened him, and he lived to fight another day.
It remains a topic of academic interest how a dyed-in-the-wool party organisation man like V S became, overnight, a wildly popular mass leader in the 1990s. He was the biggest crowd-puller I have seen. His speeches, replete with sarcasm, drew in people of all persuasions. Imitating his speeches — that style of stressing a syllable here or pausing in the middle of a wisecrack there — became a subculture in school/college festivals, movies and TV shows.
In his personal life, V S inculcated the same discipline as he did in the party as its long-standing state secretary. V S was not given to indulgences. In that, he leaves another model for India's youth to follow: Life is about discipline, courage and commitment. More importantly, he redefined youth when questions were raised about his fitness to be CM. Comrade V S demolished the sceptics by reciting a verse:
Your age is not the grey or black/That rests upon your crown/But in the fire that burns your spirit/And a head that never bows down to tyranny.
A few days ago, I was at the hospital where the dear comrade was admitted. His son, V A Arun, said: 'The fighter that he is, it won't be easy for death to conquer him.'
V S will live on. Lal Salam, comrade.
The writer is leader of CPI(M) in Rajya Sabha
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
7 minutes ago
- First Post
'If her name or complexion bothers you...': Ohio SG Mathura Sridharan trolled, AG claps back to troll
Indian-origin jurist Mathura Sridharan received racist backlash from online trolls after she was appointed as Ohio's 12th solicitor general. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost hits back at the troll by issuing a lengthy statement on the matter read more Mathura Sridharan was trolled for her Indian-origin after her name was announced as Ohio's Solicitor General. LinkedIn Indian-origin Mathura Sridharan was appointed as Ohio's 12th solicitor general. However, her feat garnered wrath online with trolls questioning why a 'non-US-origin' person was picked for the post. Soon after her appointment, Sridharan's LinkedIn went viral with critics questioning her credibility. All this prompted Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost to issue a clarification, slamming the troll for ignorance. Yost, who appointed Mathura for the post, said that she is wrongly being portrayed as a non-American. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'A few commenters have asserted incorrectly that Mathura is not American. She is a United States citizen, married to a US citizen, and the child of naturalised US citizens,' he said. 'If her name or her complexion bothers you, the problem is not with her or her appointment,' Yost said in a statement. 'Mathura is brilliant… she won her argument at SCOTUS last year. Both the SGs she worked under (Flowers & Gaiser) recommended her. I told her when I originally hired her that I needed her to argue with me. She does… All the time! Excited to promote her. She will serve Ohio well,' he added. Trolls question her religious identity However, Yost's take on the matter was also met with trolling as people pointed out that she is not 'American-American', with some even questioning her religious identity. 'Is she a Christian? That's the biggest factor that concerns me. Based on the bindi on her forehead, I worry she is not,' one user wrote online. 'Another American job… given away to foreigners,' another wrote. 'She's Indian. They all have a loyalty first to other Indians. Horrible pick. Un-American. The GOP is pathetic,' a third user exclaimed. When it comes to Mathura's career, before joining the Ohio Solicitor's Office, Mathura clerked for Judge Steven J. Menashi of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Judge Deborah A. Batts of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. She holds a Juris Doctorate from the New York University School of Law, a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as a Bachelor's Degree in Economics and Electrical Engineering & Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
The Hindu
37 minutes ago
- The Hindu
He has his reasons: Shashi Tharoor on Rahul Gandhi's 'dead economy' remark
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday (August 2, 2025) refused to comment on party leader Rahul Gandhi's endorsing U.S. President Donald Trump's 'dead economy' remark about India and said the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha may have had his 'own reasons' for saying so. The remarks came after Congress MP Mr. Gandhi on Thursday (July 31, 2025) agreed with US President Donald Trump's statement that the Indian economy is 'dead' and said he is 'glad' that the U.S. President has stated a fact. Speaking to the mediapersons, Mr. Tharoor said, 'I don't want to comment on what my party leader has said. He has his reasons for saying so. My concern is that our relationship with the U.S., as a strategic and economic partnership, is important for us. We are exporting around 90 billion worth of goods to America. We can't be in a position to lose that or have it diminish significantly.' 'We must wish our negotiators strength to get a fair deal for India. We should also be talking to other regions for exporting our goods. Then we could make up for some of what we might lose in the U.S. We have to support our negotiators,' he added. Speaking to reporters, Mr. Gandhi said that the whole world knows the Indian economy is 'dead' except for the Prime Minister and Finance Minister. 'Yes, he is right. Everybody knows this except the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister. Everybody knows that the Indian economy is a dead economy. I am glad that President Trump has stated a fact. The entire world knows that the Indian economy is a dead economy. BJP has finished the economy to help Adani,' said. On Wednesday (July 30, 2025), U.S. President Donald Trump made a shocking statement on his social media platform Truth Social after the announcement of 25% tariffs against India and threatened an additional 'penalty' for importing Russian oil.
Indian Express
37 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Documentary on Arun Sarnaik: As CM, Sharad Pawar allowed ‘Sinhasan' shooting in his cabin, in Mantralaya, says Jabbar Patel
When Sharad Pawar was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra in 1979, he had allowed the shooting of the iconic film 'Sinhasan' right in his cabin and even in the Mantralaya, despite objections from bureaucrats. This revelation was made by well-known theatre personality and film director Dr Jabbar Patel at the premiere of the documentary 'Pappa Sanga Kunache', chronicling the life of popular late Marathi actor Arun Sarnaik. 'It was the first time probably in the history of India and Maharashtra that a movie was shot in Mantralaya and bungalows of ministers. I don't think any Chief Minister in the country would have allowed a movie to be shot on the subject of politics and especially on the dispute between a Chief Minister and a Finance Minister. The full credit goes to Sharad Pawar… And I want to thank him for that,' said Patel at the Balgandharva Rangmandir auditorium in Pune on Saturday. Sinhasan, directed by Dr Jabbar Patel, is an Indian-Marathi political drama film that was released when Sharad Pawar was the Chief Minister. He then led the Progressive Democratic Government. The movie was written by journalist Arun Sadhu. The movie was about the fight between the Chief Minister and his Finance Minister, fighting for the CM's chair. Arun Sarnaik played the role of the chief minister 'The last scene of the movie regarding expansion of the cabin was shot right in the Chief Minister's cabin…,' said Patel highlighting how there were objections from the bureaucracy as the movie was related to political happenings, but Pawar over-ruled them. Dr Patel said he told Sharad Pawar that he would not shoot in the Chief Minister's cabin as it was not appropriate. 'To this, Sharad Pawar said why not ? He then called his personal assistant and sought to know his schedule. He then asked me how many days we would need for the shoot. I told him three days. He said 'I have other programmes next three days'… We then shot the last scene of the movie, regarding cabinet expansion in the Chief Minister's cabin,' recalled the director while describing Sharad Pawar as the most popular Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Dr Patel said the Secretariat was given on rent for two-and- a-half days on weekends. 'When we told Pawar to reduce the rent from Rs 4000 to Rs 2000, he promptly agreed,' he said. When Dr Patel was revealing the generous side of Sharad Pawar, the veteran politician who was seated among the crowd in the first row, smiled lightly. He however did not address the crowd. The organisers said he was not well. Dr. Patel also shared a memory of Arun Sarnaik attending a play that was written for him and praising the actor who played the lead role in Sinhasan. 'Arun Sarnaik's humility and kindness were evident in his willingness to attend the play and appreciate the actor's performance,' he said. The premiere of the documentary was dominated by speeches of Jabbar Patel and veteran actor Nana Patekar. There was a sort of duel between the two, which kept the jam-packed auditorium on the edge of their seats. Veteran actor Mohan Agashe shared his memories and experiences with Arun Sarnaik, which revealed the various facets of the actor and his charismatic personality. The documentary has been produced by his daughter Dr Savita Sarnaik-Naiknavare. Former minister Harshvardhan Patil, documentary director Dr. Santosh Pathare, Dr. Savita Sarnaik Naiknavare Ranjeet Manyavar and Neel Naiknavare were also present. Dr. Savita Sarnaik Naiknavare, spoke about her father's memories and shared some personal anecdotes. 'When I was growing old, I used to think whether my father belonged to me or God. As I grew older, I realized that Pappa wasn't just mine, but belonged to the audience, and he always will,' she said. 'While making the documentary, I used to get emotional. Even now, I have the same feeling…,' said Dr Savita. Recalling their days in Kolhapur, Dr Savita said, 'Whenever my pappa used to return home from shooting, he used to scream, Savi, Me Alo…(Savi I have returned). His voice was heard in the entire area, I used to feel shy and hide myself in the house. My pappa used to play carrom with my brother Sanjay whenever he was home. I used to disturb them but my father never got angry with me.' Both Jabbar Patel and Nana Patekar praised her speech. Patel said there was 'no melodrama' in her speech despite seeing so much pain in life. The documentary's director, Santosh Pathare, said, 'Since we didn't have a tradition of documentation in the past, making this documentary was a challenge. However, we tried to overcome this challenge by using available films, plays, photographs, and memories.' Praising Arun Sarnaik's acting style, Nana Patekar said, 'Ease was a hallmark of Sarnaik's acting, and such acting is an ideal to strive for. Arun Sarnaik taught us the golden meaning of acting in both film and theatre.' Dr. Mohan Agashe shared his experiences of working with Arun Sarnaik and praised his humility and simplicity. The event concluded with the announcement of the Arun Sarnaik Scholarship, which will be awarded to talented actors and singers from Kolhapur. The scholarship will be given away by the Sarnaik and Naiknavare families. Neil Naiknavare proposed the vote of thanks, and Swati Rajee anchored the program. Ratna Chauhan welcomed the gathering.
