Integrity. Humility. Selfless commitment. Conviction. These loaded words are grabbing media space with unending tributes to VS Achuthanandan, the former chief minister of Kerala who passed away recently, aged 101. Born out of the Punnapra-Vayalar uprising of 1946 when he was barely 23, Achuthanandan belonged to a unique generation that fought feudal, royal, colonial and capitalist forces for over eight long decades. His colleagues, CPI-M party leaders, diapersons, and even political opponents acknowledge him as the ‘last of the communist tita ns’, ‘his life an epitome of struggle’, ‘a champion of the working class’, and ‘Kerala’s moral compass’.

Hidden in these tributes, the Punnapra-Vayalar uprising of 1946 merits a quick mention while it was in fact a historical event of immense significance not just for the communist movement in India but the entire struggle for India’s independence. It irrevocably shaped the life and times of a young coir worker who was learning the ropes of how to survive hard life as an orphan. Drawn to trade union struggles in 1938 and inspired by leaders like P. Krishna Pillai, Achuthanandan joined the Communist Party of India (CPI) in 1940. In 1987, when marking 40 years of Independence, the West Bengal government published ‘India’s Struggle for Freedom’, a compilation of photographs and historical accounts depicting the contribution of various movements and individuals towards the country’s freedom.

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As a homage to Achuthanandan, it is fascinating to read through the pages devoted to the PunnapraVayalar uprising and the conditions prevailing in Travancore in the 1940s. “In the middle of 1946, a famine loomed large in Travancore. The communists organised a hunger march against this… in the town of Alleppey, communist trade union leader TV Thomas was conducting a workers’ demonstration. And against all these movements, a terrible repression had been unleashed by the autocratic Dewan CP Ramaswamy Iyer.

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At this time, the most popular and established mass leaders in Kerala were the founders of the communist party there ~ B. Krishna Pillai, EMS Namboodripad and KC George,” is how the readers are led into those dramatic years. “The communist party of Kerala decided,” the chroniclers of ‘India’s Struggle for Freedom’ noted, “that general strike throughout Travancore shall have to be organised combining the issues of the workers, unrest in Alleppey, the impending famine and the autocratic behaviour of the Dewan. In nearby coastal villages of Punnapra and Vayalar, the communists........

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