The door bell has not stopped ringing at this modest flat on the third floor of AKG Quarters, right opposite the AKG Centre in the capital city. Ever since the election results were out on May 19, footfalls to this house have quadrupled, for this is the residence of Pinarayi Vijayan, the Chief Minister of Kerala, before he moves to Cliff House, official residence of the Chief Ministers of the State.
The lady of the house, Kamala Vijayan, is busy accepting congratulatory messages and greeting visitors making a beeline to the Vijayans’ house. She admits with a smile that she would rather that the media speak to her husband and leave her alone. “I have always been a private person, a teacher and homemaker. I would like it to stay that way,” says Kamala who has enjoyed staying in the background during the 36 years of their marriage.
She smiles when she remembers their first meeting in her house when she had come for a break during her B.Ed. training. “We saw each other. That was about it. My parents Aandy Master, a teacher, and my mother, Janaki, were party supporters and workers and so they were happy with the proposal. I had also worked in the KSF [precursor to the Students’ Federation of India].”
However, she says her elder sister did warn her many years ago that her life would not be one of simple domesticity when she married the MLA of Koothuparamba of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on September 1979, a marriage attended by none other than E.M.S. Namboodiripad and E.K. Nayanar. “It was at Town Hall. I was 21 and, initially, I did yearn for a life where my husband would have a nine-to-five job and we would live like so many other small families in Kerala. But soon, I knew that such a life would not be for us and Vijay ettan’s hectic schedule became a part of our lives together,” she recalls.
Kamala began working as a teacher of Social Studies and English in St. Joseph’s High School in Thalassery a month after her wedding. “His mother, Kalyani, used to stay with us. Vijay ettan was a busy party worker but that did not mean he did not take care of household affairs. He would thoughtfully buy utensils and appliances for our house to reduce my work load at home. Never ever have I asked him to get me something for the house. I did not have to. One of the first things he bought for the house was a pressure cooker that I have preserved to this day,” she says.
She adds that before he attained senior positions in the CPI(M), the family saw more of him and they were able to go for outings and see an occasional film with friends. “When he used to travel to West Bengal and other places outside the state, he would get crockery for the house, saris for me and dresses for the children. But once he became more senior in the party, all that stopped.”
She emphasises that the stern facade of her husband is one created by media images.
“At home, he is not at all like grim photographs one often sees of him. He has a great sense of humour and our children, Veena and Vivek, I feel, are closer to him than to me.”
Veena, says Kamala, used to turn to her father for moral support to get over her exam tensions.
She is impressed by the effort he takes to keep in touch with all his friends, right from school onwards. “Disciplined, he is, but he is also affectionate and time and power have not changed that person.”
However, she admits that as a result of his busy career, she had to quit working as a teacher. Kamala was transferred to Wayanad on a promotion and she had to turn it down as the children were young and she had to be at home.
“That was a disappointment. Many of my students keep in touch with me and today I got calls from some of them,” she beams.
The tough times that surrounded the family when her husband had to face criticism and media ire over the SNC Lavalin issue did sadden her. “But Vijay ettan refuses to get worked up over such issues. He says that so long as one’s conscience is clear, there is no reason to fear or worry about anything or anyone. Moreover, at home, we do not discuss politics.”
Even when the controversy was making headlines, Kamala recalls how her husband would come home, watch movies on television or immerse himself in reading. “Reading includes everything from children’s literature to highbrow literature and magazines,” she adds.
Nevertheless, Kamala recalls that she used to be apprehensive and fearful when threatening letters and anonymous calls used to plague their house. “Moreover, while living in Pinarayi, Vijay ettan was often never at home for long periods. The kids were young and my mother-in-law was elderly. There were times when I used to fear for our safety. We had a dog,” she laughs.
Does he seek her opinion?
“Yes, in household matters,” she says, laughing again. “Like what is for lunch, about our grandson, Ishaan, Veena’s son, who has now been admitted to Loyola School, and routine matters like that,” she says.
However, when Vivek contemplated jumping into politics while he was doing his Plus Two, she advised him to give it a great deal of thought before taking the plunge. “I told him that one has to understand the party and its ideology. It is not child’s play. Later, he decided to concentrate on his academics.”
As she contemplates the move to Cliff House, Kamala admits that she is nervous now that the family will become the cynosure of all eyes. “But I am the same person, whether I live at Pinarayi, here or in the Chief Minister’s residence. Why should I change?” Indeed.
SHORT TAKES
* I enjoy gardening. My favourites are Bougainvilleas. At Pinarayi, we had plantain cultivation and some vegetables too.
* Vijay ettan is not fussy about food. But he is particular that the little he has is tasty. Lunch is invariably rice, fish and some vegetables.
* Both our children have sons – Ishan (five) and Vivan (one).
* Our son is working in HSBC in Abu Dhabi; our daughter has a start-up in Bengaluru.
