Neduvilapat Raghava Poduval alias Raghavaji left his native Mahadevamangalam village near Paruthipra in Shoranur near here years ago to join the freedom struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi. A close confidant of Gandhiji, he was among the 78 idealists who took part in the famous Dandi March.
After Independence, Raghavaji returned to Paruthipra, honouring Gandhiji’s exhortation to all freedom fighters to return to their villages and engage in grass-roots level work. The selfless Gandhian continued to remain an epitome of value-based politics and social work till December 20, 1992, when he died.
It was after his return to the village that Raghavaji donated his house and three acres of land on the banks of the Bharathapuzha to the Sarvodaya Sangham for the propagation of Gandhian ideals. The house that remained a hub of Gandhian activism in the entire Shoranur region till his death is now in a shambles. Neither the State government nor other authorities seem to have noticed its plight. Sarvodaya workers say they lack resources to renovate the house and use it for the social service.
“The house can be renovated and made a fitting memorial for Raghavji, who was a towering personality of the national movement in Kerala. He has no memorials anywhere though he struggled to build the movement here,” Prasad K. Shoranur, a local social worker, says.
Gingelly oil mill
“In my childhood, villagers purchased gingelly oil from the mill set up here by Raghavaji as part of his efforts to empower the local community. This resulted in large-scale gingelly cultivation in the region. Handloom products, soaps, honey etc. had also been prepared and preserved here to make them available to the needy at reasonable rates. It was a weavers’ training centre too,’’ says Mr. Prasad.
According to V. Vanaja, who lives close to the house, the building is in a dilapidated condition owing to lack of timely repair. The Sarvodaya Sangham uses the building to store cloths, honey, and oil during Onam season for retailing.
“Like Gandhiji, Raghavaji also stood for self-reliance. The entire complex can be converted into a training or education centre to mould generations. We have already submitted a memorandum in this regard to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy,” Mr. Prasad said. The Shoranur-based Gandhi Seva Samithy is now pressurising the government to convert it into a fitting memorial for Raghavaji.