Freedom fighter and Gandhian communist leader K. Madhavan, who championed for the uplift of downtrodden and actively took part in the 1931 Guruvayur Satyagraha, that ensured temple entry to all caste Hindus, was felicitated by dignitaries from various walks of life as he turned 102 on Friday.
At a simple but gracious function held at his Nellikkatt residence here, where Mr. Madhavan is leading a quiet life, Revenue Minister and chairman of K. Madhavan Foundation E. Chandrasekharan described him as a doyen of a bygone era reminisced with compassion and virtuous life style of the past.
Living legend
Despite being a member of an aristocratic Nair family, Mr. Madhavan, influenced by the Gandhian philosophy, jumped into the freedom struggle at a tender age and is one of the tallest leaders who fostered the values of Communist ideals and fought against the feudal social order prevailed in the region, he said adding that it was responsibility of one and all to honour such a living legend.
Terming him as a pioneering leader in the annals of Kerala history, District Collector K. Jeevanbabu underscored the need to imbibe the life of virtue and strive to pass on to the generation next as a gesture to recall the selfless services and sacrifices made by the freedom fighters in the country.
Presents memento
Mr. Jeevanbabu presented a memento to Mr. Madhavan, who was found to be cheerfully responding to the felicitations offered to him as he sat in his armchair in the front room of his house.
While releasing the fifth edition of K. Madhavan’s autobiography ‘Oru Gandhian Communistinte Ormakurippukal’ writer Paul Zacharia stressed the need to join hands to frustrate the designs of communal forces to safeguard the nation’s secular fabric. The function was presided over by K. Madhavan Foundation vice president C.K. Sreedharan.
