Once an MP without a car, Pannyan Raveendran, the Communist leader who upheld simplicity, turns 80
Kannur: A mother went to a Communist Party programme carrying her three-year-old son. Lifting him up, she helped the child place a garland around the neck of A K Gopalan. “You are the one who garlanded AKG,” the mother would remind her son. As he grew older, Ravindran’s bond with the party deepened.
They lived in a leaking, thatched house made of mud walls — a family of five. He went to school on an empty stomach. The three annas in his pocket bought him a snack and water at noon. Dinner was sweet potato. When he was 12, his father died. One night, his mother served sweet potatoes to all her children but she did not eat any. Ravindran could not hold back his tears when he realised this. From the next day, he stopped going to school and went to work at a beedi factory in Kakkat. When he handed over his first week’s wage of 50 paise, his mother hugged him and wept.
The child who grew up amid poverty and hardship went on to become the leader Pannyan Ravindran and rose to head the CPI, without ever letting go of simplicity. The leader who carried simplicity and ideals as his capital turns 80 on Monday.
Why CPI
He became a party member in January 1964, at the age of 16. When the party split in April, he stood firmly with the CPI. His respect for AKG did not deter him. “Ideology and position are what matter. In a democracy, the minority must accept the majority decision — that basic democratic principle was violated then. The split was unnecessary,” Pannyan says.
Lessons that guided him
In 1983, after securing a 20 per cent bonus for workers, some came home with gifts. His mother sent them back. “Son, that money is the wage earned from the workers’ sweat.” Pannyan recalls the years of hunger and hardship. “My mother and the party are my life lessons.”
There are guiding leaders throughout Pannyan’s life. After a party programme at Chadayamangalam, while waiting for a bus, the car of Minister E Chandrasekharan Nair’s private secretary arrived. Pannyan travelled in it and got down at the MN Memorial, where Veliyam Bhargavan was present. The next day, Veliyam summoned him.
“Ravi, you came yesterday in a government car with a board on it. We are a major party in the ruling front. The party stands above the government. If leaders travel in government vehicles, it means the party has taken over governance. Governance and party will merge,” Velayam said sternly. From that day onwards, Pannyan has never travelled in a government vehicle.
During the period when P K Vasudevan Nair was CPI secretary, Pannyan was entrusted with upgrading the office car. Considering that PKV travelled in it, the car was fitted with air conditioning. Seeing it, PKV was furious. “Who decided to add AC? This money was earned by ordinary workers who walked across villages wearing down their soles. It must be spent carefully. Luxury is unacceptable.”
Politicians’ clothing, conduct and food are closely watched by the public. “The people are the judges,” Pannyan said.
VS’s words
In 2005, pressure mounted on Pannyan to contest the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha by-election. Even O N V Kurup urged him. Pannyan resisted. Then V S Achuthanandan called him. “Pannyan, if the party loses because you did not contest, won’t you also bear responsibility?” Those words stirred him. Soon after, the State Executive Committee decided. Pannyan became the candidate. The contest, victory and what followed are history.
An MP without a car
When Pannyan was an MP, lyricist Bichu Thirumala came to meet him. Bichu had written a campaign song for the UDF during the election, Pannyan contested. Pannyan helped him with what he requested.
“A public representative belongs to everyone. No one is an enemy. Such thinking is diminishing. Public workers have changed a lot,” Pannyan remarked.
Lok Sabha Secretary P D T Achary advised him to buy a car. MPs could avail interest-free loans, repaid through salary, and own the car at the end of the term. “If I buy a car, I will become its owner. I don’t want that,” was Pannyan’s response. He travelled in a rented car during his tenure as MP.
“If you get used to extravagance, people’s respect will diminish. Spend according to income. Avoid big hotels. Isn’t a roadside eatery enough?” Pannyan laid out his principle.
Lessons from defeat
Today, party leaders’ continuous engagement with the people has declined. Interaction is largely through WhatsApp groups. There is a general lethargy among cadres. The overconfidence that came from being in power continuously for nine years led workers during the local body elections. Solutions must be found on a war footing. “We cannot just watch the BJP’s advance,” Pannyan warned.
The Lakshman Rekha
Many drift away from the people once they reach leadership positions. Politicians have a Lakshman Rekha. Crossing it results in deviation from political morality, he cautioned.
Pannyan’s home is at Kakkat, near Kannur city. His wife is Ratnavalli and children are Rakesh (construction sector), Adv Rupesh (Kannur Bar Association) and Ratheesh (Gulf).