Karivellur: From a humble beedi worker to receiving a national cleanliness award from the President of India, K Narayanan of Ayathavayal, Karivellur, continues to embody the true spirit of grassroots democracy. As Kerala prepares for the upcoming three-tier panchayat elections, memories of his encounter with former President Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam still shine vividly in the 78-year-old’s mind.

The year was 2007, and the venue was Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi, where Kerala’s local bodies were honoured with the Nirmal Gram Puraskar for achieving total sanitation. Representing his region, Narayanan, then president of the Karivellur–Peralam Grama Panchayat, received the award from President Kalam himself. In fluent Malayalam, Kalam asked, “Which panchayat are you from?” Taken aback for a moment, Narayanan replied — and the President continued, “I entrust you with the task of turning every panchayat in Kerala into a Nirmal Gram.”

Though allotted only two minutes for the presentation, Kalam spent nearly seven minutes in conversation with Narayanan — a memory that remains etched in his mind as a symbol of the beauty of democracy and civic engagement.

Narayanan served as president of the Karivellur–Peralam Panchayat from 2000 to 2010, across two terms, and also held the post of State President of the Kerala Grama Panchayat Presidents Association from 2005 to 2010.

In 2009, he was among ten representatives from India invited to London, where he had the opportunity to pay homage at the tomb of Karl Marx — an experience he cherishes deeply.

That same year, Narayanan was honoured with the Bharat Ratna Rajiv Gandhi Best Panchayat President Award for being Kerala’s best panchayat leader. The recognition came for establishing the Buds School, a welfare centre for differently-abled children, which he founded without any financial assistance from the government or the panchayat.

Eighteen years later, Narayanan’s story still stands as a testament to the power of perseverance, community service, and democratic spirit in Kerala’s local governance.