THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Noted economist and Dalit thinker M Kunhaman was found dead in his residence near Sreekaryam on Sunday evening on his 74th birthday.
Kunhaman, who lived alone at Venchavodu, was found dead in the kitchen of his residence. The death of Kunhaman, who was an empowered Dalit voice and a noted scholar on land distribution and agrarian matters, came to light when Kunhaman's friend and social activist K M Shajahan came to visit him. Kunhaman had called Shajahan over the phone on Saturday and conveyed his wish to meet him. It was on that basis that Shajahan came over.
As Kunhaman did not respond to his calls, Shajahan informed the police, who opened the doors and found him dead. The Sreekaryam police said the exact reason behind the death would be revealed after the autopsy slated to be held on Monday.
“We don't suspect any foul play. The autopsy will be held on Monday and after that, we will get a clear picture of how he died,” said an officer.
Born in the Vadanamkurissi in Palakkad district to Cherona and Ayyan, Kunhaman excelled in studies and became the first Dalit from the state after K R Narayanan to win the first rank in M A Economics. He achieved this feat during his studies at Palakkad Victoria College.
He then completed M Phil from the Centre for Development Studies (CDS) and PhD from Cochin University.
He taught at the Economics department of the Kerala University at the Karyavattom campus for 27 years followed by a nine-year stint at the Tuljapura campus of the Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS).
Having had to go through the grind of caste discrimination, Kunhaman never shied away from sharing his bitter experiences, and his autobiography 'Ethir' offered a glimpse of what he had gone through in his formative years. 'Ethir' had won the 2021 Sahitya Akademi Award, but he declined to receive it citing his inhibition to accept laurels for his scholastic work.