CPI giant R Nalakunnu, who passed away at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital due to age-related ailments at the age of 101 on Wednesday, will always be remembered for his fight for a casteless and just society. The centenarian, who never let go of his honesty and integrity, stayed endearingly simple right to his dying breath.
Three famous incidents serve as a mark of the man.
A little over 20 years ago when the party collected and presented him Rs 1 crore and a car on his 80th birthday, Nalakunnu returned both saying it belonged to the people, not him.
Similarly, when the Tamil Nadu Government conferred him with the 'Thagaisaal Tamilar' award and a cash prize of Rs 15 lakh in 2022, he handed it over to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund adding Rs 5,000 from his pocket.
And there was the famous incident following his father-in-law being murdered in a caste clash. Nallakannu's poise then not only brought peace among the clashing groups but he also offered the compensation awarded by the government for his father-in-law's murder to the children of opposing groups for their education.
These are but a few glowing examples from the life of this singular leader, who was born on the very day the CPI came into being: December 26, 1925. .
Father's opposition and Bharathiyar's inspiration
Born to a farmer Ramasamy and his wife Karuppayi at Srivaikuntam in Thoothukudi district (erstwhile Tirunelveli), Nallakannu had developed an abiding passion for politics at a very young age.
Ramasamy was dismayed.
"The more my father opposed my life, my ways, the deeper my dissent grew," Nallakannu had told P Sainath, the author of The Lost Heroes.
Subramania Bharathiyar, the revolutionary Tamil poet, was one of the favourites of Nallakannu.
"Bharathiyar inspired me. He wrote 'Suthanthira Pallu' ('Independence Song') in 1909, celebrating independence 38 years before India attained it," Nallakannu recounted. "I learnt some of the lines from Hindi pundit Pallavesam Chettiar at school," he had told Sainath.
Nallakannu used to recite the lines from memory, verbatim, even during his last days.
The strike by the workers at the Panchalai (cotton mill) in Thoothukudi made a deep impression on him, then a boy of five. He told Sainath: "People were poor, but every household contributed something… this solidarity with the workers’ struggle had a huge impact on me."
He was barely 12 when he campaigned for the Congress during the 1937 provincial elections in colonial Madras, and only 15 when he joined the Communist Party of India (CPI); at 18, in 1943, he formally joined the party. Comrade RNK stayed true to the red flag and everything it stood for since.
'Builder of the party'
CPI general secretary D Raja told TNIE that Nallakannu was "the builder of the party. He was a great organiser."
Raja also called Nallakannu a man of great ideals and vision and at the same time a man of simple living. He wished the younger generation could consider the great man their role model.
The centenary celebrations of the veteran leader was presided over by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on December 29, 2024. Stalin took the opportunity to laud Nallakannu's commitment to the welfare of the people and dedication to communist principles.
Nallakannu contribution in building the farmers' movement in Tamil Nadu was particularly noteworthy. Assigned to work for Janashakti, the CPI party organ, in 1946, he requested to return to grassroots work with farmers, according to a report. From then, his support to the farmers was unstinting.
With over eight decades of activism and seven decades of party membership, Nalakannu served as the party's state secretary for 13 years. From his early years in the party, he had fought against caste oppression and advocated inter-caste marriages. Being dark-skinned, many considered him to be a Dalit though he was not. His marriage was an inter-religious one with his wife Ranjitham a Christian, who was the daughter of a party leader.
In 1948, after the Communist Party was banned in Independent India, Nallakannu was arrested on December 20, 1949, and subjected to torture in police custody. It was at that time a police officer burnt his moustache with a cigarette.
He was then implicated in the Nellai Conspiracy Case alongside other Communist leaders and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He served seven years before being released in 1956.
Nallakannu spoke out against the oppression of prominent activists such as Nellai Kannan and writer Perumal Murugan, noting that intimidating people is a serious violation of basic rights.
He also criticised, on multiple occasions, the BJP's policies. He noted that the policies promoted division along the lines of class, caste, religion and gender.
"There is growth, but for whom? Education has developed, but the affluent people can afford the study of their choice. Dalits are still being oppressed and women are not able to live freely," he told the press following the death of Rohit Vemula.
Nallakannu also didn't hesitate to condemn what he saw as the corrupt governance of both DMK and AIADMK in TN. He told reporters at a press meet in 2016 that both parties were pursuing similar policies on many issues and were selling natural resources to MNCs at throwaway prices.
Environmental activism
The late CPI leader was vocal about several sensitive environmental issues, attending in person the protests against proposed the Away From Reactor unit inside the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, illegal sand mining in Cauvery, Sterlite copper factory in Thoothukudi and the encroachment on the Noyyal green corridor, to name a few.
In 2010, he filed a public interest litigation seeking a ban on quarrying in Tamirabarani and even took on the role of an advocate in the case. Nallakannu appeared before a bench of Justices P Jyothimani and S Nagamuthu, arguing that mining operations in Tholappanpannai, Thoothukudi district have exceeded the amount specified in the PWD permission accorded by the Collector.
'That's why he is Nallakannu'
Samuthirakani, film producer and actor, filmed a biopic on Comrade Nallakannu titled 'Adhanal Dhaan Avar Nallakannu' (‘That is why he is Nallakannu').
In the 2019 trailer, a contemporary of Nallakannu says, "if a revolution pushes the Communist party comes to power [in India], Nallakannu would be the Chief Minister; it would be a prosperous period for all."
ADHANAL DHAAN AVAR NALLAKANNU TRAILER | NAADODIGAL - YouTube
Memories of the gentle giant
I last met Nallakannu in January 2025 at his residence in Lotus Colony, Nandanam, Chennai, where he was under the care of his younger daughter, Andal. The visit took place a month after he had turned 99.
Given his age and concerns about his health, Andal was particularly protective of him during the meeting.
"Don't take much time, discussing," she pleaded with me.
He was ageing gracefully then and though he looked frail, the fire in his spirit was still alive.
In the small hall or front room there was a cot on which Tamil magazines and newspapers lay randomly.
Despite his daughter's apprehension, I remember Nallakannu asking Andal for the keys of his 'office room.'
We spent some time in his office room where books were arranged neatly in the book shelves and a table nearby had busts of political leaders. CPI Tamil Nadu state secretary R Mutharasan had told me about him being a voracious reader and here was proof.
Nallakannu answered my queries in whispers. I also spotted tremors in his left hand.
Andal downplayed the sacrifices her father had made during his struggle for a casteless and a just society.
When asked about how he used to wash his only pair of shirt and dhoti at the party office every night to help him wear it the next day, she replied most Communist leaders of that time were like that.
Nallakannu's elder daughter Kasi Bharathi lives in Kovilpatti. His wife Ranjithammal had passed away in the year 2016.
(With inputs from Praneetha Gopalakrishnan.)