Comrade, Poet and Philosopher
KOCHI: His matchless diction weaved the dreams of the comrades in the state. However, it was an electoral defeat that made ONV Kurup part of the Left movement. As a student of BA Economics, ONV contested as candidate of the KSP faction of the Students Congress, but lost to O Madhavan of the Student Federation, the student wing of the Communist Party. “It was only then that I realised that I was opposing the organisation, which belonged to the children of Communists and workers in and around Kollam. Hence I parted with the KSP on friendly terms and joined the Students Federation,” he says in ‘Pokkuveyil Mannilezhuthumbol,’ a collection of his autobiographical notes. Later, he won by a margin of more than 1,000 votes and was elected chairman of SN College in 1951-52, as the representative of Students Federation.
Known for his Leftist leaning, his association with the Red lasted till his end, as he emerged as one of the flag-bearers of the Communist movement, through his pithy and piercing lyrics.
It was ‘Ningalenne Communistakki’ from Kerala People’s Arts Club (KPAC) that bolstered the Communist movement in the state. O N V Kurup, then a young poet penned the songs and G Devarajan, then a promising musician, breathed life into them, with the voices of K S George and Sulochana lending the magic, which dwelled on emotions and experiences. The unforgettable lines of ‘Ponnarival Ambiliyil’ went on to be a timeless classic.
He enjoyed a close association with Indian People’s Theatre Association, as he was the representative from the state, at its national conference held in 1953 in Bombay. His active political life ended after entering government service later. In 1989, after retirement, he ventured into electoral politics again as an LDF Independent, where he lost to A Charles, sitting MP of Congress, by a margin of 50,913 votes in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha Constituency.
“I do not attach much importance to that chapter now. The candidature was the result of the pressure exerted by my two long-time friends, V S Achuthanandan and P K V (Vasudevan Nair),” he had recollected. The loss, however, had not dampened his spirits and he had never wanted to end his affiliation with the red flag. He had mentioned this at a reception in Kollam after he had received the Jnanpith award. “Whatever I receive, the red flag will be always with me. I will keep it close to my heart, till my end,” he had told the gathering and kept his word.