KOCHI: I have a certain black and white picture of my grandfather Justice V Balakrishnan Eradi (whom I call Valiacha), that sits squarely between a stack of my favorite Conde Nast magazines and a collection of Pierre Cardin pens he gifted me over the years. The juxtaposition of the austere expression donned by my grandfather in his black robes against the childish innocence expressed by the teddy bear crafted on the picture frame still makes me nostalgic. For, it perfectly encapsulates who he was - brilliant & wildly successful - but, above all, a devoted family man.
Valiacha was born on June 19, 1922 at Kozhikode, Kerala. He lost his mother when he was barely nine-year-old to Tuberculosis, which had no cure in those days. He and his three younger siblings were brought up by his mother’s first cousin, like they were her own children, in a joint family in Kozhikode. After his early education at Zamorin’s High School in Kozhikode, he graduated from Madras Christian college, Chennai.
Then, he got his law degree from Madras Law College. When the results of the law exam were published, he anxiously scanned the paper for his name among the names of the students who passed and was horrified to not see his name in the list. Taking a closer look, his anxiety turned to joy when he realised his name was singled out at the top as the only one to have received the first rank & the only first class that year in Madras Presidency.
Balakrishnan went on to enrol as an advocate in Madras High Court, as junior to K Kuttikrishna Menon, a leading lawyer of that time who rose to become Advocate General of the Madras Presidency. Recognising Valiacha’s brilliance & attributes, my great grandfather, K Kuttikrishna Menon, made him his son-in-law. When the High Court of Kerala was established following the reorganisation of states in 1956, Valiacha moved his practice to Ernakulam. In 1967, he became a Judge of the Kerala High Court, the youngest High Court judge ever appointed at that time in India.
He became Chief Justice of the High Court of Kerala in 1980 and was elevated to the Supreme Court in 1981. After retirement, he was appointed as the first president of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. He also held several other important posts in his career.
He was actively associated with a number of leading cultural, social and spiritual service organisations. During one of our annual summer visits to India, as I rummaged through a plethora of old albums my grandmother collected over the years, I got privileged glimpses into the important moments of my grandparents’ life. These pictures reinforced my admiration for Justice Balakrishnan and for his passion, hard work, and dedication – qualities that I have aspired to emulate.
The summer that my grandfather turned 84, multiple celebrations were thrown in his honor. As I looked into the faces of the people who came to congratulate him, I fully understood the impact my grandfather had made on many lives. My grandfather passed away on in December 2010, aged 88. His life continues to inspire me and I will spend my entire life trying to preserve his memory.
