THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Cultural Affairs Minister A K Balan said on Wednesday the people of Kerala have not recognised the contributions of ornithologist and environmentalist K K Neelakandan (Induchoodan) during his lifetime and later, in the manner in which it deserved. Inaugurating 25th commemoration meeting of Neelakandan organised under the aegis of the English Department at the University College on Wednesday, he said Neelakandan was the pioneer in the environment protection movement in the state.
Balan recollected that Neelakandan’s masterpiece ‘The Birds of Kerala’ had made Kerala’s ornithologists proud and marked a place of its own in the nation’s environmental movement.
“His leadership role in the Silent Valley movement and enthusiasm in founding the Kerala Natural History Society had instilled a new vigour in the environment protection movement of the state,” he said.
‘I felt repentant on agitating against him’
Recollecting his student days at Government Brennan College, Thalassery, during 1968-70 when Neelakandan was the college principal, Balan said he had to organise an agitation in front of the principal’s residence to revoke the suspension of two students. Though the KSF’s agitation was a success, Neelakandan got reverted to the post of professor.
It was when Balan became the Lok Sabha member from Ottappalam in 1980, he met Neelakandan again at the latter’s house there.“Neelakandan sir was full of warmth towards me and told me that there was no need to be repentant about myself for organising an agitation against him.
However, he told me he had to sustain a loss of `1,500 from his pension every month as he had been reverted to the professor’s post,” Balan recollected. He said it was during his tenure as Power Minister in the VS Ministry that a peacock sanctuary was set up in memory of Neelakandan at Choozhannoor in the Palakkad district.
University College principal Aravinda Krishnan K and Head of the Department of English Chribuna Viswas and some of Neelakandan’s students also spoke.
Kesari Journalist Trust remembers ornithologist
Kesari Memorial Journalist Trust also organised a remembrance meeting in memory of Induchoodan. Ornithologist and environmentalist P K Uthaman inaugurated it. He said Neelakandan was the soul of the environment movement in the state. Ornithologist Sushant, Neelakandan’s daughter Dr K K Janaki, Kesari Trust Chairman C Rahim and others spoke. A slide show of photos of P K Uthaman was also held as part of the programme.