THRISSUR: N S Parameswaran Pillai, 79, one of the founder-members of the Indian Coffee House, passed away here on Friday. The cremation was held at Thrissur Pambadi in the evening.
Pillai, born on May 25, 1931, was one of the famous cooperators of Kerala and a leader of the legendary Indian Coffee House (ICH) movement. He was popularly known as 'Coffee House Pillai' in his friends' circle.
A fourth-standard dropout, he joined the Coffee Board's India Coffee House in Ernakulam in 1945 as a last grade employee.
Later, he started actively working for left-wing workers union. After being forced to give up the job by the Board in 1957, Pillai, along with the late communist leader from Thrissur, T K Krishnan, founded ICH in Kerala. The first ICH in the state was started in Thrissur in 1958 and was inaugurated by communist leader A K Gopalan.
Pillai has written a book, 'Coffee Housinte Katha' and it won the Abu Dhabi Shakti Award for the best autobiography in 2008.