THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Left fellow traveler Cherian Philip has refused to take charge as the vice-chairman of the Khadi board since he is busy with his book.
In a Facebook post, Cherian wrote that he is currently busy working on his book on modern political history titled 'Adiyozhukkukal' (Undercurrents) because of which he will not be able to take charge at the Khadi Board. He was given the post by the Kerala government following the resignation of incumbent Shobana George.
“It will not go together selling khadi products and penning the political history of an era,” said Cherian who was not happy with the Left leadership of late after the Front denied him a Rajya Sabha seat. Further, the Congress leadership recently extended an invitation to him to the party if he is ready to apologise for his past wrongdoings.
The new book will be a sequel to 'Quarter Century', published 40 years ago. “Since extensive research is needed to collect and codify the old facts needed to pen the history, it is difficult to do Khadi sale and history writing together,” he said in the post.
Old newspaper cuttings have to be checked and frequent meetings with political figures, media personalities, and community leaders of the time are needed to record the political secrets of the time. At least two years of continuous effort is needed to complete the book, he said.
If Karl Marx had conceptualized his theories overcoming extreme poverty, Jawaharlal Nehru had written the book, Discovery of India from prison. All of these are great inspirations for him to write the book which would serve as a reference guide for political, historical, and media students. DC Books will publish his works.