THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Anathalavattom Anandan was a staunch communist who, even at the height of his successful political career, never failed to question authority, even if it involved his own party. As a local trade union leader of coir workers in Anjuthengu and Chirayinkeezhu, Anandan did what other comrades would not even dare consider.
It was 1957, during the time of the first elected Communist government led by E M S Namboodiripad, A young Anandan led a group of workers, including women, from his village to the party’s state committee office. Then state assistant secretary S Kumaran enquired about the purpose of the visit, to which Anandan, who was at the time a branch secretary, replied that they were there to demand the implementation of minimum wage in the coir sector.
In 1954, the Pattom Thanu Pillai government had increased the daily wage to one rupee. But owners had refused to implement the measure. Despite an ultimatum threatening strict action by the party, Anandan was adamant. He staged a protest of coir workers in front of the secretariat. There were calls for action against a leader who was believed to have strayed from the party line. But it was EMS’ own slogan ‘struggle and governance’ that came to his rescue, according to Anandan.
Decades later, in 2021, even as a veteran leader, Anandan was his old self. KSRTC employees had been denied their salaries for months, and he openly criticised the management’s anti-worker policy. His unwavering stance as CITU state president pushed the cabinet to intervene. With his demise, workers in both the organised and unorganised sectors have lost a fellow comrade who was at the forefront of creating a camaraderie among them.
Anandan was born on April 22, 1937, in Chirayinkeezhu. His parents were coir workers. At the time a worker received eight ana as wage. To make ends meet, Anandan was forced to mix work at a coir unit with his studies. After work, he would walk miles to the neighbouring village of Kadakkavoor to attend school.
Even as a youngster, Anandan participated in a protest march of coir workers seeking higher wages. He gave up a job opportunity with the railways, to represent labourers. When the Communist party split in 1964, he stood with the CPM. It was then party secretary C H Kanaran who urged him to be a full-timer. When Emergency was declared in 1975, Anandan went underground, and remained there for around one and half years. In 1985, he became a member of the CPM state committee.