CHAMMINI VASU:

CHAMMINI VASU: (03.03.1918-16.12.1979)

Born at Feroke on 03.03.1918. From the age of 16 onwards active in politics. He was among the 4 party card holders in Feroke. Many times, even after independence he was arrested by police and put in jail. During young age he worked as a paper agent and many other works.

Initially our house was in the middle of Feroke Town (presently where Preethy Complex is situated. Previously Preethy Theatre was there). Pootheri Nair family who was the uncrowned kings and the biggest land lord at Feroke (the entire Feroke town were under then that time). They had a talkies there; they want to expand that to where our house was there. They took the land, and even court favours them. (No eagle will fly over money). My father’s family then forced to shift to present place Ambalangadi,Nallur. Due to obstruction from Pootheri people for selling of land to my father’s name, land was taken possession in the name of Perumthody Thoomban and later transferred to us.

In my childhood availability of my father in house was very less. He will be always busy with party works and meetings. During my High school days I was nominated by him to serve party letters to different comrades. As a father he never punished me except once. One day I went to Feroke town for purchasing Lottery without informing house. That incident was the first and last of getting a beat from my father.

From mother it was liberal and uncountable. After my mother’s death in 21.01.1975 my father spend more time with us. During that period only I came to know the secret of why my father is always wearing banian. During in jail one policeman always beat our comrades. One they decided to react and beat back. The reaction was horrible. Around 10 policemen came and started attacking them. All lay down. Hence back side full of lines like tigers body. To cover this he always wear banian.

He was very liberal in donating. Whoever approach him for any help ( financially or things) he will satisfy their needs. Even mothers Gold Chain also given to somebody which never came back. My mother got a big house and land as her share in parental property at Thiroorkad, Malappuram. Father donated it back to my uncles without taking any compensation.

Still everybody is remembering his name. In many places I was presented as son of Chammini Vasu even now.

In ancient Kerala Caste discrimination was prominent. Lower caste and higher caste did not take food together in a function or even in a tea shop. Against this inhuman system many leaders waged agitation like Sahodaran Ayyappan. As a part of such activities in many areas common feast participated by different caste people arranged which is called “ Mishra Bhojanam”. Those who are participated were expelled from their caste by the caste leaders. Congress Socialist Party arranged a Mishra Bhojanam at Feroke in 1940. The function was organized at the house of Karuthedath Kunji Kanda. Perumthody Thoomban, Chammini Vasu, Madan kollan Ayyappan,K Velayudhan etc where expelled from their caste.

During my Farook College period one day my father sent me to Manjeri to meet and handover a letter to Com TK Hamza. He was DCC president of Malappuram and resigned from the post and an advocate practicing in Manjeri. He worked as left sypathiser and later joined to CPI(M). Later he become MP and Chief whip of party.

That period Party area committee meeting will be held at back side of Anandan Compounders shop near TP’s hospital. Com. NP Damodaran, Com. VKC mammed Koya, Com K Manu kuttan, Com. T Hassan, Com Balaraman, Com PPA Marath,( later left party) Com Valakkada Balakrishnan, Com K Appukuttan, Moideen Koya, Com C Chayichan. Anandan Compounder etc from my memory.

Some of the comrades decided not to marry and dedicated for full time party work. But later some of them got married after a considerable time. Chammini Vasu, K Padmanabhan etc are in that group.(both of them married after 40 years age and school teacher).

During 1948-50 period many communist leaders like P Krishnapilla, AK Gopalan, EMS Namboodiripad, C Unniraja, KP Gopalan, AV Kunjambu,Azeekodan Raghavan, CH Kanaran,KA Keraleeyan, NC Shekhar etc where stayed underground at Feroke area also.(even in our house also, since back side of our house is a small water canal and full of bushes and kaitha after that Harijan colony) These underground operations supervised by Com. Perumthody Thoomban and chammini Vasu.

In 1964 Oct 8,9 & 10, the first district conference of CPI(M) held at Kozhikode. In that conference Com. EK Nayanar was elected as Kozhikkode District secretary and among 39 district committee members Chammini Vasu is also a member. ( K Padmanabhan, MK Kelu, K Chathunni Master,T Ayyappan, N Chandrasekara Kurup, VK Gopalan, VV Dhakshinamurthy, U Kunjiraman ….). In 31 Dec 1964 Com. EK Nayanar along with 9 secretariat members and 6 other comrades were arrested under MISA. Then Com. N Chadrasekhara Kurup was elected as temporary secretary and Com. VK Gopalan, Com. Chammini Vasu, Com. VV Dhakshina Murthy, Com. THK Varier, Com. PV Sankaran were elected as Secretariat members.

There was a Tile Factory at Mooniyur, Parkkadavu owned by Sri Natraj Mudaliar, owner of Calicut Tile at Cheruvannur, Feroke. Most of the workers were from Feroke region.In 1968 Tile Workers Union declared strike, it prolonged for 1 ½ years.While the beginning of strike there was 121 workers, but during the course of strike many employees taken retirement and finally it become 81. Sri Mudaliar during conciliation expressed his willingness to sell the factory to employees.

Then the Communist party leaders namely; Chammini Vasu, Athekkat Balan Nair, VK Kandakutty, T Balakrishnan, Appukuttan (VCS), Yagnamurthy Namboodirippad, Kuttiyil Appu, & PV Balan Nair, etc Decided to take over the Factory and started mobilizing funds.

They registered a Public Limited Company “Janatha Tile Works” Mooniyur, Parakkadavu,In Malappuram District, the first Tile factory owned by the workers.

For getting sufficient shares they run pillar to post. Even Communist party leaders of Malappuram district were against this stating impractical.

1969-70 Company was registered and they applied for 3 lakh loan by pledging the company assets. 1971 3 lakh amount was passed by Govt of Kerala. 1 lakh rupees collected from workers share. Initially workers were not getting sufficient wages due to cash crunch. Slowly the financial position improved and share increased to 8 lakh and able to distribute 56 % bonus.

Later many such companies developed such as Star Tile Works, Kallai, Kozhikkode, Standard Tile Works, Cheruvannur. These companies improved the living standard of workers.

The first Election for the local bodies in Kerala happened in 1953 under the provisions of the then Travancore- Cochin Panchayat Act 1950.The Second election was held in 1963, after thye formation of state in 1956 and passing of Kerala Panchayat Act 1960. Chammini Vasu was elected as a member and later he worked as Vice President, Feroke Panchayat. The third election was held after a lapse of 16 years in 1979. In this election CPI(M) decided to field Chammini Vasu, Feroke Area Secretary of CPI(M) from ward no 10, Feroke Panchayat, which is a stronghold of party. Unfortunately some revisionist leaders worked against him and he loses the election. This becomes a shame for party as well as him. This and many other wrong campaign against him created mental torture and it resulted his unfortunate death on 16 December 1979. Com K Padmanabhan, close friend of Chammini Vasu who attended the funeral also died due to heart attack on 18 December 1979. The revisionist leader is still working in party.

1n 1970 Com K Chathunni Master elected as MLA from Beypore. Chammini Vasu lead his election campaign. In 1977 also he competed but failed to NP Moideen.

Chathunni Master was a close friend of my father. During my mother’s hospitalization and death he along with family was available, during my fathers death also he was available at Hospital. That time he was Rajya sabha MP.

Chammini Vasu was Member and Vice President for Feroke Panchayath from 1963 to 1979. He was director Feroke Service Co Operative bank, Feroke Service Co Operative store, Kozhikkode Town Planning Trust, Feroke Young men’s Library and reading room etc. He was working as Area secretary of CPI(M) Feroke Area Committee, District Committee member of Karshakasangam etc.

During 1970’s a few entrepreneurs joined together and started “Malabar Match Factory” in cheruvannur on partnership base. That time many match factories were working in cheruvannur. In my school period I got many match box pictures and Deepavali sweets from Sivakasi. Once I went with him to sivakasi. There I seen balck pigs in plenty in the road. Later they started “Allied Engineering Works” near to Feroke Sub registrar office.They were supplying machineries to different Industries and even Kottakkal Arya Vaidya shala. Afterwards partners divided and K Appuikuttan, VK Kandakkutty , Chammini Vasu, KV Sreedharan and few others took Allied Engineering.

The following incidents are catalytic to declare Internal Emergency:

In 1974 a student agitation by Bihar Chatra Sangarsh Samiti supported by Gandhian Socialist Jay Prakash Narayan, against Bihar Government.

Nav Nirman Movement in Gujarat.

The historic Railway men struggle in 1974; National Co-ordination Committee of Railway Men's struggle (NCCRS) formed. AIRF, AILRSA, AIREC, AITUC, CITU, BRMS and around 125 Railway Trade Unions joined hands with the biggest labour strike ever seen by the country, since the leaders called for conciliation were arrested strike pre-opened from 8 th to 2 nd May 1974. 14 lakh employees participated and entire Railway traffic paralyzed. All parties against Government supported the strike.

Raj Narain filed cases of Election fraud and use of state machinery for election in the Allahabad High Court, court found Indira Gandhi, guilty and declared her election null and void and unseated her from her seat in the Lok Sabha. Indira Gandhi challenged Allahabad High Court’s decision in the Apex Court. Justice VR Krishna Iyer on 24 June 1975 upheld the High Court judgment and ordered all privileges Indira Gandhi received as MP be stopped, and that she be debarred from voting.

Then as per article 352(1) of Indian Constitution President Fakhruddin Ali Ahamed declared Internal Emergency on 25 June 1975 till 21 March 1977.(someone says the order signed in bathroom of President)

During these period political leaders especially communist leaders were arrested and tortured by police. Kakkayam camp and Rajan case was famous.

One day (during Emergency period) I along with my father was attending a function at father’s brother Appukuttan’s house. One person came and took my father. Later it is revealed that he was a crime branch police man in civil dress. My father was under custody for around 10 days. Luckily one known sub Inspector was available in that camp, so he came back without much damage.

He died on 16.12.1979 due to cardiac arrest.

RED SALUTE to my great father who sacrificed his entire life for the betterment of working class.

C Sunish.

12.12.2019.

NB: All the above matters are collected from my memory. Any mistakes kindly forgive me.