Alappuzha in Kerala is particularly known for it's politics. Bearing the history of Communist uprisings - historic incidents at Punnappra-Vayalar, Alappuzha was at the Centre in the political map of modern Kerala in the late 1950s. Under the British rule, Alappuzha was the base of operations for the Communists. Alappuzha is now also home to many current politicians like V.S Achuthanandan, A.K Antony, Vayalar Ravi, V.M Sudheeran, G Sudhakaran, Thomas Isaac... In fact this piece is not on any of these politicians, but it will be a tribute to K.R Gauri (Gauriamma) who turned 100 recently.
As a person from Alappuzha born in the 90s, the most popular politician in my childhood was A.K Antony. He was the Chief Minister of Kerala when I was a child and he was so popular back then. And also if someone asked me to name my favorite politician, I used to say two names; A.K Antony and E.K Nayanar; representing Idealism and Practicality in politics. I was in a way attracted to these two names because I couldn't come up with a person who embodied both these qualities. This was also in a way, a prejudice that got hold of me due to my patchy knowledge of the political history of Kerala. As I got to know more history, many new names came up. One of them was K.R Gauri. Knowing K.R Gauri in a way helped me to understand Kerala Politics in a more nuanced way. K.R Gauri through her political and personal life fought the violent regressions of Kerala. Her unique ability to handle things as an administrator - her will power and idealism - made her unique.
Gauriamma and her role in Kerala Politics is something to be deeply studied. I still remember going to the Legislative Museum next to the Legislative Assembly building in Thiruvananthapuram. It was only last year that I finally got the chance to see the Museum. In the Museum, there are historical records of K.R Gauri (as the Minister and the Legislator). She is only second to K.M Mani in the most number of wins to assembly elections. She won 12 and K.M Mani won 13. She lost only once in the 1977 polls. She became the minister six times taking up portfolios ranging from Revenue to Education. Gauriamma's role in Kerala politics is unparalleled, yet many would conveniently forget her name. Her role in fighting Misogyny and Casteism was also noteworthy in Kerala Politics. Her incessant struggles are an inspiration. Still the question of whether she is denied the due credit in Kerala's Political History is something to be investigated.
K.R Gauri was an exceptional person. Facing up to the opposition's misogynistic rants and rising above the Casteism within her party, she maintained her poise. Gauriamma's marriage with T.V Thomas was also a controversial instance of her life. Her personal life is also a testament of how strong she was driven by her political ideology. After the Party's 1965 split, T.V and Gauriamma had this conflict which even continued to their bedroom. As she said, she would take up the left portion of the bed and T.V would take the right(just as CPM and CPI were called as the left and the right within the left), thus they both slept back to back. Slowly Gauriamma drifted away from T.V.
She was a revolutionary and played a major role in winning the mandate for the Communist Party in 1957. She still remembers those dark days before '57 when the Police hunted down and tortured the Communists. She was also tortured by the police but this didn't stop her from moving away from the party or politics. K.R Gauri's work as a member of the Assembly was unique. She took the lead role in introducing the first 'Land Reforms Bill' which became monumental for Kerala and the Communist party. K.R Gauri was the revenue minister in the first Communist government in 1957 (also the first government of United Kerala). Gauriamma's role in introducing the Land Reforms Act (rudimentary form in '57 and '67) again shows her political will. In a standoff between herself and her party, later about the 1975 bill, on acquisition of the land for 'adivasis', she again proved that she can't be manipulated or bought. K.R Gauri had progressive ideas and those ideas were always aligned with the Left ideology. She didn't care if the party shared her opinion or not. She was a firebrand who continuously fought for what she believed in. In 1994, she was expelled by the same party by citing the reason that she was found to be participating in "anti-party" activities. Her expulsion from party really broke Gauriamma. She fought back by forming a new party, Janadipathya Samrakshana Samithi (JSS) and eventually she became a part of the coalition led by Indian National Congress. Here, it is important to remember K.R Gauri's expulsion from the party as a sign of the drastic changes happening in the ideological spaces in CPM. Then again, in 2016, she returned to LDF.
Now as the CPM in Kerala is building its new narrative of progressiveness and gender equality, this expulsion of Gauriamma is more relevant. This 'Navodhanam' narrative from CPM seems to be a façade when you place K.R Gauri at the center of this narrative. There are still a lot of questions to be answered. To start with,
1) Why was she denied the CM post back in 1987? (How could one actually forget the election slogans of '87 - "Keram thingum Kerala nattil K.R Gauri naadu bharikkum.")
2) Does CPM still endorse what happened in the past when its male party members used misogynistic, casteist language against Gauriamma(The congress party's male members were more regressive and also better at this than the left)?, and,
3) What was E.M.S' role in the expulsion of Gauriamma from the party? (K.R Gauri still believes that whatever happened to her in the party had everything to do with E.M.S. She still holds him responsible for her expulsion from the party.)
In the current context of Sabarimala and Navodhanam, CPM has every opportunity to make it up to Gauriamma. I personally think by inviting Gauriamma back to the party, CPM could right the many wrongs it had done to her. Gauriamma still lives in her home in Alappuzha. She has no close relatives - No husband, no sons or daughters, only her revolutionary memories to accompany her in her old age. K.R Gauri's role in writing the tumultuous chapters of Kerala's Political History is something for the ages. By looking into the current political scenario, it is sure that Gauriamma's achievements in legislative sphere won't be matched by any other politician in the near future. Her position in history is more than special.
Her 100th Birthday passed by last month and there were no major 'throwbacks' to how things were before Gauriamma and how she had managed to usher in a new era. No accounts of her were written except that of a BRP Bhaskar piece, which was exceptional, in 'Malayalam Varika (July 8, 2019)'. In her Centenary, K.R Gauri - the firebrand - deserves more regard than ever!
(K.R Gauri (Gauriamma) passed away on Tuesday, 11 May 2021)
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