Mandakini Narayanan (died 16 December 2006), popularly known as Ma, was an Indian

Naxalite Naxalism is the communist ideology of the Naxalites or Naxals, a grouping of political and insurgent groups from India. It is influenced by Maoist political sentiment and ideology. Inspired by Maoism, Charu Majumdar wrote the Historic Eight ...

leader in

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

Life

Born in

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

, she married the late Naxal leader Kunnikkal Narayanan. She herself was one of the front-runners of the Naxalite movement in

, a prominent state in India. Mandakini was born to a Gujarati couple, Navin Chandra Osa and Urvashi Osa. She worked with the undivided Communist Party while studying in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

. Mandakini, along with her husband and daughter, led several agitations waged by Naxalites in Kerala. She was arrested and sent to jail in the

Pulpally Pulpally is a mid-sized town in the Wayanad District of Kerala, India. Pulpally is also known as 'The land of black gold'. It is also renowned for its pure wild Wayanad honey. The famous Seetha Devi temple in Kerala is located in Pulpally. Geo ...

and

Thalassery Thalassery () (also called Tellicherry) is a city and municipality on the Malabar Coast in Kannur district in the state of Kerala, India, bordered by the districts of Mahe and Kozhikode. Thalassery municipality has a population of just under ...

police stations attack cases, which resulted in death of two police officials. She received a sentence of two and a half years during the emergency and was subjected to severe police excesses. Mandakini died on 16 December 2006, at the age of 82. Mandakini was survived by her daughter

K. Ajitha Kunnikkal Ajitha (born 1950) is a former Indian people, Indian naxalite who took active part in the Naxalite movement, naxalite movements in Kerala in the 1960s when the group conducted armed raids on Thalassery and Pulpally police stations and ...

, Naxalite turned human rights activist and social reformer. Ajitha now champions the cause of women-rights and fights against social evils and corruption through an organization named ANWESHI.

External links

*
''Naxalite pioneer Mandakini Narayanan dies'', Hindustan Times (from Press Trust of India, 16 December 2006)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Narayanan, Mandakini Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation politicians Women in Gujarat politics 2006 deaths 1920s births Gujarat politicians 20th-century Indian women politicians 20th-century Indian politicians Women in Kerala politics