K. R. Gouri (14 July 1919 – 11 May 2021), born Kalathilparambil Raman Gouri, commonly known as Gouri Amma, was an Indian politician from Alappuzha in central

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a 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 regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. She was one of the most prominent leaders of the Left movement in India. Born near

Cherthala Cherthala, , (formerly Shertalai, Shertallai or Shertallay) is a Municipal town and a Taluk located at National highway 66 in the district of Alappuzha, in the state of Kerala, India. Cherthala is the satellite town and industrial hub of Al ...

, K. R. Gouri studied at Maharaja's College and Trivandrum Law College. Refusing an offer from the Government of Travancore to be appointed a magistrate, she joined the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

in 1948. She was elected to Travancore-Cochin Legislative Assembly in 1952 and 1954. She served as the Land Revenue or Social Welfare minister in the

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year ...

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

( Namboodiripad), 1980 and

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

( Nayanar) Kerala ministries. As the Revenue Minister in the first Kerala ministry, she famously piloted the Kerala Agrarian Relations Bill. K. R. Gouri was expelled from Communist Party of India Marxist in 1994, and subsequently became a minister in the

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

-led Kerala Cabinet from 2001 to 2006.

Early life

Early career

K. R. Gouri was born on 14 July 1919 to K. A. Raman and Parvathi Amma in a wealthy Ezhava family in Alappuzha,

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...

. She studied at Maharaja's College, Ernakulam and St. Teresa’s College, Ernakulam (Graduation in History). She obtained her law degree (B. L.) from Trivandrum Law College and enrolled as an advocate at Sherthalai. Gouri was the first woman from the Ezhava community to get a degree in law. She famously refused an offer from C. P. Ramaswami Aiyar, the Prime Minister of Travancore, to be appointed a government magistrate. She married her colleague T. V. Thomas in 1957. The couple was later estranged.

In Travancore politics

K. R. Gouri started her public life with the Quit India Movement and later joined the agitation for the merger

with the state of India. She joined the

in 1948 (by this period, she had started working for the Party among coir workers in Alappuzha). She unsuccessfully ran for office from Sherthalai Constituency in the 1948 Travancore elections. Subsequently she underwent imprisonment and endured severe police torture. She was elected to the Travancore-Cochin Legislative Assembly in

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

and 1954 (she was in prison throughout the election period).

In Kerala politics

In the first Kerala ministry

The state of

was constituted on 1 November 1956 (States Reorganization Act). In 1957, the Communist Party of India defeated the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

in the first Kerala Legislative Assembly elections and, under E. M. S. Namboodiripad, formed the first non-Congress government in independent India. K. R. Gouri, member from Sherthalai, was chosen as the Revenue Minister.

Kerala Agrarian Relations Bill

As the Revenue Minister in the first Kerala ministry, K. R. Gouri piloted the Kerala Agrarian Relations Bill in December, 1957. Two major aims of the legislation introduced were the abolition of tenancy and the security for landless agriculture labourers or the hut dwellers. The bill gave tenants the right to buy their land from the owner at a price set by regulations, placed ceilings on the amount of land a family could own, established procedures for determining a fair rent, made illegal any evictions after the formation of Kerala and set up Land Tribunals in every taluk. The Kerala Assembly passed the bill on 10 June 1959. The President refused to assent the bill and sent it back with recommendations. The new Congress-led alliance government passed the amended bill as Agrarian Relations Act in 1960 (which was declared unconstitutional by the Kerala High Court in 1963).

Split in the Party

In 1964, ideological differences over a split between the Soviets and the Chinese communists and over the response to the 1962 India-China war prompted a large faction of party members to break with the Communist Party of India and form the Communist Party of India Marxist. After the split of 1964, K. R. Gouri joined the newly formed Communist Party of India Marxist.

With the Communist Party of India Marxist

In 1967 assembly elections resulted in the formation of the Communist Party of India Marxist-led United Front government in Kerala ( Second Namboodiripad ministry). K. R. Gouri, a member from

Aroor Aroor is a census town at the northern end of Alappuzha district and the southern suburb of the city of Kochi in the state of Kerala, India. It is a seafood related industrial area of Alleppey district, and acts as the Southern entry poi ...

, was chosen as Minister for Revenue, Social Welfare and Law. She served from March 1967 to November 1969. From 25 January 1980 till 20 October 1981 K. R. Gouri served as Minister for Agriculture, Social Welfare, Industries, Vigilance and Justice Administration in the first E. K. Nayanar ministry.

1987 assembly elections

The Left Democratic Front projected K. R. Gouri as the Chief Minister designate in the 1987 election assembly campaign. But once the allliance emerged victorious, the party chose veteran leader E. K. Nayanar instead. In the Second E. K. Nayanar ministry (1987–1991), K. R. Gouri served as Minister for Industries and Social Welfare, Vigilance and Administration of Justice.

With the Congress Party

Kerala_Council_of_Ministers_1987_EK_Nayanar

K. R. Gouri was expelled from Communist Party of India Marxist in 1994. She founded Janadhipathya Samrakshana Samithi (the J. S. S.) in 1994, which later became a member of the

-led anti-Marxist alliance United Democratic Front.

Minister in the Congress ministries

K. R. Gouri served as the Minister of Agriculture in the third A. K. Antony ministry (May 2001 – August 2004). She also a served as the Minister of Agriculture, Soil Conservation, Soil Survey, Warehousing Corporation, Dairy Development, Milk Co-operatives, Agricultural University, Animal Husbandry and Coir in the first Chandy ministry (August 2004 – May 2006).

Later years

Gouri published her autobiography titled ''Athmakatha'', which won the

Kerala Sahitya Academy Award Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award is given each year, since 1958, by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy), to Malayalam writers for their outstanding books of literary merit. The awards are given in various categories.

for best Autobiography/Biography in 2011. K. R. Gouri died on 11 May 2021. She was cremated at the Valiya Chudukad in Alappuzha.

Positions held

* Kerala State Secretariat Member, Communist Party of India Marxist. * Chairman, Committee on Government Assurances (1960-1961) * Chairman, Public Accounts Committee (1986 - 87) * President, Kerala Karshaka Sangam (1960 - 1984) * President, Kerala Mahila Sangam (from 1967 - 1976) * Secretary, Kerala Mahila Sangam (1976 - 1987)

In popular culture

Films

* ''

Lal Salam ''Lal Salam'' ( " Red salute") is a salute, greeting, or code word used by communists in South Asia. The word ''lal'' means "red" in Hindustani; '' salam'' means "peace" in Arabic. In popular culture * ''Lal Salam (1990 film)'' is a film bas ...

'' (1990), co-written by Cheriyan Kalpakavadi and directed by

Venu Nagavalli Venu Nagavally (16 April 1949 – 10 September 2010) was an Indian actor, screenwriter and director best known for his work in Malayalam film industry. He has directed 12 films. Son of writer, commentator, and broadcaster Nagavally R. S. Kurup, ...

. * '' Chief Minister K. R. Gowthami'' (1994), written by Salim Cherthala and directed by Babu Raj (Babu Cherthala)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gouri Amma, K. R. 1919 births 2021 deaths 20th-century Indian women politicians 20th-century Indian politicians 21st-century Indian women politicians 21st-century Indian politicians Communist Party of India (Marxist) politicians from Kerala Communist Party of India politicians from Kerala Indian centenarians Women centenarians Janathipathiya Samrakshana Samithy politicians Kerala MLAs 1960–1964 Kerala MLAs 1970–1977 Kerala MLAs 1982–1987 Kerala MLAs 1991–1996 Kerala MLAs 1996–2001 Kerala politicians Maharaja's College, Ernakulam alumni St. Teresa's College alumni Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram alumni Malayali politicians People of the Kingdom of Cochin Politicians from Alappuzha Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award Travancore–Cochin MLAs 1952–1954 Travancore–Cochin MLAs 1954–1956 Women members of the Kerala Legislative Assembly Women members of the Travancore–Cochin Legislative Assembly Women of the Kingdom of Cochin