P. Govinda Pillai (23 May 1926 – 22 November 2012) was a veteran

Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)) is a Communism in India, communist List of political parties in India, political party in India. It is the largest communist party in India in terms of membership and electora ...

leader and ideologue from

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 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, and former

Chief Editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's Editing, editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is hel ...

Deshabhimani ''Deshabhimani'' is a Malayalam newspaper and the organ of the Kerala State Committee of the CPI(M). It started as a weekly in Kozhikode on 6 September 1942 and converted to a daily in 1946. The paper now has ten different printing centres: Ko ...

Biography

Pillai was born on 23 May 1926 in Pulluvazhi,

Perumbavoor Perumbavoor () is a municipality in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. It is located north of the district collectorate in Thrikkakara and about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. Perumbavoor is part of the Kochi metrop ...

, in a Nair family, as the son of Parameswaran Pillai and Parukuttyamma. He graduated with BA Hons. from St.Xaviers', Mumbai. He was elected as a member of Thiru-Kochi Assembly in 1951 and later as a member of the Kerala Assembly 1967–70. He was the Kerala Press Academy Chairman 1981–82. Pillai wrote and spoke widely on the subject of fine arts and served as the Chairman of the

Kerala State Film Development Corporation Kerala State Film Development Corporation (abbreviated as KSFDC), is an organization founded by the Government of Kerala, India for promoting the film market in the state. It was founded in 1975, a period when the production of Malayalam films ...

and as the founding Director of the Centre for Development of Imaging Technology (C-DIT). Pillai often appeared on

Kairali TV Kairali TV is an Indian Malayalam-language general entertainment free-to-air television channel owned by PTC Network via holding company G-Next Media Pvt Ltd . It is headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram. It was launched on 17 August 2000. Hist ...

, commenting on national and international events. His unfavorable critical remarks about E.M.S. Namboodiripad on various issues invited fierce backlash from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) politburo. The party saw it as "grave indiscipline" and publicly censured him on the issue. However, in 2010, he received the Janasevana Praveen from the V. Sambasivan Foundation. He died on 22 November 2012 in

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

, Kerala. Aged 86 at the time of his death, he suffered from numerous

aging-associated diseases An aging-associated disease (commonly termed age-related disease, ARD) is a disease that is most often seen with increasing frequency with increasing senescence. They are essentially complications of senescence, distinguished from the aging proce ...

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

and

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina pectoris, angina, myocardial infarction, heart attack), heart failure, ...

. He was cremated with full state honours at Santhikavadam crematorium nearby the next day. Being an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

, he was cremated without any religious rituals.

Bibliography

Books

*'' Marxum mooladhanavum'' (''Marx and Capital'') *'' Isangalkkippuram'' (''Within "ism"s'') *'' Marxist saundaryashastram, udbhavavum valarchayum'' (''Marxist aesthetics: origin and growth'') *'' Bhudakaalavum Munvidhiyum'' (''Past and Prejudice'') *'' Frederick Engels – Snigdhanaya Sahakari Varishtanaya viplavakari'' *'' Mar Gregoriosinte Mathavum Marxisavum'' (''Religion and Marxism of Mar Gregorios'') *'' EMS um Malayala Sahityavum '' (''EMS and Kerala literature'') *'' Kerala Navodhanam Oru Marxist Veekshanam Vol 1'' (''Kerala renaissance: A Marxist perspective Vol 1'') *'' Kerala Navodhanam Oru Marxist Veekshanam – Mathacharyar Mathanishedhikal'' *'' Mahabharatham Muthal Communism Vare'' (''From Mahabharatha to Communism'') *'' Mulkraj Muthal Pavanan Vare'' (''From Mulkraj to Pavanan'') *'' Aagolavalkaranam Maadhyamam Samskaram'' (''Globalization Media Culture'') *'' EMS Namboothiripad – A Biography'' *'' Charles Darwin;Jeevithavum Kaalavum'' (2009) (''Charles Darwin: life and times'') *'' Vynjanika viplavam-Oru samskarika charithram'' (2011) (''Knowledge revolution: A cultural history'') *'' Guide book for Gramcii readers'' (joint author with EMS) *samskaravum navodhanavum translated by P. P. Sathyan. *'' The Bhakti Movement: Renaissance or Revivalism?

Translations

*'' Kaattukadannal'' (''Gadfly'' by

Ethel Lilian Voynich Ethel Lilian Voynich ( Boole; 11 May 1864 – 27 July 1960) was an Irish-born novelist and musician, and a supporter of several revolutionary causes. She was born in Cork, but grew up in Lancashire, England. Voynich was a significant figure, n ...

) *'' Bhoothakalavum Munvidhikalum'' (''Past and Prejudice'' by

Romila Thapar Romila Thapar (born 30 November 1931) is an Indian historian. Her principal area of study is ancient India, a field in which she is pre-eminent. Quotr: "The pre-eminent interpreter of ancient Indian history today. ... " Thapar is a Professor ...

)

Awards

* 2007:

Abu Dhabi Sakthi Award Abu Dhabi Sakthi Award is a literary award instituted by UAE-based Abu Dhabi Sakthi Theatres and awarded to writers in Malayalam literature Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep an ...

(Scholarly literature)

References

External links

"P. Govinda Pillai: Life Sktech"
(in Malayalam). ''Grandhalokam''. January 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Pillai, P. Govinda Communist Party of India (Marxist) politicians from Kerala Politicians from Kochi 1926 births 2012 deaths Malayalam-language journalists Politicians from Ernakulam district Indian Marxist writers Malayalam-language writers Writers from Kerala 20th-century Indian translators Indian political writers Kerala MLAs 1957–1959 Kerala MLAs 1967–1970 Indian male writers 20th-century Indian non-fiction writers Journalists from Kerala Indian male journalists Recipients of the Abu Dhabi Sakthi Award