Simon Britto Rodrigues (27 March 1954 – 31 December 2018) was an Indian politician and writer. He was an
Anglo-Indian member in the
Kerala Legislative Assembly during the term of
Left Democratic Front government from 2006 to 2011.
Early life
Simon Britto Rodrigues was born to Nichlos Rodrigues and Irin Rodrigues on 27 March 1954, in Pongikkara,
Ernakulam District
Ernakulam (; ISO: ''Eṟaṇākuḷaṁ'') is one of the List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala, and takes its name from the Ernakulam, eponymous city division in Kochi. ...
,
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 ...
.
Britto was an active member of
Students' Federation of India (SFI), he was a former student of
St. Albert's College,
Ernakulam,
Government Law College, Ernakulam,
Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram,
Kerala Law Academy Law College,
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 ...
,
Lalit Narayan Mithila University in his college days during the '80s.
Assault and Activism
Simon was paralysed in 1983 after he was stabbed by the workers of
Kerala Students Union (KSU)- the students' wing of the
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
at Maharajas College, Ernakulam. At the time, Britto was a volatile student leader of the Students' Federation of India (SFI). He was the district president of the organisation. Even after the attack, Britto was active in mainstream politics and continued to be in office until 1988. Ten years later he married Seena Bhaskar.
From 2006 to 2011, he was a nominated MLA representing the Anglo-Indian community.
With his wheel-chair, urine bottle, and walker, he had travelled across the country.
Britto was last seen in public as a part of mourning
Abhimanyu, an SFI activist from
Maharaja's College, who was murdered by his political opponents on 2 July 2018, with whom he had a very special relationship. He then remembered that Abhimanyu, whom he met during a TV interview, was a regular visitor to his home, and was like a son to him. He also remembered the help given by Abhimanyu, and strongly condemned his murder. He also switched on the biopic about Abhimanyu, titled 'Padmavyoohathile Abhimanyu', in which he starred as himself, at
Sree Kerala Varma College in Thrissur, on 9 October 2018.
Death
Britto died suddenly of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
at a hotel room in Thrissur on 31 December 2018, aged 64. He is survived by his wife Seena, a journalist, and daughter Nilavu.
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Literary contributions
Britto authored a couple of novels: ''Agragami'' and 'Maharandram''. ''Agragami'' won the Abu Dhabi Sakthi Award in 2009, and the Patyam Gopalan award. He was a state representative of Kerala Grandhasala Sangam.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Britto Rodrigues, Simon
1954 births
2018 deaths
Communist Party of India (Marxist) politicians from Kerala
Indian male novelists
Indian politicians with disabilities
Kerala MLAs 2006–2011
Malayalam-language novelists
Malayali people
Novelists from Kerala
Politicians from Ernakulam district
Recipients of the Abu Dhabi Sakthi Award