Thengamam Balakrishnan (April 1, 1927 – July 3, 2013) was an Indian

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

, and leader of

Communist Party of India The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. The CPI considers the Foundation of the Communist Party of India, December 26, 1925 Cawnpore (Kanpur) conference as its foundation date. Between 1946 and 1951, the CPI led m ...

. He was former Chief editor of

Janayugom ''Janayugom'' is a Malayalam daily newspaper published in Kerala, India. It is the official organ of the Kerala State Council of the Communist Party of India. It is the first newspaper in India using free software. Originally started in 1947 as ...

. He represented

Adoor Adoor is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipality in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, India. It is the headquarters of the List of taluks of Kerala, Adoor Taluk and Adoor Revenue Division. Adoor is located southwest of the district he ...

constituency in the

Kerala Legislative Assembly The Kerala Legislative Assembly, popularly known as the Kerala Niyamasabha, is the State Assembly of Kerala, one of the 30 states in India. The Assembly is formed by 140 elected representatives. Each elected member represents one of the 140 ...

from 1970 to 1977.

Biography

He was born as the eldest son of Madhavan and Naniamma of Thengamam on April 1, 1927. Influenced by the freedom movement and national leaders, Thengamam began his public life through

All India Students Federation The All India Students' Federation (AISF) is the oldest Student society, student organisation in India, founded in 1936. Pre-independence AISF was founded on 12 August 1936, with guidance and cooperation from the Indian independence movemen ...

. Even during the student life, he was arrested and suffered police brutality for his public activism. He had served as member of

Kerala Public Service Commission The Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC) is a government body in the state of Kerala, India, responsible for recruiting candidates for various state government jobs through competitive examinations. It was established in 1956 by the provision ...

, vice-president of Kerala Grandhasala Sangam and editor of Grandalokam. Thengamam was married to Nirmala, they have two daughters and one son. He died on July 3, 2013, at the age of 86.Thengamam Balakrishnan passes away
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References

1927 births 2013 deaths Journalists from Kerala Indian editors Kerala MLAs 1970–1977 People from Pathanamthitta district 20th-century Indian journalists Indian male journalists Communist Party of India politicians from Kerala {{Kerala-CPIndia-politician-stub