Sankaraiah, ‘freedom hunter’ turned champion of working class, dies at 102

CHENNAI: When the British arrested him on February 28, 1941, for organising a protest meeting in Madurai, N Sankaraiah was just 15 days away from writing his final exams for BA History. But he did not regret not being able to complete his graduation. For, when he eventually walked out after the third jail stint on the eve of India gaining independence, it was an altogether new story of a new country that he wanted to script.

As he was to recall decades later, it was in line with one of his favourite slogans of radical youth of that time: “We are not job hunters; we are freedom hunters.”

The veteran leader, who remained equally steadfast in following Communist ideology and set high standards of integrity and simplicity in public life, breathed his last in Chennai on Wednesday, at the age of 102.

Born on July 15, 1922, at Attur near Kovilpatti, Sankaraiah joined the freedom struggle when he was studying at American College, Madurai from 1936 to 1941. He became a member of the ‘banned’ Communist Party of India in 1940.

In 1941, after his friend Narayanasamy was arrested for having a copy of a pamphlet, Sankaraiah and others staged a protest, which led to his on February 28, 1941 – his first jail term, which ended 18 months later. He was arrested again and spent time behind bars till the eve of Independence.

A month after being released, Sankaraiah got married to Navamani, a teacher, at the Madurai party office presided over by veteran leader P Ramamurthi on September 18, 1947. “That was not only an inter-caste marriage but also an inter-religious marriage. Navamani hails from a protestant Christian family. Their children and grandchildren also had inter-caste marriages. His house is a Samathuvapuram,” commented politburo member G Ramakrishnan.

When the then Congress government banned the CPI in 1948, Sankaraiah was returning from the Kolkata party conference. He went underground for the next three years until he was arrested. He was arrested twice more, in 1962 (six months imprisonment) and 1964 (16 months).

He was among the 32 national council members who broke away from the CPI and formed the CPM in 1964. Now, former Kerala chief minister VS Achuthanandan is the only surviving member of the founding leaders.

He was elected to the Assembly in 1967, 1977 and 1980, and was the leader of the party in the Assembly in 1977 and 1980. He actively took part in the development of a farmers’ movement, and became the general secretary and president of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS).

He also served as the editor of Theekathir, the official mouthpiece of the State CPM. He was the party’s State secretary between 1995 and 2002, and stepped down citing poor health that prevented him from travelling.

Sankaraiah was a powerful speaker who could communicate complicated Communist politics and policies effectively among the masses. He refused to accept pension or honour meant for freedom fighters, and when the State government conferred the ‘Thagaisal Tamilar Award’ (Tamilian of Eminence Award) in 2021, Sankaraiah donated the cash prize of Rs 10 lakh back to the government for its COVID relief fund.

As late journalist and writer Ayyampalayam Somasundaram, popularly known as ‘Solai’, put it, if one were to summarise his life, Sankaraiah was either in prison or travelling on the train to meet the people.