Today I had the chance to visit the Payyambalam Beach,in Kannur city, along with other comrades. It is here that many of the working class leaders have been buried and memorials constructed for them.
One of the first constructed memorial is for Swadeshabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai, a fearless journalist who criticised the wrong doing of the Travancore Raja and Diwan and who was banished from the kingdom. He died at Kannur in 1916 and is buried at Payyabalam.
Comrade A.K.Gopalan, one of the greatest working class leaders in the country, is also buried here. His body was taken from Thiruvananthapuram by Road which was paid homage by lakhs of people on the way.
Memorials are built here for Comrades C.Kannan, O.Bharathan, CITU leaders as also to Comrade Chadayan Govindan, who was the State Secretary of CPI(M).
Com.N.P.Padmanabhan and Com. T.M.Janardhanan, two stalwarts of the P andT trade union movement are also buried here and memorials erected.
The place was just like a pilgrimage centre. We paid our respectful homage to the memory of these comrades which will certainly help us in our journey forward.