19^th March 2012, is the 14th death anniversary of  Com. E.M.S.Namboodiripad, the Communist ideologue of international fame and the leader who was at the helm of Communist leadership for about six decades, in the most difficult times. He was the first Chief Minister of Kerala and had been the Chief Minister for three different terms.

Born  on 14^th March 1909  in a big orthodox feudal land-lord  family of Elamkulam ( in the present Malappuram District), EMS in his student days and later fought against the old and dilapidated systems of the Brahmin Community along with a team of progressive youngsters which could bring in many reforms especially for the girls and women in the community. A monthly called ‘Unni Namboothiri’ was regularly published focusing on the need to reform the community. Later most of these young social reformers joined the Communist Party.

Com.EMS jumped in to the freedom movement in his early days and participated in the independent struggle. Later he joined the Congress- Socialist party and later the Communist Party of India. He was one of the first  comrades who formed the Communist Party in Kerala. Com.P.Krishna Pillai, EMS and AK Gopalan were three leaders who gave a sound basis for the party in Kerala. He was a voracious reader and his analysis of the day-to-day developments and explaining the same in simple terms to the people was a continued affair till his death. It can be stated that since the age of 20 till his death he continued to write and speak on the various socio- economic and on almost all matters, especially politics. His writings have been published after his death by the CPI(M) in  100 big volumes.

In the first election after the formation of Kerala state in 1957, Communist Party won and the first Communist Ministry was formed with Com. EMS as the Chief Minister. The land-mark land reforms and the progressive Education Bill became role model for other states, but the land-lord feudal dominated Congress could not tolerate the people-friendly decisions. EMS government was dismissed in 1959, barely after two years it was elected, without any justification.

When the Communist Party was split due to the pro-government and reformist stand of the then leadership, Com. EMS along with Comrades P.Sundarayya,  AKG, Jyoti Basu, BTR, Ramamurthi and others walked out from the Central Committee and formed the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The Congress government with the full support of the CPI unleashed terror and put most of the leaders of the CPI(M) in jails. After Com.P.Sundarayya, the first General Secretary, Comrade EMS was elected as General Secretary and continued till he, on his own, relinquished the post due to old age. But he continued in the PB and Central Committee till his death.

I had the fortune to meet him several times and interact. Many times when he used to come to Calicut, I met him at the Railway station and sometimes arranged his food also, which was to be prepared strictly according to the diet recommended by his doctor. He inaugurated the All India Conference of AITEU Class III in Thiruvananthapuram in 1994, where I was elected as its General Secretary.  During the period I was Circle Secretary of the union and at Thiruvananthapuram, at least once in a month I used to go to his residence and meet the family.

On the fateful day of 19^th March 1998, I was getting down at the Railway Station at Agartala to attend a Conference, when Com. Swapan Chakraborty, Circle Secretary, informed me that Com. E.M.S. has passed away a few hours back. Since I was in the train, I had not heard the sad  news. I wanted to go to Thiruvananthapuram to attend his last journey, but there was no immediate conveyance to reach there.  I paid my homage there in Agartala itself.

On his 14^th death anniversary, I pay my respected homage to the great communist leader. Red Salute to Com. EMS!