Where VS was reborn; Kottayam’s role in forging a fighter

Kottayam holds a special place in the life of veteran communist leader V S Achuthanandan, who often referred to it as the place that gave him a ‘second birth.’ He once wrote that, of all the defining chapters in his life, none came close to the days he spent in hiding in Poonjar or the brutal custodial torture he endured in the lock-up at the Pala police station.

Equally significant chapters in his life were the surplus land agitation and the Devikulam by-election, both of which left a lasting imprint on his political journey.

One of the most memorable public moments in V S Achuthanandan’s life had unfolded during the CPM State Conference held in Kottayam. As he arrived at the event venue, party workers erupted in a thunderous welcome, a show of affection that didn’t sit well with then CPM State Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan. In a sharp rebuke that quickly made headlines, Pinarayi quipped, 'This is not a concert of Usha Uthup'.

In August 1946, following the joint conference of trade union councils held in Alappuzha, the police under Diwan C P Ramaswami Iyer issued arrest warrants against the speakers. In the aftermath of the Punnapra–Vayalar uprising, V S Achuthanandan went underground, evading the police and slipping into hiding in the remote hills of Poonjar.

His initial refuge was the home of Valanickal Ittindan, a local farmer and party sympathiser. To reach the secluded village, VS undertook a journey from Alappuzha through Kumarakom and Kottayam by boat and then trekking nearly 30 kilometres on foot from Kottayam.

He stayed at Ittindan’s house for about 20 days before relocating to the home of a woman named Velanparambil Kunjupennu in the Challarikunnu area. There, living under the alias “Gopalan,” he remained in hiding for over a month.

For V S Achuthanandan, who insisted on bathing twice a day, life in hiding posed its own set of challenges. Despite repeated warnings from those sheltering him, he stubbornly stuck to his routine of bathing in the nearby Muvelithodu stream at least once a day. It was during one such visit that the police finally caught up with him.

The arrest was led by a notorious police inspector known by the nickname “Idiyan Vasupillai.” After being taken into custody, V S Achuthanandan was subjected to two days of relentless torture at the Erattupetta police station, before being transferred to the lock-up in Pala. But the brutality only escalated as his captors drove a bayonet into his leg.

Believing he had succumbed to the injuries, the police prepared to dump his body in the forest. But just as they were about to abandon him, they realised he was still alive. He was rushed to the government hospital in Pala, where he remained under treatment for over two weeks. Once he had recovered enough to be moved, he was shifted to the Poojappura Central Jail.

Later, during the surplus land agitation, it was V S Achuthanandan who took charge of coordinating party activities in Kottayam. Those were the days that revealed the full measure of his leadership and organisational acumen.

In 1958, when the party faced the challenging task of securing a win for Rosamma Punnoose in the Devikulam by-election, the responsibility once again fell on V S. He rose to the occasion, delivering a victory that earned him widespread recognition as a brilliant organiser.