One hundred years of fortitude
Communist firebrand Gowriamma turns 99 today. She cheers own life but fears for women safety.
ALAPPUZHA: K. R. Gowriamma, who is set to celebrate her 99th birthday on Sunday, has not lost her sense of humour. When this correspondent visited her house located at Chathanad, a suburb of Alappuzha town, she was not in a receptive mood. However, when he asked her how she was feeling on this occasion, she asked: “Why do you ask me this question? Did you come here to marry me?” Those around her, including her party workers, burst into laughter. But to another question she said that she was happy with her eventful life of a century.
Asked about the condition of Kerala society today, she said, “I am so scared of this society. Women no longer are secure here. When I go out of home, I often think of wearing a shirt and trouser to make others think I am a man. That is the situation brought about by our administration.” “When I was young, I used to read books of Marx (Karl Marx) which had supported the uprising of women. The women in matriarchal Kerala later got rights for the ancestral property. However, the plight of woman remains scary. I have made no preparations to celebrate my birthday and not invited anybody. The birthday makes no difference to others,” she said.
She was born to K. A. Raman and Parvathy Amma of Kalathiparambil family which owned some 2,000 acres of paddy land in Cherthala, on July 14,1919. As per Malayalam calendar, her birthday falls on Midhunam 17 under Thiruvonam star, that happens to be Sunday, July 1. Gowriamma took a plunge into politics in 1948 influenced by her elder brother Sukumaran, a fighter of the Punnapra-Vayalar revolt in 1946.
She was one of the few girls who studied in the Thuravoor English School. When she joined the Communist Party, she sacrificed her highly-paid profession as lawyer at Cherthala munsiff court in the late 40s. Gowriamma is the only woman in the state to have piloted many important bills covering land utilisation, women commission and criminal code. She polished her debating skills by locking horns with stalwarts like Pattom Thanu Pillai, P.T. Chacko and Narayana Kurup. She was highly regarded in the legislative Assembly till she retired from parliamentary politics. Her birthday celebration will be held at Rainbow auditorium on Sunday. Many people, including the chief minister, have been invited for the function.