Forum organises lecture to commemorate historian Krishna Ayyar

Calicut Heritage Forum honors historian K.V. Krishna Ayyar with lecture and scholarship, highlighting political life of Kozhikode.

The Calicut Heritage Forum organised a lecture to mark the birth anniversary of eminent historian K.V. Krishna Ayyar on Saturday (November 9). Deepti Sreeram, who is pursuing her PhD at Ashoka University, Sonipat, Haryana, was presented with the annual scholarship in memory of him for undertaking original research in the history and culture of Kerala.

Ajayakumar Kodoth, former member, the Kerala Public Service Commission, and former faculty of History, Nehru Arts and Science College, Kanhangad, delivered the endowment lecture in memory of Ayyar. The topic was ‘Churning of political ideology and personal idealism: Kozhikode and K. Madhavan’.

Madhavan, the late freedom fighter and veteran Communist leader from Kanhangad, was Mr. Kodoth’s father. Detailing specific incidents from Madhavan’s life, Mr. Kodoth explained how Kozhikode had played a major role in his political life. During the freedom struggle, the then Calicut was its “political capital” as the Indian National Congress waged a battle directly against the British only there. The then Cochin and Travancore were princely states.

Madhavan began his political journey at the “incredible age of 13” when he sat on an elephant holding a photograph of Mahatma Gandhi as part of a procession. He later became the youngest volunteer to take part in the ‘salt satyagraha’ at Payyannur. He also came into contact with stalwarts such as K. Kelappan, Mohammed Abdurrahman Sahib, P. Krishna Pillai, U. Gopala Menon, and A.K. Gopalan, among others. Mr. Kodoth also spoke about how Madhavan was later influenced by socialist and Marxist ideologies.