AZHIKODAN RAHGAVAN

AZHIKODAN RAHGAVAN

Com. Azhikodan Raghavan popularly known as Com. Azhikodan was born on July 1, 1919 at South Bazar, a not very developed part of Kannur District. He was a leader of CPI(M).

His father was Kuruvan, a document writer and his mother Prickachi. When he was two and half years old his father died. His only sister also died three years after her marriage. It was his uncle who brought him up. He had his primary education from the 'Model Primary School' attached to Kannur Govt. Training school. After passing Vth std he was forced to discontinue his formal education. He had to take up some job to eke out his living.

Beedi and cigar rolling was the means of livelihood of a vast number of people in those days. Beedi and cigar workers had a union. Chenoli Koran was the secretary of the Union. Raghavan had by that time become Com.Azhikodan Raghavan and he became an active member of the union. He was made the office secretary of the union office. Comrades like P. Krishna Pillai, A.K.Gopalan, K.P.Gopalan and C.H. Kanaran frequented the union office and organized the beedi workers of Kannur district. Com.P.Krishna Pillai who by that time had become the darling leader of the labour class became his role model. Under Com.P.Krishna Pilla's loving tutelage Azhikodan Raghavan grew up into a real communist.

In 1940, he was groomed into a true communist by comrades P. Krishna Pillai and N.C.Shekhar. He was chosen to be the secretary of Kannur town branch committee in 1946. In June 1951, he was chosen to be the member of the Malabar Committee of the Communist party and re-elected to the post. By that time Com:Azhikodan had left his mark in Kerala politics. He was the secretary of the co-ordination committee of the coalition ministry of 1967. On the night of September 23, 1972 Com. Azhikodan was assassinated by the members of an extremist group. He was cremated in the public graveyard of Payyambalam beach, Kannur district, Kerala, where a column has been erected in his memory.

RED SALUTE.