K. E. Mammen – The Kerala Gandhi
Did you know? the name Kandathil Eapen is a patronymic.
Mammen was born into the Kandathil family on 31 July 1921 as the sixth child of K.C. Eapen and Kunjandamma, in Thiruvananthapuram. His father was a manager at the National Quilon Bank, and they lived opposite the Kerala Government Secretariat where freedom fighters used to converge to make speeches. Mammen was a staunch follower of Gandhian ideals and lead an austere life. He remained unmarried.
He became the president of the Travancore Students Federation while he was an intermediate student at College of Fine Arts Trivandrum. During this period, he was jailed for urging students to join the freedom struggle, during a public meeting held at Thirunakkara. The famous ‘Kozhencherry speech’ by C. Kesavan inspired Mammen to dedicate himself to social causes. The National Quilon Bank was closed by C. P. Ramaswami Iyer who was the then Diwan of Travancore. Mammen’s father was among the officials arrested, and he ended up dying in jail. He was expelled from the college for criticising the Diwan in a meeting and was rejected admission in Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam when he tried to continue his education there. He subsequently completed his intermediate course at St. Thomas College, Thrissur. He went to the Madras Christian College for his bachelor’s degree in 1940, but was soon expelled for participating in the Quit India Movement.
During the period Mahatma Gandhi invoked the youth to join the freedom struggle. Mammen was inspired by this, and began working among the people of Thiruvalla and Kottayam. He was the candidate for the newly formed Praja Socialist Party in the Travancore-Cochin Legislative Assembly election, 1952 and ended up coming second by 500 votes. He received many accolades over his eventful life including the Ramashramam Award, Lohi Vicharavedi Award and the TKV Foundation Award. Mammen was also actively involved in anti-liquour campaigns across the state of Kerala till his death. He died on 26 July 2017.
Noted Gandhian and freedom fighter K. E. Mammen passed away at the age of 96. He breathed his last at a private hospital in Neyyattinkara, Thiruvananthapuram. Mammen, who was also a social worker, was at the forefront of the anti-liquor campaign in Kerala. He also had a chance to listen to the famous ‘Kozhencherry speech’ by C. Kesavan, the fierce freedom fighter and former chief minister of Travancore-Kochin. This turned out to be a life-changing event for him. After that, Mammen dedicated himself to social causes. During this time, the Diwan sealed the National Quilon Bank and arrested all its owners. Mammen’s father was also imprisoned after he invited the wrath of Sir CP. He breathed his last in jail.
In a meeting held at Arts College, Mammen made a scathing attack on Sir CP. Subsequently, he was expelled from the college. He tried to continue his education in Maharaja’s college. Ernakulam, but the college refused to admit him. Finally, he went to St. Thomas College, Thrissur, and completed his intermediate course. He then joined Madras Christian College in 1940 for his bachelor’s degree. But, he was kicked out of college after he participated in the Quit India movement.
While expelling him from college, its Scottish principal Rev. Dr. A.J. Boyd said to Mammen, “I respect your courage and patriotism. But I have no other option but to expel you.” It was the time when the youth across the country were joining the independence movement, responding to a call by Mahatma Gandhi. Young Mammen also decided to take the plunge. At the age of 22, he shifted to Tiruvalla in Pathanamthitta and also worked in Kottayam. In 1996, he shifted back to Thiruvananthapuram.
He is a recipient of numerous accolades, including Ramashramam Award and Lohi VIcharavedi Awards and TKV Foundation Award. He was honored with the Mother Teresa Award constituted by the YMCA Kottayam in 1995 for his relentless fight against the social evils. A staunch believer of Gandhian principles, Mammen led an austere life. He did not even own a house or a car and just like Gandhi, believed in simple clothing. He also remained unmarried and gave his undivided attention to the making the country free.
Even for people born in the 70s to 90s, education was considered supreme. To earn a degree was equal to being wealthy. But, ever since 2000 started, degrees and educational qualifications and achievements became so mundane and common that slowly it started losing the hype. In Mammen’s time, the importance of education saw a rapid increase and the demand skyrocketed because in order to understand the laws and rules being imposed by the British and to see through the manipulative brainwashing and win our country back, it was necessary to be educated – especially in the language English. That’s when ‘English medium’ education gained momentum and it hasn’t stopped ever since. Despite that, Mammen’s aim was clear – school or no school, he had to fight for his country. ‘A single piece of paper cannot decide my future’ is a quote recently famous but Mammen was firm believer of it back in those days. He was persistent about getting an education but also hell-bent on remaining an active part of the freedom struggle, regardless of who said what and how many institutes expelled him.
On the other hand, his lifestyle wasn’t fancy. As long as he had a roof on his head, food to eat and clothes to cover his body, nothing else attracted him. At a very young age he had detached himself from worldly pleasures, his sole aim to channel his energy entirely towards safeguarding the motherland that he loved. He may not sacrificed his life for freedom but what he did still remains crucial enough. Freedom struggle was a collective journey yet everyone’s experience and contribution was unique, subjective in its own way. Our entertainment industry must focus on such individuals, who didn’t lose out on their dreams just for a degree. Yes, they prioritized both simultaneously. In today’s generation where youngsters want to be more than just doctors, lawyers, engineers or a government employee, they’re somewhere losing the essence, the lesson that people like Mammen teach us. He followed his passion but did not belittle the necessity of a formal education in his life. If such movies are made in today’s time, the young generation will be fueled to reach their goals but also remember that education never hurts and that one doesn’t have to give up schooling to become what they want.
This Independence Week, Filmify is making the effort to bring to you the stories of 2 revolutionaries every day until August 15th, half of it dedicated to female patriots. A total of 12 legends, 6 males and 6 females will be spoken about through the ‘Unsung Heroes Series’ exclusively on Filmify. To read about each one of them, stay tuned for latest updates!