Leftists in Kerala not off the wall
Meeting a living poster icon of democratic India's notorious episode in the pages of its history, that too on its anniversary, was awesome. It was purely a coincidence that I met K. Ajitha, a firebrand socio-political activist, on July 26! To my surprise she has forgotten that it was the 36th anniversary of Declaration of Emergency in India. An embarrassed look and silence, upon my reminder, spoke volumes of harsh experiences she had met as a young radical leader in late 1960’s and 1970’s. The only daughter of hardcore Naxal leaders Kunnikkal Narayanan and Mandakini, the 19-year-old revolutionary took part in Pulpally Station attack on Nov.22, 1968 along with a group of armed activists. Ajitha was arrested, sent to solitary confinement, and she left the movement after spending more than seven years in jail. But in her inimitable stoic manner, she did not allow that ‘closed’ chapters of history to invade her thoughts while talking about her present activities rang...