Marxist Idelogue Com. P Govinda Pillai Passed Away

Comrade P Govindapillai, the tallest ideologue in the CPIM after EMS, died in Thiruvananthapuram 22nd November. He had been undergoing treatment at a private hospital owing to age related illness. He was 86.

Govinda Pillai, who is an author of several books on Communism, Marxism and international affairs had served as the chief editor of Desabhimani daily and weekly. A legislator who was part of the Travancore-Cochin assembly and Kerala Assembly. He was an MLA in the first Kerala Assembly of 1957 which voted communist party to power.

He joined the Communist party in 1946 and became a state committee member in 1953. During the split, Govindapillai chose to be with the CPIM along with AKG and EMS. A master with international affairs Govindapillai's columns in CPIM mouthpiece Desabhimani and Kairali TV had a number of followers. An avid book buff who spent hours continuously in reading, Govindapillai had a vast collection of books sourced from different parts of the world.

 He had an active public life till a few days ago when was hospitalized.He also served as the chairman of Kerala Press Academy and Kerala State Film Development Corporation. Govindapillai is the recipient of several awards including the Kerala Sahitya Academy award for literary criticism.

Govinda Pillai’s last journey, from his residence at Subhash Nagar here to the AKG Centre and from there to VJT Hall, before the final leg to the electric crematorium, saw people from all walks of life, ranging from representatives of the State government and political parties to libraries, theatre groups, media, and students, paying their last respects.

Several hundreds lined up by the sides of the road as the funeral procession wound its way from VJT Hall towards Thycaud in the afternoon.

The respect ‘PG’ commanded from one and all was visible. People with different political persuasions poured in to pay their final tributes right from the morning. Communist Party of India (Marxist) State Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, Left Democratic Front convener Vaikom Viswan, CPI(M) district secretary Kadakampally Surendran, and former Minister M. Vijayakumar stood by the body throughout the day till he was consigned to flames at Shanti Kavadam, while more, including Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan, CPI(M) Polit Bureau members S. Ramachandran Pillai and M.A. Baby, Communist Party of India State Secretary Pannian Ravindran, CPI leaders Veliyam Bhargavan, K.E. Ismail, and C. Divakaran, former Ministers T.M. Thomas Isaac, G. Sudhakaran, Kadannappally Ramachandran, K.P. Rajendran, E. Chandrasekharan Nair, and P.K. Sreemathy, CPI(M) leaders M.V. Govindan, Anathalavattom Anandan, A. Vijayaraghavan, and C.S. Sujatha, RSP leaders T.J. Chandrachoodan and A.A. Azeez, to name a few, were present at various points of the final journey that began at 11 in the morning.

Speaker G. Karthikeyan, Deputy Speaker N. Sakthan, Ministers Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, P.K. Kunhalikutty, and V.S. Sivakumar, poets Sugathakumari, Puthussery Ramachandran, and Ezhacheri Ramachandran and senior Congress leader V.M. Sudheeran were also among the hundreds who paid their tributes.The cremation took place at 4pm at Thycaud electric crematorium.

SFI CEC press release

The SFI CEC organised a Press Conference  at SFI Central Office. The Press Conference was addressed by General Secretary Ritabrata Banerjee and President V Sivadasan.

Press Note

The Central Executive Committee of Students’ Federation of India met in New Delhi on 22^nd and 23^rd of November.  THE CEC decided to organise a massive March to Parliament on 6^th of March, 2013 protesting the neo liberal designs of the Central government and the monumental attacks it is spearheading against the common man of the country in general and the student community in particular in the name of carrying  ‘reforms’. The Central Demands of the march will be –Increase spending for equitable access to Quality Education; Resist Commercialisation and Centralisation of Education; Ensure Democratic Rights. The CEC decided that in order to conduct extensive campaigns at the ground level it will be publishing a booklet explaining the dimensions and consequences of the attack and demands concerning the march. Seminars, conventions at all states will be organised by 15^th of January. Signature campaign and other state level agitational programmes will be organised. Before the march there will be state level gatherings throughout the country. The entire three month long campaign will culminate with an impressive gathering on 6^TH of March at New Delhi with students in large numbers from different parts of the country pouring in at the capital and marching to the parliament.

The CEC decided to organise Convention for Professional, Technical and Private Institutions students in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on 5^th and 6^th of January, 2013.  The CEC also decided to organise The Girls Convention at Shimla, Himachal Pradesh in June and the University Students Convention at Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh in July, 2013.

The CEC congratulated the Tamilnadu state organisation for a successful conduction of our 14^th All India Conference at Madurai in September 2012.

The CEC also congratulated the Kerala Committee for its stupendous performance in all the University Union elections of the state amidst all sorts of obstacles.

 The Andhra Committee was also congratulated for the victory registered at the Hyderabad Central University Union elections against a united opposition of all shades and hues.

 The CEC expressed its revolutionary solidarity to SFI Central Secretariat member and state President of Himachal Pradesh Kapil Bhardwaj who have 58 false and fabricated cases filed against him. The state administration of Himachal has been the mastermind behind such attacks.

 The CEC also expressed its revolutionary solidarity to CEC member R S Balamurali OF Kerala who along with 16 other comrades was in Jail for the last three weeks. Comrade Balamurali could not attend the CEC meeting as he was in jail. The UDF Government has been extremely sincere in piling one after another false cases and charges against our comrades in Kerala.

The CEC expressed its steely resolve to stand in firm solidarity with the struggling Bengal comrades who are facing an unprecedented attack from the state administration and the Trinamool Congress in Bengal. A nationwide campaign in solidarity with the comrades of West Bengal where the democracy is in peril will also be conducted in this period.

The CEC decided to form a Cyber Space Sub Committee in order to utilise the cyber space at full length for campaign purpose. Comrade Aravind Kunjunni from Kerala is appointed as the incharge of this subcommittee.