Kerala - Kochi   

Joy for ‘Swamy’ and friends

E. Balanandan

KOCHI: At age 84, it was the first birthday celebration in his life. A hardcore communist and longtime trade union leader, E. Balanandan — ‘Swamy’ to comrades and colleagues — had never bothered to celebrate personal or family anniversaries.

And, even after living with him for more than half a century, wife and fellow communist, Sarojini Balanandan, forgot that Mr. Balanandan had just completed witnessing ‘a thousand full moons,’ an event very special in India.

But when a group of former party colleagues and mediapersons showed up at his Kalamassery home on Thursday morning with flowers, new clothes and hearty greetings, the couple was pleasantly surprised.

Wearing the shawl presented to him as birthday gift, the former CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and CITU top leader was merry like a child. Moved by the love and respect of the birthday wishers, tears of joy rolled down his cheeks. With the help of his wife, the ailing Swamy cut the birthday cake.

“I have never celebrated my birthday,” an emotional Swamy said. “But this one is quite precious to me; and as sweet as ‘paayasam’.”

Though memory played hide-and-seek, an ailing Swamy displayed that he was alert to the current political developments in the country.

Born at Sakthikulangara in Kollam district in 1924, Mr. Balanandan had become a political activist, like many other leaders of his generation, through the Congress. Later he turned a communist and was, for over a quarter century, a member of the CPI(M) Polit Bureau. He was at the helm of the CITU for several years.

He was a member of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha a well as of the Kerala Assembly.

While in prison during the Emergency, he had sported a long beard, which earned him the nickname ‘Swamy.’ And to this day, friends and admirers call him Swamy.

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