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Leadership change at NSS

NEW ROLE: G. Sukumaran Nair who has been elected general secretary and P.K. Narayana Panicker president of the Nair Service Society.

PERUNNA: The general body of the Nair Service Society (NSS), on Saturday, elected G. Sukumaran Nair, who had been serving the organisation as its secretary for the past one year, as the new general secretary.

P.K. Narayana Panicker, the second-longest-serving NSS general secretary (after founder Mannath Padmanabhan), who has completed 28 years in the post, is the new president. Mr. Panicker, a lawyer by profession, who came to the leadership of the NSS in 1977 as its treasurer, became general secretary in 1983. His stint at the leadership saw the organisation floating its own political party, the National Democratic Party, and becoming a member of the Congress-led United Democratic Front.

It was also during his tenure that the NSS pulled out of the coalition and brought down the government under A.K. Antony. The short-lived, but much discussed bonhomie between the NSS and the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam too took place during his period.

For Mr. Sukumaran Nair, this is the culmination of nearly half a century of service to the organisation. Nephew of one of its founding fathers, Valparambil Velayudhan Pillai, Mr. Nair joined the service of the organisation as an accountant on February 2, 1962 after resigning his job with Air India.

Widely believed to be the power behind the thrown during the tenure of Mr. Panicker as general secretary, Mr. Nair is credited with the decision to adhere to the policy of equidistance (after freezing the National Democratic Party) which has helped in the creation of a vote bank and the constitution of two new departments of the organisation — those of social service and human resources — which have launched major initiatives in helping the members of the community face the challenges of the fast-changing social realities.

“The focus of the organisation so far has been on the organisational front and also on education. Now, we will have to refocus ourselves to help the members of the community in wealth creation by ensuring economic security and job opportunities,” Mr. Nair told The Hindu after his elevation to the top executive post in the organisation.

He said a major challenge before the organisation would be to bring in more young blood. However, constitution of a separate youth organisation was not necessary. Instead, more youngsters should be attracted to work from the Karayogam level onwards. The NSS was already working in that direction and the success of a massive protest march taken out in Thiruvanathapuram a few years ago should be attributed to that trend.

Since the jurisdiction of the NSS was confined to Kerala, efforts were being made to organise non-resident Keralite members of the community in other States and outside India. He said the biggest challenge would be to take the organisation forward through the path shown by the founder. “… Mannathu Padmanahan envisioned the NSS as an organisation which would confine itself to the social and organisational needs of the community, setting them free to decide on their spiritual and religious aspirations.”

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