Thiruvananthapuram ∙ Prominent Gandhian and freedom fighter P. Gopinathan Nair (99) passed away. He died on Tuesday evening while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Neyyatinkara. He was on the Gandhi path since his student days. In 2016, the country honored him with the Padma Shri. In 2005 he won the Jamnalal Bajaj Award. His wife is L. Saraswati Amma.
He was the President of Gandhiji’s Sevagram Ashram for 11 years. Worked for 13 years in Acharya Vinoba Bhave’s Bhudana movement. Shramadana movement was tried in Kerala among land donation movements. He also played an important role in Satyagrahas led by Jayaprakash Narayanan.
Gopinathan Nair was one of the prominent people active with the message of peace during the Marad riots in the state and the Sikh-Hindu conflict at the national level. He also worked as a mediator for the government in Marad riots. He also took an active part in bringing relief to the refugee camps that flowed to India during the Bangladesh riots.
He was born on July 7, 1922 in Neyyatinkara, Thiruvananthapuram as the son of M. Padmanabhan Pillai and KP Janaki Amma. P. Gopinathan Nair came to the path of Gandhi after seeing Gandhi from close quarters when he came to Kerala as a child and imitating his ideals in his life. As a college student, he took part in the Quit India Movement and went to jail. His studies at Santiniketan had a profound impact on his life. During 1946-48, he became a research student at Visva-Bharati University. His later life was based on the perfect Gandhian way.
First President of India Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the senior most activist who served for more than six decades from the inception of the ‘All India Gandhi Memorial Fund’ organized by national leaders. After the death of Gandhiji, he became a member of Karma Samiti in Sarva Seva Sangh and All India Sarvodaya Sangha.
In 1951, K. Kelappan was the president and Gopinathan Nair was the secretary of the Gandhi Memorial Fund, which started working on Gandhian ideals. Even though his birthday is on July 7th, he celebrated his birthday on the Triketta Nakshatra of Mithuna month. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, senior Congress leader A.K. Antony, KPCC President K. Sudhakaran and others wished him on his birthday over the phone
Along with this, the Gandhi Marga activities as part of the year-long 100th birthday celebrations in Neyyattinkara also began. K came to ‘Narayaniyam’ house at Neyyatinkara TB Junction. Ansalan MLA honored Gandhian Gopinathan Nair on behalf of the state government by dressing him in Ponnada.
English Summary: Freedom fighter and famous Gandhian P Gopinathan Nair passes away
