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Freedom combatant and towering fig of the communist movement, R. Nallakannu, passed distant successful Chennai connected Wednesday (February 25, 2026). He was 101-years old. He was ailing for immoderate clip and was undergoing attraction astatine the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital wherever helium breathed his last.
Born connected November December 26, 1924, Nallakannu remained a captious nexus betwixt the contiguous procreation and a clip erstwhile idealism and selfless tone dominated nationalist life.
Fondly known arsenic RNK successful enactment circles, helium chose to stay with the Communist Party of India (CPI) erstwhile the Communist question successful India divided successful 1964 pursuing the Indo-China war. He served arsenic Tamil Nadu authorities caput of the CPI for 3 tenures since 1992.
A dedicated tract idiosyncratic and organisational man, Nallakannu led a tireless run against the soil mafia that was illegally mining soil from the Thamiraparani stream basin. In 2010, helium filed a Public Interest Litigation and personally argued the lawsuit successful the Madras High Court, securing a enactment bid against soil mining.
Soft-spoken and affable, RNK embodied the values of sacrifice, idealism, and unwavering committedness to the communist question and societal justice. He shared with leaders specified arsenic Jeeva and K. Balathandayutham a emotion for the poems of nationalist writer Subramania Bharati and the hymns of the Azhwars, peculiarly Andal and Nammazhwar, appreciating their poetic beauty.
RNK was sentenced to beingness imprisonment successful the Nellai Conspiracy Case, on with K. Balathandayutham, P. Manikkam, I. Mayandibharathi, and galore others. He besides spent galore years underground during periods erstwhile the Communist Party was banned—first by the British, and aboriginal by the Congress authorities led by Jawaharlal Nehru. He endured terrible constabulary brutality; helium was incapable to turn a moustache thereafter, arsenic a constabulary serviceman had singed his precocious articulator with a cigaret butt.
“I was hiding successful a friend’s location erstwhile the constabulary arrested me. After securing immoderate bombs, they tied my hands and bushed me. But I refused to uncover the names of Communist leaders,” helium said successful an interview, recalling the torture helium faced.
Born successful 1925 successful Srivaikundam, Thoothukudi district, RNK joined the state question arsenic a schoolboy, successful a portion that was a nervus centre of the independency struggle, nurtured by V.O. Chidambaram, who ran the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company (SSNC).
“Political leaders would question to Thoothukudi done my autochthonal municipality of Srivaikundam. I would articulation the section leaders successful organising meetings. You should person heard Pappankulam Chockalingam talk astir the Jallianwala Bagh massacre—the full assemblage would weep uncontrollably. Though I was active, I was not allowed to enactment successful the idiosyncratic Satyagraha oregon Quit India movements owed to my age,” helium recalled successful a 2019 interrogation with The Hindu.
After completing his schooling astatine Coronation School successful Srivaikundam, helium joined MDT Hindu College successful Tirunelveli. “It was determination I came into interaction with the writer TMC Raghunathan and raised ₹400 for the Bharathi Memorial successful Ettayapuram,” helium told Tamil writer Mana successful an interview.
RNK joined the Communist Party astatine the property of 18 and worked intimately with P. Srinivasa Rao, who led the agrarian question successful Tamil Nadu. His vulnerability to the commercialized national question successful Harvey Mills, Thoothukudi, and his speechmaking of works by Tamil student and commercialized unionist Thiru.Vi. Kalyanasundaram prepared him to perpetrate afloat to the Communist movement. “My begetter wanted maine to instrumentality a occupation and pb a mean life. But I simply near location with a dhoti and towel and became a full-time idiosyncratic of the Communist Party,” helium said successful the interview.
RNK fought against the exploitation of workplace workers by Shaivaite and Vaishnavite Mutts. When helium attempted to participate streets forbidden to oppressed communities, helium was overpowered, tied to a post, and beaten.
In 1949, helium was arrested successful the Nellai Conspiracy Case, which alleged that Communists conspired to overthrow Jawaharlal Nehru’s government. He was released successful 1956. “The compartment doors would beryllium opened concisely successful the greeting for america to relieve ourselves. The remainder of the time was spent successful the compartment with a cookware to urinate in,” helium erstwhile recalled.
RNK was profoundly troubled by the emergence of the RSS-BJP successful the Indian governmental scenery and ever expressed interest implicit the undermining of nationalist assemblage undertakings and commercialized unions.
He was besides successful favour of unification of the communist parties. “The CPI and the CPI(M) should see unification. It whitethorn not hap overnight, since galore decades person passed since the communist question split. Only the communist parties tin bring unneurotic secular forces against the communal BJP and the Hindutva forces, and halt their march,” helium erstwhile told The Hindu.
A tribute by Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan, who won against RNK successful the 1999 Lok Sabha elections from the Coimbatore constituency arsenic a BJP candidate, speaks volumes astir the Communist leader’s character. “I was really upset that a dignified person similar him could not triumph the election. The clip of triumph request not ever beryllium a clip for celebration. It was a clip erstwhile I felt that triumph could besides bring heavy pain,” wrote Mr. Radhakrishnan successful a publication connected RNK, Aravazhvin Adayalam, published by The Hindu Tamil Thisai.
He was joined to Ranjitham, girl of a section communist leader, Annasamy, who incidentally was killed during the 1995 caste riots successful the confederate districts of Tamil Nadu. One of his daughters, Andal, is simply a doctor, whilst different daughter, Kasi Bharathi, reflects a operation of names — Kaisina Vendan, the presiding deity of Puliamkulam, and Bharathi.
