Comrade K Muthiah Passes Away

A A Nainar   

COMRADE K Muthiah, a freedom fighter and one of the leading lights of the communist movement in the state of TamilNadu passed away in harness in Chennai Port Trust Hospital recently. Affectionately addressed as ‘Comrade KM’, he was one of the foremost founders of the movement in the state. He was one time secretary of the state committee in the early forties of the last century. Aged about 89 years Muthiah was not keeping good health for some time and the end came in the hospital this evening.

While being a student of the Annamalai University he organised the students to rise in revolt against the British rule and joined the communist movement at his early age. He worked with great leaders like P Ramamurthy, P Jeevanandam and Srinivasa Rao. During pre-independence days and even after attaining freedom, he had been jailed for many years and he had been underground for long years in his party life. He was a member of the state secretariat for sometime and had worked as a state committee member till he became immobile a few years back.

A very good writer and orator Muthiah, worked as the editor of the Janasakthi for 9 years during pre-1964 years and was editor of Theekkadir daily for over 30 long years, a rare distinction no other leader of any movement could claim of. He was one of the main architects of the the TamilNadu Progressive Writers Association (TNPWA) which later became virtually a people’s movement for art, literature, culture, cinema appreciation, theatre, folk and other performing arts. He was president of TNPWA for more than  25 years. He is survived by his wife Yamunambal, two daughters Vanitha and Mallika and son Elangovan.

The CPI(M) State Secretariat expressed its deep sympathies to all his family members and dipped its banner to one of the valiant fighters of the communist movement. In memory of the departed leader the party cancelled all its public programme for three days and advised the party units throughout the state to fly the party flag half-mast and conduct condolence meetings and other forms of gatherings to commemorate the contributions made by the great leader where leaders of all political parties and general public could participate in large numbers.