C. P. Ramachandran

CP Ramachandran (1923 – 15 April 1997) was an Indian journalist and political activist.

Early life

Ramachandran was born in Burma of Malayali parents, Alath Krishnan Nair from Mannur in Palakkad District and Chittenippattu Puthenveettil Janaki Amma, from Ottapalam, Kerala, India. After a short period in Burma, CP spent his boyhood in Ottapalam. His education was in Ottapalam and Government Victoria College, Palakkad. After his intermediate schooling he joined the Royal Navy as a mid-ship man. During the Naval Mutiny in 1946, he was under surveillance by the Intelligence Department, as he had a strong Communist Party background prior to his Naval life. After leaving the Navy he worked in the Army for two years in Ahammed Nagar. Finishing his military life, he returned home in 1948, the year after independence, and became very active in the Party once again. All his party works were centred on Ottapalam. When the Party was banned, CP was arrested and sent to Kannur Central Jail. After his release set out to Bombay whilst the police watched him continuously. In 1952 he was called by A. K. Gopalan and immediately started woreking for Goplan's election campaign.

Career

In 1953, following the instructions of E. M. S. Namboodiripad, CP went to Delhi to join the Party newspaper 'Crossroads', which later became 'New Age', and began his career as a journalist. Until 1955 CP was a reporter with the paper. When he had some disagreements with the basic ideas of his Party, he started to write his views in Shankar's Weekly under the name 'Agastya'. Although Namboodiripad warned him, CP was not prepared to compromise, resulting in his expulsion from the Party along with Edathatta Narayan and Aruna Asaf Ali. He then joined Shankar's Weekly as Assistant Editor. His columns, entitled 'Man Of The Week' and 'Free Thinking', were very popular. He met Jalabala Vaidya, then a trainee reporter and now the famous theatre actress, and in 1958 they got married. CP's marriage lasted just six years as they obtained a mutual divorce in 1964, after fathering two children Jai and Anasuya. In 1960 CP joined The Hindustan Times as Parliament Correspondent. His column 'Last Week in Parliament' was much discussed. When B G Vargeese was fired from the paper in 1974, CP filed a suit against Birla who was the owner of the newspaper. It became an notable chapter in the history of Indian Journalism. In 1986 CP retired from Hindustan Times as Deputy Editor.

Death

He never wished to remain in Delhi, where he had lived most of his life as an intellectual and a journalist, so went back to his mother in Parali, Palakkad, and was with her when she died. CP lived his last 11 years in Parli, until he died on 15 April 1997. His daughter Anasuya and son Jai were with him at the end

The book titled 'C P Ramachandran-Dialogues, Memories and Essays' (സി.പി.രാമചന്ദ്രന്‍-സംഭാഷണം,സ്മരണ, ലേഖനങ്ങള്‍) edited by noted Malayalam critic Reghunathan Parali and published by Kerala Press Academy, Kakkanad is a valuable work in Malayalam that compiles and throws light into the life and thoughts of the veteran journalist. The book is consisting of a prolonged conversation and writings by C P Ramachandran and many other writings on him by noted writers and journalists who had direct experience with him.