K. R. Gouri Amma

2021-12-28T07:12:30Z

59.99.217.164: /* Early life */

{{short description|Indian politician}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = K. R. Gouri Amma
| image = Gouriamma_2018.jpg
| alt = Gouri Amma
| caption = Gouriamma at her residence in 2018.
| office1 = Member of [[Travancore-Cochin]] Legislative Assembly
| term_start1 = 1951
| term_end1 = 1954
| constituency1 = [[Cherthala]]
| office2 = Member of Travancore-Cochin Legislative Assembly
| 1blankname2 = [[Rajpramukh]]
| 1namedata2 = [[Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma]]
| term_start2 = 1954
| term_end2 = 1957
| constituency2 = Cherthala
| office3 = 1st [[First E. M. S. Namboodiripad ministry|Revenue Minister of Kerala]]
| governor3 = [[Burgula Ramakrishna Rao]]
| term_start3 = 5 April 1957
| term_end3 = 31 July 1959
| predecessor3 = None
| successor3 = [[K. Chandrasekharan]]
| constituency3 = Cherthala
| office4 = [[Second E. M. S. Namboodiripad ministry|Minister for Revenue, Sales Tax, Civil Supplies, Dewaswom, Social Welfare and Law]]
| governor4 = [[V. Viswanathan]]
| term_start4 = 6 March 1967
| term_end4 = 1 November 1969
| predecessor4 = K. Chandrasekharan
| successor4 = [[K. T. Jacob]]
| constituency4 = Cherthala
| office5 = [[First E. K. Nayanar ministry|Minister for Agriculture, Social Welfare, Industries, Vigilance and Administration of Justice]]
| governor5 = [[Jothi Venkatachalam]]
| term_start5 = 25 January 1980
| term_end5 = 20 October 1981
| predecessor5 =
| successor5 =
| constituency5 = [[Aroor]]
| office6 = [[Second E. K. Nayanar ministry|Minister for Industries and Social Welfare, Vigilance and Administration of Justice]]
| governor6 = [[P. Ramachandran]]
| term_start6 = 26 March 1987
| term_end6 = 17 June 1991
| predecessor6 = [[P. K. Kunhalikutty]]
| successor6 = [[E. Ahamed]]
| constituency6 = [[Aroor]]
| office7 = [[Third A. K. Antony ministry|Minister of Agriculture, Soil Conservation, Soil Survey, Warehousing Corporation, Diary Development, Milk Co-operatives, Agricultural University, Animal Husbandry and Coir]]
| governor7 = [[Sukhdev Singh Kang]]
| term_start7 = 17 May 2001
| term_end7 = 29 August 2004
| predecessor7 = [[V. K. Rajan]] and [[Krishnan Kaniyamparambil]]
| successor7 =
| constituency7 = Aroor
| office8 = [[First Oommen Chandy ministry|Minister of Agriculture, Soil Conservation, Soil Survey, Warehousing Corporation, Diary Development, Milk Co-operatives, Agricultural University, Animal Husbandry and Coir]]
| governor8 = [[R. L. Bhatia]]
| term_start8 = 31 August 2004
| term_end8 = 12 May 2006
| predecessor8 =
| successor8 = [[Mullakkara Retnakaran]]
| constituency8 = Aroor
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1919|7|14}}<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.niyamasabha.org/codes/members/m199.htm|title=Members - Kerala Legislature|date=28 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128060410/http://www.niyamasabha.org/codes/members/m199.htm|archive-date=28 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/jss-leader-k-r-gouri-amma-102-no-more-1.5657300|title=JSS leader K R Gouri Amma, 102, no more|website=Mathrubhumi}}</ref>
| nickname = Kunjamma
| birth_name = Kalathilparambil Raman Gouri
| birth_place = [[Alappuzha district|Pattanakkad]], [[Travancore State]], [[British Raj|British India]]<br/>(now [[Kerala]], [[India]])
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2021|05|11|1919|07|14|df=yes}}<ref name="death">{{cite web|last=Radhakrishnan|first=S. Anil|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/veteran-communist-leader-k-r-gouri-amma-no-more/article34531990.ece|title=Veteran Communist leader K. R. Gouri Amma no more|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=11 May 2021|access-date=11 May 2021|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>
| death_place = [[Thiruvananthapuram]], [[Kerala]], [[India]]
| spouse = [[T. V. Thomas]] (1957–1977)
| parents = Aarumuriparambil Parvathiamma (mother)
Kalathilparambil Ayyappan Raman (father)
| children =
| relatives = [[Susheela Gopalan]]
| website = [https://web.archive.org/web/20070818124625/http://www.keralacm.gov.in/ems.htm Government of Kerala]
| alma_mater = Higher Secondary School Kandamangalam, Tirumala Devaswom Higher Secondary School, [[Maharaja's College, Ernakulam]], [[St. Teresa's College]] [[Ernakulam]] and [[Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram]]
| party = [[Communist Party of India]],<br />[[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]] and<br />[[Janathipathiya Samrakshana Samithy]]
| awards = [[Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award]]
| death_cause = [[Septicemia]]
| resting_place = [[Punnapra Vayalar Martyrdom Memorial]]
| signature = Signature of K R Gowri Amma.png
}}
'''Kalathilparambil Raman Gouri Amma''' (14 July 1919 – 11 May 2021<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stateofkerala.in/niyamasabha/k_r_gouri_amma.php|title=Kerala State - Everything about Kerala|website=www.stateofkerala.in}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stateofkerala.in/niyamasabha/k%20r%20gouri.php|title=K.R. GOURI AMMA :: STATE OF KERALA :: The Ultimate Destination of Kerala Information|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110411001708/http://www.stateofkerala.in/niyamasabha/k%20r%20gouri.php|archive-date=11 April 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2020/jul/07/veteran-of-many-political-struggles-gouri-amma-turns-101-on-tuesday-2166364.html|title=Veteran of many political struggles, Gouri Amma turns 101 on Tuesday|newspaper=[[The New Indian Express]]|date=7 July 2020|access-date=20 February 2021}}</ref>) was an Indian politician and the first woman minister and first revenue minister of [[Kerala|Kerala state]]. She was a [[Marxist]] revolutionary, advocate, author and diplomat. She was also one of the founding leaders of the Communist movement in Kerala. She headed the [[Janathipathiya Samrakshana Samithy]] (JSS), a political party based in Kerala. Prior to the formation of JSS she was a prominent figure in the communist movement in Kerala. She was the first female law student coming from the [[Ezhava]] community. She was a minister in the communist-led ministries in Kerala in [[First Namboodiripad ministry|1957]], [[Second Namboodiripad ministry|1967]], [[First Nayanar ministry|1980]] and [[Second Nayanar ministry|1987]]. She also became a minister in the Congress-led cabinet from 2001 to 2006.<ref name="frontline">{{cite web|url=http://www.flonnet.com/fl2511/stories/20080606251102700.htm|title=The Pioneers: K.R. Gouri Amma|date=24 May 2008|publisher=[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]]|access-date=12 February 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110602190250/http://flonnet.com/fl2511/stories/20080606251102700.htm|archive-date=2 June 2011}}</ref> She held the record for the second longest serving MLA in Kerala Legislative Assembly.<ref name="centenary">{{cite web|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/story-gowri-amma-one-keralas-tallest-woman-politicians-turns-100-104044|title=Gowri Amma, one Kerala's tallest woman politicians, turns 100|newspaper=[[The News Minute]]|date=21 June 2019|access-date=16 May 2020}}</ref>

==Early life==
Gouri was born in [[Pattanakkad]] village, [[Cherthala]] in the [[Alappuzha district]] of Kerala as the seventh daughter of Arumuriparambil Parvathiamma of Cheruparambil and Kalathiparambil Raman in an aristocratic [[Ezhava]] family,
Kalathiparambil - Arumuriparambil.<ref name="auto"/><ref name="webindia">{{cite web|url=http://www.webindia123.com/personal/politician/gowri.htm|title=K.R GOWRI AMMA|publisher=webindia123.com|access-date=12 February 2010}}</ref> She attended schools at [[Thuravoor, Cherthala|Thuravoor]] and Cherthala and completed her college education at [[Maharaja's College, Ernakulam|Maharaja's]] and at [[St. Teresa's College]] with gold medal both in [[Ernakulam]]. She also received a law degree from [[Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram]]. Her father was her inspiration throughout her life, and her family gave 132 acres of land to the Kerala government.

==Political life==
K. R. Gouri Amma<ref>{{cite web|title=Gowri Amma: The Best CM Kerala Never Had|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-gowri-amma-the-best-cm-kerala-never-had/356337|access-date=8 October 2020|website=outlookindia.com/}}</ref> was elected to the Travancore-Cochin Legislative Assembly in [[1952 Travancore-Cochin Legislative Assembly election|1952]] and [[1954 Travancore-Cochin Legislative Assembly election|1954]]. In [[1957 Kerala Legislative Assembly election|1957]] she was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly. Since then she has been continuously elected to the [[Kerala Legislative Assembly]] in [[1960 Kerala Legislative Assembly election|1960]], '[[1967 Kerala Legislative Assembly election|67]], '[[1970 Kerala Legislative Assembly election|70]], '[[1982 Kerala Legislative Assembly election|82]], '[[1987 Kerala Legislative Assembly election|87]], '[[1991 Kerala Legislative Assembly election|91]] and [[2001 Kerala Legislative Assembly election|2001]] and served as minister in various ministries. Gowri Amma was involved with the [[All India Kisan Sabha (36 Canning Lane)|Kerala Karshaka Sangham]] from 1960 to 1984.<ref name="centenary"/> She was also the leader of the Kerala Mahila Sangham from 1967 to 1976.<ref name="centenary"/>

===Early political life===
She is one of the longest serving politicians in [[Kerala politics]].<ref name="frontline"/> Under the influence of elder brother and trade union leader K. R. Sukumaran, she entered the vibrant world of politics at a time when women hardly found themselves in politics. Starting her public life through trade union and peasant movements, Gouri was jailed on a number of occasions for participating in political activities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.niyamasabha.org/codes/min17.htm|title=MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE AND COIR|publisher=niyamasabha.org|access-date=12 February 2010}}</ref> She was elected to the Travancore Council of Legislative Assembly [[1952 Travancore-Cochin Legislative Assembly election|in 1952]] and [[1954 Travancore-Cochin Legislative Assembly election|1954]] with an overwhelming majority against sitting [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|MLA]], P. K. Raman.

===Minister in the first ministry of Kerala State===
She became Revenue Minister in the first communist ministry [[1957 Kerala Legislative Assembly election|in 1957]], headed by [[E. M. S. Namboodiripad]] (EMS). In the very same year she married [[T. V. Thomas]], a prominent politician and also a minister in EMS' government. In the [[First E. M. S. Namboodiripad ministry|first Communist Ministry]], K.R. Gouri Amma served as Minister for Revenue, Excise and Devaswom from April 1957 to July 1959.
[[File:Kerala Council of Ministers 1957 EMS.jpg|thumb|centre|500px|Council of Ministers (1957–'59)]]

After the [[1964 split in the Communist Party of India|split of Communist Party in 1964]], K. R. Gouri joined the newly formed [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]]. But her husband, [[T. V. Thomas]], stood with the [[Communist Party of India]].<ref name="frontline"/> This created fissures in their relationship and soon they parted owing to the differences in their political views.

===Land Reforms Bill in Kerala===
The [[Land Reforms in Kerala]] is one the greatest achievements of Gowri Amma. It was she who piloted the revolutionary Land Reforms Bill for the Communist Government. One of the first things the Communist Ministry did was to promulgate an Ordinance banning evictions of all tenants and kudikidappukar throughout the state. In due course a comprehensive Agrarian Relations Bill was drafted and piloted by the Minister for Revenue, K.R. Gouri Amma. The Bill sought to confer ownership rights on land to tenants including sharecroppers and fix a ceiling for the land a land owner could possess. It also had provisions for distributing the surplus land taken from the landlords to the landless poor. The vested interests rallied around them all kinds of reactionary, religious and communal forces and launched the so-called '[[Liberation Struggle]]'. The Government was successful in passing the Agrarian Relations Bill in the Assembly before it was dissolved, but the Bill failed to get the President's assent.

The 1960–'64 United Front Government (anti-Communist) prepared a new Land Reform Bill giving several concessions to the landlords and taking away many of the benefits conferred upon the peasants in the Agrarian Relations Bill. The people of Kerala and K.R. Gowri Amma had to wait for another ten years before a Land Reform Bill abolishing landlordism and giving land to the tillers was passed and fully implemented.

===Minister in the 2nd E. M. S. Namboodiripad Ministry===
In 1967 elections the [[Second E. M. S. Namboodiripad Ministry|Left Democratic Front Government]] under the Chief Minister-ship of E.M.S. Namboodiripad came to power. In it, K.R. Gouri Amma served as Minister for Revenue, Sales Tax, Civil Supplies, Social Welfare and Law from March 1967 to October 1969. She moved a number of progressive and radical amendments to the Land Reforms Bill passed by the previous Government. When it was implemented, landlordism was abolished in Kerala. 3.5 million tenants and about 500,000 Kudikidappukar were made owners of their land. More than one [[lakh]] acres of land was declared as surplus land and was distributed among the agro-labourers in rural areas.

===Minister in the first E. K. Nayanar ministry===
From 25 January 1980 till 20 October 1981 K.R. Gouri Amma was made Minister for Agriculture, Social Welfare, Industries, Vigilance and Administration of Justice Minister in the [[First E. K. Nayanar ministry]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.niyamasabha.org/codes/ginfo_6_6.htm|title='''General Info''' - Council of Ministers since 1957 - Sixth Kerala Legislative Assembly|access-date=7 March 2018|website=niyamasabha.org|publisher=Kerala Legislative Assembly, Thiruvananthapuram.}}</ref>

===Minister in the second E. K. Nayanar ministry===
In the [[Second E. K. Nayanar ministry]] (1987–1991) also she was made Minister for Industries and Social Welfare, Vigilance and Administration of Justice. After this ministry she had some differences with the party and later ousted from the Communist Party (Marxist) in 1994.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kurian|first=Vinson|title=Gouri Amma: An icon and inspiration for women in Kerala|url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/keralas-iron-lady-k-r-gowri-amma-no-more/article34533421.ece|access-date=2021-07-23|website=@businessline|language=en}}</ref>

===Janathipathiya Samrakshana Samithy===
In 1994 she was expelled from the CPI (M).<ref name="webindia"/> Following this she established a new political outfit named [[Janathipathiya Samrakshana Samithy]] (JSS).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1463071.cms|title=86-year-old Kerala minister ready for battle|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|date=24 March 2006|access-date=12 February 2010}}</ref> JSS went on to join the [[United Democratic Front (India)|United Democratic Front]], the arch-rivals of the Left Democratic Front to which CPI (M) belongs.

===Minister in the third A. K. Antony ministry===
She served as the Minister of Agriculture in the [[third A. K. Antony ministry]] (17 May 2001 – 29 August 2004).

===Minister in the first Oommen Chandy ministry===
[[Oommen Chandy]] was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Kerala on 31 August 2004 after the controversial resignation of A. K. Antony two days earlier, on 29 August 2004. Gouri Amma served as the Minister of Agriculture, Soil Conservation, Soil Survey, Warehousing Corporation, Diary Development, Milk Co-operatives, Agricultural University, Animal Husbandry and Coir in the [[first Oommen Chandy ministry]] (31 August 2004 – 12 May 2006) also.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mahilalu.com/gowri_amma_success_story.php|title=K.R. Gowri Amma success story|publisher=mahilalu.com|access-date=12 February 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100204231040/http://www.mahilalu.com/gowri_amma_success_story.php|archive-date=4 February 2010}}</ref>

===Later years===
Even though Gouri Amma was engaged in political conflict with the Communist party for many years, she came closer to the party in her last days. She is the last member of [[First Namboodiripad ministry|First Communist Ministry]] to remain influential in Kerala politics. KR Gouri Amma got the most revered adieu for a Communist. She was cremated at the Valiya Chudukad in Alappuzha, where the martyr's memorial of the historic [[Punnapra-Vayalar uprising|Punnapra-Vayalar agitation]] is located where Communist stalwart like [[P. Krishna Pillai|P Krishna Pillai]], [[R. Sugathan|R Sugathan]], George Chadayammuri and incidentally, Gouri Amma's husband and Communist leader TV Thomas, were laid to rest. According to some sources, Gouri Amma had in the past years expressed her wish to be cremated there.<ref>{{Cite news|last=gets the most revered adieu for a Communist|first=KR Gouri Amma|date=11 May 2021|title=KR Gouri Amma gets the most revered adieu for a Communist|work=The News Minute|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/kr-gouri-amma-gets-most-revered-adieu-communist-148656?amp|access-date=14 May 2021}}</ref>

===Positions held===
K.R. Gouri Amma has been associated with numerous social and political movements:
* President of Kerala Karshaka Sangam from 1960 to 1984.
* President of Kerala Mahila Sangam from 1967 to 1976.
* Secretary of Kerala Mahila Sangam from 1976 to 1987.
* Secretariat Member of the CPI State Committee.
* Established the Janathipathiya Samrakshana Samithy (JSS) in 1994.
* General Secretary of the Janathipathiya Samrakshana Samithy.
[[File:K R Gowri Amma.jpg|thumb|centre|500px|K R Gowri Amma with a group of young volunteers of the [[Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad]] at her residence in Alappuzha on 1 May 2015]]

== Awards ==
=== Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award ===
She has published an autobiography titled ''Atmakatha'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mathrubhumi.com/books/books-details/aathmakatha-k-r-gowriyamma-k-r-gouri-s-autobiography-1.4334637|title=പുസ്തകപരിചയം: കെ.ആര്‍.ഗൗരിയമ്മ - ആത്മകഥ|website=Mathrubhumi|access-date=8 October 2020}}</ref> which won the [[2011 Kerala Sahitya Akademi Awards|2011 Kerala Sahitya Academy Award]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kerala Sahitya Akademi Awards announced|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2012/aug/02/kerala-sahitya-akademi-awards-announced-393145.html|access-date=11 May 2021|website=The New Indian Express}}</ref>

== Death ==
Gouri Amma was admitted to PRS hospital Thiruvananthapuram due to fever, breathing trouble and urinary ailments, and died there from an infection on 11 May 2021, a couple of months before her 102nd birthday.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Krishnakumar|first=R.|title=K.R. Gouri Amma: Death of a red star|url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/other/obituary/death-of-a-red-star/article34563244.ece|access-date=2021-09-25|website=[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]]|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.manoramaonline.com/news/latest-news/2021/05/11/kr-gowri-amma-conflict-with-cpm.html|title=തൊട്ടടുത്തെത്തി വഴുതിയ മുഖ്യമന്ത്രിപദം; തള്ളിപ്പറഞ്ഞ്, പുറത്താക്കി പാർട്ടി|website=[[Manorama Online]]|date=11 May 2021|access-date=11 May 2021|language=ml}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=MK|first=Vaisakhan|url=https://malayalam.oneindia.com/news/kerala/kr-gouri-amma-passed-away-at-the-age-of-102-290621.html|title=കെആര്‍ ഗൗരിയമ്മ അന്തരിച്ചു, അന്ത്യം തിരുവനന്തപുരത്തെ ആശുപത്രിയില്‍ ചികിത്സയില്‍ ഇരിക്കെ|website=[[oneindia|oneindia.com]]|date=11 May 2021|access-date=11 May 2021|language=ml}}</ref><ref name="death"/>

== In popular culture ==
''[[Lal Salam (1990 film)|Lal Salam]]'' is a 1990 Indian [[Malayalam film|Malayalam]]-language [[political film|political]]-[[drama film]] directed by [[Venu Nagavalli]] and produced under the banner [[K. R. Gangadharan|K. R. G. Release]]. It stars [[Mohanlal]], [[Murali (Malayalam actor)|Murali]], [[Geetha (actress)|Geetha]], and [[Urvashi (actress)|Urvashi]] in the lead roles. This movie was a major blockbuster in India, running in seven centres for more than 150 days.

The story revolves around two phases of the lives of three comrades - before and after the imprisonment of Sakhavu Stephen Nettooran (Mohanlal - inspired from Varghese Vaidyan), Sakhavu D.K. Antony (Murali - inspired from T.
V. Thomas) and Sakhavu Sethulakshmi (Geetha - inspired From Smt. K. R. Gowri Amma) - members of the Communist Party of India (CPI).

In 2020, ''[[The Wire (India)|The Wire]]'' published a review of the acclaimed film noting that it had received cult status.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://thewire.in/film/malayalam-lal-salam-thomas-gowri|title=Rewinding to the Times When Malayalam Cult Film 'Lal Salam' Swayed the Masses|newspaper=The Wire|year=2020|access-date=27 January 2021}}</ref>

[[Chief Minister K. R. Gowthami]] was a 1994 film based on the life of K.R Gouri Amma. This movie was made in 1994 after K.R Gouri was ousted from [[CPIM]]. The film stars [[Geetha (actress)|Geetha]], [[Vijayaraghavan (actor)|Vijayaraghavan]], [[Devan (actor)|Devan]] and [[Sukumari]] in the lead roles.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|K. R. Gowri Amma}}
{{Left Democratic Front (Kerala)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gouri Amma, K. R.}}
[[Category:1919 births]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian politicians]]
[[Category:Communist Party of India (Marxist) politicians from Kerala]]
[[Category:Communist Party of India politicians from Kerala]]
[[Category:Indian centenarians]]
[[Category:Women centenarians]]
[[Category:Janathipathiya Samrakshana Samithy politicians]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 1960–1964]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 1970–1977]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 1982–1987]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 1991–1996]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 1996–2001]]
[[Category:Kerala politicians]]
[[Category:Maharaja's College, Ernakulam alumni]]
[[Category:St. Teresa's College alumni]]
[[Category:Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram alumni]]
[[Category:Malayali politicians]]
[[Category:People of the Kingdom of Cochin]]
[[Category:Politicians from Alappuzha]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award]]
[[Category:Travancore–Cochin MLAs 1952–1954]]
[[Category:Travancore–Cochin MLAs 1954–1956]]
[[Category:Women members of the Kerala Legislative Assembly]]
[[Category:Women members of the Travancore–Cochin Legislative Assembly]]
[[Category:Women of the Kingdom of Cochin]]

Bharatpedia - User contributions [en]

K. R. Gouri Amma