Parameswaran: A Life Marked by Intellectual Evolution and Ideological Debates

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the early 2000s, CPM stalwart E Balanandan wrote for DYFI mouthpiece Yuvadhara on the “ideological phase of the Fourth World theory and anti-Communism”. Though printed, the issue was never published after the CPM state leadership cold-shouldered the Politburo member’s article. The episode exposed simmering ideological dissent and sparked a wider inner-party debate, eventually culminating in the expulsion of , a Communist theorist and nuclear scientist who died at 91 in Thrissur on Tuesday. MP, as he was affectionately known to friends and admirers, leaves a distinctive mark on Kerala’s socio-political landscape. A pioneer of the people’s science movement, MP popularised science through the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP), notably with its widely popular smokeless stove, championed the literacy movement at the national level and campaigned for decentralisation and People’s Plan initiative. A key leader of the Silent Valley movement, Parameswaran championed a new vision of development rooted in environmentalism, challenging the conventional notions of progress. But his ‘Fourth World theory’ and the ideological debates it triggered would remain his most consequential contribution to Kerala’s political discourse. MP had kept a low profile in recent years owing to age-related health issues. His funeral will be held at the Paramekkavu Santhighat in Thrissur at 1 pm on Wednesday. He is survived by wife Pullur Manaykkal Bhavani and sons Arun, who is based in the US, and Vipin, who lives in Mumbai. An accomplished writer and educationist, MP wore many hats during a life marked by intellectual and ideological evolution. Born in Thrissur in 1935, he began his career as a nuclear scientist at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, where he spent nearly two decades. In 1975, he left nuclear science to become a people’s scientist, embarking on a remarkable journey through people’s campaigns and the science movement.