CPI stalwart D Pandian dies at 88 in Chennai

CHENNAI: Senior Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D Pandian, 88, who was admitted to Rajiv Gandhi General Hospital (RGGH) in a critical condition on Wednesday, passed away on Friday.
A multifaceted personality, the former Lok Sabha MP and CPI state secretary was a skilled orator, writer and trade union leader who was active in state and national politics. His son and two daughters, senior CPI functionaries and cadres were with him till his final moments.Pandian’s body was placed at his house at Anna Nagar and then at the party’s headquarters for people to pay homage before being taken to Madurai. He will be laid to rest at his native village Vellaimalaipatti in Usilampatti taluk on Saturday.
Fiery orator who even his opponents paid attention to
Eight days before he passed away, D Pandian got a standing ovation from a massive crowd at Madurai for a fiery speech, quoting Kamban and Bharathiar, though he spoke sitting in a wheelchair. “Even though my body is not cooperating with me, my tongue will continue to be fire for communal forces as long as I am alive,’ he said on February 18, surrounded by leaders of alliance partners.
The 88-year-old CPI veteran was known for his oratory in Tamil and English, which was aided by his deep knowledge of the literature of both languages. His eloquence and rich vocabulary were acknowledged even by his political opponents. Though a professor of English, he mastered economics, philosophy and history to explain complex subjects in terms the layman understood. He was also a prolific writer. His columns in Janasakthi, organ of the CPI which he edited, were popular even with those he targeted. He had written more than 30 books on various topics, besides hundreds of articles in many magazines.
Pandian was born in a small village, Vellaimalaipatti near Usilampatti, on September 25, 1932, one of eight children. He was attracted to the freedom movement and reportedly threw stones at a police station with other protesters at the age of ten. When the CPI was banned in 1948, he was arrested along with his friends, though he was not a member of the party.
Following this incident, his parents sent him to Karaikudi, where his elder brother D Chellappa was a professor at Alagappa College. Chellappa introduced Pandian to Marxism. After he completed his post-graduation, Pandian became an English lecturer. He became a member of the CPI in 1953. When the party decided to form a literary front at the initiative of P Jeevanantham, Tamilnadu Kalai Ilakkiya Perumandram (Tamilnadu Art and Literature Federation) in 1961, Pandian was elected its first general secretary. He had to move to Chennai (then Madras), the state capital, resigning his lecturer post.
He enrolled himself in the Madras Law College as a student and became a lawyer. Though he joined as junior in the office of Mohan Kumaramangalam, a communist veteran, he could not attend court regularly as he was busy with party and literary activities. He was elected Chennai district secretary of the CPI. When disciplinary action was initiated against him, he joined the United Communist Party of India (UCPI) led by Mohit Sen.
He won the North Chennai Lok Sabha constituency for two terms, 1989-1991 and 1991-1996. He rejoined the CPI in 2000, was state secretary of the party for three terms from 2005 to 2015 and was also editor of Janasakthi, the party’s daily newspaper. He served as a member of the CPI national council till the end.