The Quiet Crusader

Kocheril Raman Narayanan, who passed away on November 9, leaves behind a legacy that is immeasurable. A man who hailed from a poor Dalit family made it to the highest office in the land and became a respected international figure. It is an inspirational story with few parallels. His brother K.R. Raghavan recalls his earliest memory of the late President, "He was standing outside his school with tears rolling down his cheeks. He wasn't allowed to enter the class because he couldn't pay his fees. I can never forget that image." Narayanan's native Uzhavoor village in Kerala's Kottayam district was economically backward. But it had one advantage-a school run by Christian missionaries where Dalit children were welcome. Narayanan made full use of this: though he attended school on an empty stomach, he came first in all exams.

After standing first in the MA examination in English literature at the Travancore University, he wanted to be a college lecturer little realising that the upper caste establishment of Travancore could not digest a Dalit as a college teacher. Although he was finally given the job as a temporary lecturer, the soft-mannered Narayanan made a characteristically silent protest by refusing to take his post-graduate degree certificate. It was a Tata scholarship which helped him join the London School of Economics, putting him on the fast track. He returned to India with an introduction letter from his teacher, the celebrated political thinker Harold Laski, addressed to prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Thus began Narayanan's career as a distinguished diplomat which culminated as Indian envoy to the US. An equally outstanding career in politics began subsequently when he won the Lok Sabha election from Ottapalam in Kerala. Narayanan never feared to oppose wrong-doing. His open opposition while he was vice-president to the Babri Masjid demolition is a case in point. An avid reader and gifted writer, he continued to defy convention. Even his marriage was unconventional: he married a Burmese Christian. His elevation as the first Dalit President of India-he served from 1997 to 2002-is testament to his multi-faceted personality and secular politics.

-By M.G. Radhakrishnan

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