Introduction
M. P. Veerendra Kumar was an Indian politician, writer and journalist, who was a member of the 14th Lok Sabha. He was a member of the Loktantrik Janata Dalpolitical party and was the president of Kerala state unit of the party. He was also the chairman and managing director of the Malayalam daily newspaper Mathrubhumi. Hedied on 28th May 2020 due to cardiac arrest at Kozhikode in Kerala.
Life
Kumar was born to Marudevi Avva and Padmaprabha Gowder, a leader of Socialist Party and former MLA, on 22 July 1936 in a popular Jain family in Kalpetta. After schooling in Kalpetta and at Kozhikode, he did his master's in philosophy from Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College, Madras.
An active politician, he was the treasurer and national committee member of the former Samyukta Socialist Party, state secretary of the Kerala Unit of the Socialist Party, one of the all India secretaries of the former Socialist Party, convener of the Opposition Co-ordination Committee in Kerala, vice president of the former Janata Party, and its president. He was arrested during the emergency. During 1987–91 he was elected member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly. Later, in 1996 he was elected to the Lok Sabha, lower house of the Parliament of India from Kozhikode constituency and functioned as Minister of state for Labour and later Finance.
Author
His works include:
- Samanwayathinte Vasantham
- Buddhante Chiri
- Gattum Kanacharadukalum
- Atmavilekkoru Theerthayathra
- Prathibhayute Verukal Thedi
- Changampuzha: Vidhiyute Vettamrigam
- Thirinjhunokkumbol
- Lokavyapara Samkhadanayum Oorakkudukkukalum (Gattinu Seshamulla Oranweshanam)
- Roshathinte Vithukal
- Adhinivesathinte Adiyozhukukal
- Hymavathabhoovil
- Ramantedhukkam
Awards
- V. R. Krishnan Ezhuthachan Janmasadabdi Award (2009)
- Kendra Sahitya Academy Award (2010) - for Haimavatha bhoovil
Death
He suffered a cardiac arrest and died at a private hospital in Calicut on 28 May 2020 .