Economist and Dalit thinker M Kunhaman, whose writing reflected Kerala’s caste realities, dies at 74

A native of Vadanamkurissi in Palakkad, Kunhaman was born in the Panan community. His parents were illiterate and farm workers, and he grew up in abject poverty.

Written by Shaju Philip

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Economist and Dalit thinker M Kunhaman

Renowned economist, academician and Dalit thinker M Kunhaman was found dead at his residence in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday evening. Kunhaman, who was 74, had served as an Economics faculty at the University of Kerala, a member of the University Grants Commission, and a professor at Tuljapur campus of Tata Institute of Social Science.

His life charted a remarkable journey of a Dalit from caste oppression and poverty in the initial period of post-independent India to a well-known academician.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Kunhaman was an economist with his own perspective towards Kerala’s development. His autobiography, Ethiru, was a true reflection of the realities of life, and his death is a loss to the state, said Vijayan.

A native of Vadanamkurissi in Palakkad, Kunhaman was born in the Panan community. His parents were illiterate and farm workers, and he grew up in abject poverty.

Recalling his childhood days, Kunhaman had narrated how he had to grapple with dogs for daily meals, and how he grew up eating the leftovers of rich landlords. He struggled his way to higher education at a time when even elementary education was rare for peers in his community.

In 1974, he won first rank in MA Economics. At the time, he was the second Dalit after the late president K R Narayanan to bag first rank in post-graduation. But poverty continued to haunt him – he was forced to sell the gold medal, a day after it was conferred to him, to buy provisions for home.

After MA Economics, he joined MPhil at the Centre for Development Studies (CDS) in Thiruvananthapuram and later went on to obtain doctorate in Economics from Cochin University of Science and Technology. Even then, Kunhaman was initially denied the job of a teacher despite emerging as the top scorer in the merit list under general quota.

But well-wishers identified the brilliant academician in the Dalit youth, who began his career with the University of Kerala in 1979. He served as a faculty at the Economics Department for 27 years. For a brief period, he was a member of the UGC. In 2006, he quit University of Kerala and joined as a Professor of Economics at TISS.

In 2021, Ethiru was selected as the best autobiography by the Kerala Sahitya Academy. But Kunhaman refused to accept the honour. Apart from his autobiography, where Kunhaman depicted life as a Dalit in the state, he also authored several studies on land reforms, reservation and crisis among the community.

Courtesy : TIE

Note: This news piece was originally published in theindianexpress.com and used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Right