Publish Date
12 Sep, 2025
About This Book
The life and work of K.K. Kochu, one of the foremost Dalit thinkers in Kerala, challenges dominant narratives—of the Congress as well as the Communists—that exclude the Dalit experience. Among his most significant works, his autobiography is not merely a gritty story of the life of an individual, but also a thought-provoking history of modern Kerala, from a subaltern perspective. Growing up in a village called Madhuraveli in a flood-prone region of Kottayam district, fishing in the clear waters of nearby canals and eating wild fruit, Kochu was also a promising student, reading everything he could lay his hands on. Even as a boy, troubled by the unquestioning submission of his Pulaya community to their Namboodiri landlords, he distinguished himself by his curiosity, keenly observing the present and preserving in his young mind precious oral histories of Pulaya life. His thirst for knowledge would sustain him through the long years of tragedy for the family, and periods of unemployment.
About The Author
K.K. Kochu K.K. Kochu was born on 2 February 1949 at Kallara in Kottayam district in Kerala. He attended the Kallara NSS High School and Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam. Even as a student he was involved in political activism, and was jailed for 16 days. An aspiring writer from a very young age, Kochu was awarded the second prize in a play-writing contest for college students, conducted by the Mathrubhumi weekly in 1971. He went into hiding for six months following the Emergency. Subsequently, he played a major role in the creation of organizations like the Communist Youth Forum, the Peoples’ Workers’ Union, the Human Rights’ Committee and so on. In 1986, Kochu became a member of the central committee of the SEEDIAN, and the editor of its weekly. He joined the KSRTC in 1977 and worked there until his retirement as Senior Assistant in 2001. Since 1990, he has been active in struggles for protecting the rights of Dalits and Adivasis, human rights and the environment. Besides innumerable articles on literature, films, politics, gender and subaltern studies, Kochu has authored several books in Malayalam—Kalaapavum Samskaaravaum, Buddhanilekulla Dooram, Ambedkar: Jeevithavum Dauthyavum, Idathupaksham Illaatha Kaalam, Dalit Nerkaazhchakal, Kerala Charitravum Samooha Roopikaranavum, Deshiyathakkoru Charitrapadhom and so on. He is a recipient of the Arali Award, the Vaikom Chandrasekharan Nair Award and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Overall Contributions. Radhika P. Menon Radhika P. Menon has translated several works from Malayalam to English. The most notable ones are K. Madhavan’s On the Banks of the Tejaswini (NBT), Devaki Nilayangode’s Antharjanam (OUP), S.K. Pottekkatt’s Tales of Athiranippadam (Orient BlackSwan) and In the Land of the Kappiris (CUP), Moyarath Sankaran’s Autobiography of a Freedom Fighter and Martyr (Chinta), M.K. Sanoo’s Dr Palpu: The Champion of Justice (Open Door Media), Joseph Muliyil’s Sukumari (Folio), Sebastian Joseph’s Naxal Varghese: Take-Off and Tailspin (Dream Bookbindery) and Dr Sosamma Iype’s The Vechur Cow: A New Lease of Life (Vechur Conservation Trust). Her translations of N.N. Pillai’s autobiography (Yours Truly) and Appukuttan Vallikunnu’s The Unknown EMS are forthcoming. She won the ICWT (International Center for Writing and Translation Award) of the University of California, Irvine in 2011 for Tales of Athiranippadam, along with Sreedevi K. Nair.
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