Kerala elections: A Gandhian, a committed democrat
At 103 in reality — though official records place him just a few months past 100 — Padma Shri awardee V P Appukkutta Poduval , a Gandhian , freedom movement participant, is preparing to cast his vote in the upcoming elections.
Among the very few surviving Gandhians in the country who have seen and heard Mahatma Gandhi in person, Poduval represents a living link between India’s freedom struggle and its electoral democracy. Seated calmly at his home in Payyanur, he revisits memories of his first electoral experience — the 1946 elections to the Madras Presidency.
“I was working at the Akhila Bharatha Charka Sangham in Kozhikode. I had prepared diagrams explaining different types of charkas and cloth production. Seeing those, Mathrubhumi, which was then planning a special election supplement, asked me to design its cover page,” he said.
What he created was not merely an illustration, but a political message — one that underscored the centrality of the Congress movement in the idea of Mother India, while calling for the rejection of both British rule and Communist influence. The design was immediately accepted and went on to become the cover of the supplement — an image he still preserves with visible pride.
Recounting the electoral process of that time, Poduval said the political landscape was starkly simple — dominated by just three parties — Congress, Communist Party and Muslim League.
“There were no ballot papers as we see today. Each party had a separate ballot box. Voters had to drop their vote into the box of their choice — yellow for Congress, red for Communists and green for Muslim League,” he added.
As a worker Charka Sangham worker, Poduval said they were bound by Gandhian discipline. “Gandhiji had instructed Sangham workers and employees not to actively participate in election campaigns. But we were urged to vote for the Congress, which we did wholeheartedly,” he said.
Campaigning, he added, was minimalistic — more out of necessity than choice. “There were hardly any resources for propaganda material. But the spirit of nationalism itself was enough campaign material,” he added.
Poduval vividly recalled his first encounter with Mahatma Gandhi as a schoolboy — an experience that left a lasting imprint. “It was in 1934, when Gandhiji visited Payyanur to address a public meeting. I was studying in Class V at the Mission School. Since it was a pro-govt institution, the authorities did not permit us to attend. But we skipped classes to see him,” he said.
The consequence followed the next day. “We were punished — caned on our hands — for skipping classes. But it was worth it,” he added.
During the Quit India Movement of 1942, Poduval actively organized and attended night meetings at the houses of Congress supporters. “We used to secretly read Swathanthra Bharatham to understand what was happening across the country. But we were eventually tipped off to the Malabar Special Police, arrested, and produced before the Thalassery court, which remanded us,” he said.
Except when his work with the Khadi and Village Industries Commission took him across the country, Poduval has voted in every election. Even in the last panchayat polls, he went to the booth in person and cast his vote. It won’t change in the upcoming elections too, he said.
Among the very few surviving Gandhians in the country who have seen and heard Mahatma Gandhi in person, Poduval represents a living link between India’s freedom struggle and its electoral democracy. Seated calmly at his home in Payyanur, he revisits memories of his first electoral experience — the 1946 elections to the Madras Presidency.
“I was working at the Akhila Bharatha Charka Sangham in Kozhikode. I had prepared diagrams explaining different types of charkas and cloth production. Seeing those, Mathrubhumi, which was then planning a special election supplement, asked me to design its cover page,” he said.
What he created was not merely an illustration, but a political message — one that underscored the centrality of the Congress movement in the idea of Mother India, while calling for the rejection of both British rule and Communist influence. The design was immediately accepted and went on to become the cover of the supplement — an image he still preserves with visible pride.
Recounting the electoral process of that time, Poduval said the political landscape was starkly simple — dominated by just three parties — Congress, Communist Party and Muslim League.
“There were no ballot papers as we see today. Each party had a separate ballot box. Voters had to drop their vote into the box of their choice — yellow for Congress, red for Communists and green for Muslim League,” he added.
As a worker Charka Sangham worker, Poduval said they were bound by Gandhian discipline. “Gandhiji had instructed Sangham workers and employees not to actively participate in election campaigns. But we were urged to vote for the Congress, which we did wholeheartedly,” he said.
Campaigning, he added, was minimalistic — more out of necessity than choice. “There were hardly any resources for propaganda material. But the spirit of nationalism itself was enough campaign material,” he added.
The consequence followed the next day. “We were punished — caned on our hands — for skipping classes. But it was worth it,” he added.
During the Quit India Movement of 1942, Poduval actively organized and attended night meetings at the houses of Congress supporters. “We used to secretly read Swathanthra Bharatham to understand what was happening across the country. But we were eventually tipped off to the Malabar Special Police, arrested, and produced before the Thalassery court, which remanded us,” he said.
Except when his work with the Khadi and Village Industries Commission took him across the country, Poduval has voted in every election. Even in the last panchayat polls, he went to the booth in person and cast his vote. It won’t change in the upcoming elections too, he said.
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