Noted economist M. Kunhaman, 74, has passed away. The prominent Dalit thinker, teacher and writer was found dead at his residence at Sreekaryam here on Sunday, the police said.
Prof. Kunhaman was alone at home as his wife was reportedly away in Malappuram. His body was discovered when his friend called on him on Sunday in response to a summons on Saturday. Prof. Kunhaman had turned 74 on Sunday.
The police are investigating the death, though no foul play is suspected.
Prof. Kunhaman, who taught at the University of Kerala for 27 years, has several influential and scholarly works themed on Dalit issues and their political and social dimensions, caste, and economics to his name.
He won the 2021 Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for his memoir Ethiru (Dissent) published the previous year. He declined the award. The book had the tag-line ‘The life struggle of the son of Cherona and Ayyappan.’
First in MA Economics
Born on December 3, 1949, to Maniyampathoor Ayyappan and Cherona at Vadanamkurissi, M. Kunhaman’s childhood was spent in a social milieu dictated by poverty and casteist oppression. Battling such odds, he secured his MA degree in Economics with first rank from the University of Calicut in 1974, the first Dalit student after K.R. Narayanan, the former President, to do so. At the Centre for Development Studies (CDS), Thiruvananthapuram, he did research on the lives of tribal communities in the northern and southern halves of Kerala. After obtaining his PhD degree from the Cochin University of Science and Technology, he joined the University of Kerala in 1979, and taught there for the next 27 years. In 2006, Prof. Kunhaman left the university to join the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Tuljapur campus. He was a professor there till 2019. He has also served as Nelson Mandela Chair for Afro-Asian Studies at MG University.
Important books by Prof. Kunhaman include Development of Tribal Economy, Economic Development and Social Change, State-Level Planning in India, and Globalisation: A Subaltern Perspective.
Death condoled
Governor Arif Mohammed Khan condoled the death. Rising from a humble background, Prof. Kunhaman made notable contributions in economics and subaltern studies, he said.
Original concepts
An economist noted for original concepts and way of thinking, Prof. Kunhaman had his own views on the development of Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a condolence message.
