Indian politician and former Health Minister of Kerala, KK Shailaja's autobiography 'My Life As A Comrade' was launched by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat at an event in New Delhi on April 28, 2023. The book was released in a jam-packed hall in the afternoon, at the Kerala House in the national capital.
It is noted that KK Shailaja was the Health Minister of Kerala during the Covid-19 crisis, and her work during the pandemic was well-praised. So much so that in 2022, Shailaja was approached by the Ramon Magsaysay Award foundation for the prestigious award for her work to fight against Covid-19 and Nipah virus in the state. However, she declined the award saying that it was a collective effort. In her autobiography 'My Life as a Comrade', Shailaja shares her views on this along with her journey, struggles and life experiences. She also writes about her childhood-- about being raised in an all-woman household, and her work as a teacher and a politician.
Talking at the book launch, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said, "“When politicians write their memoirs, it is not just a collection of their personal memories but also a narrative of the country’s history.”
He also praised Shailaja's work during Covid-19 crisis and said, “The book has a touching description of her grandmother M K Kalyani who, disregarding her own health, worked during the plague when many had abandoned their family members fearing the disease. It is only apt that her grandchild led the fight against another pandemic of a similar scale."
While, CPI(M) Politburo member Brinda Karat said, “When a communist writes about her life, she isn’t talking about (one’s) individual journey but the social situations she has to fight against."
The launch was followed by an interesting discussion between noted Indian journalist Nidhi Razdan and Shailaja, regarding the latter's life and work.
(L-R): KK Shailaja in conversation with Nidhi Razdan
When Razdan said, "You were brought up essentially by your grandmother and your mother. You have talked about your grandmother's influence in your journey as a politician, in your book. Tell us about about being raised by strong women and its influence in your life."
To this Shailaja replied,"She was very strong. The 1930s, '40s and '50s , saw the most dirty face of caste difference untouchability at that time. No poor people could own a bit of land. At that time, my grandma fought against it. She was not a great leader, who is known outside, but a local level worker and she fought against caste issues and untouchability as much as she could. She made blouses for the poor women, who were not allowed to wear the upper clothing at that time. She was also a good at social services-- if there were any diseases in the family, she rushed to helped the patients there at a time when there were no such facilities of healthcare system. During Small Pox too, she helped the patients... I grew-up listening to these stories of my grandma and of the martyrs who lost their lives while working for the society. They were our heroes... I got so much inspiration from her. She was a strong woman because even when her husband died much earlier, she led the family ahead and raised all the children as her own."
Razdan, also read a portion from Shailaja's autobiography which she found interesting. "'From the moment I accepted the job of Minister for Health, Women and Child Development in CM Vijayan's government, I was cautious of the responsibility I was taking on especially as a woman. Because if one of us does a bad job, then people criticise our entire gender'. It's interesting you said that-- that you felt more judged as a woman politician," Razdan pointed out.
To this, Shailaja said, "Women are judged more keenly by the society. For hundreds and thousands of years, we are still struggling to get emancipation and equality in the society. When a woman is elected as a Panchayat member, everyone is sceptical if she can do that or not... So I was very keen (on doing by job well). It was not just my job. As a woman and a Minister, I had to get support from everyone, including my staff, the grass-root level workers, my colleagues-- it was a collective effort. Women are not secondary. If a man can do it, then women can also do these kinds of works."
The short yet interesting discussion was followed by book signing by the politician.
'My Life as a Comrade: The Story of an Extraordinary Politician and the World That Shaped Her' is co-authored by Manju Sara Rajan, and it is published by Juggernaut Books. It is hailed as one of the important political books of the year by publisher Chiki Sarkar at Juggernaut Books.
