Former Kerala Health Minister K.K. Shailaja on Sunday launched her book My Life as a Comrade: The Story of an Extraordinary Politician and the World That Shaped Her, at the Anna Centenary Library in Kotturpuram.
She said that she had not intended her book to be an autobiography but wanted it to be about the story of her grandmother, who “was a fighter but never became a well-known leader outside of her local communist circles”; her experiences as the Health Minister during the COVID-19 pandemic; and how society has changed over time.
“She [her grandmother] was a good storyteller. She used to tell stories about the struggles of the poor, peasants and agricultural workers. In the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, landlordism was severe in Malabar. The poor and those belonging to the lower caste had no rights. They lived a life of misery. British rule, too, was very cruel.”
“When she narrated the stories of the poor and spoke about caste differences and untouchability, she viewed Communist ideology favourably,” said Ms. Shailaja.
Ms. Shailaja said the COVID-19 pandemic was a ‘litmus test for governance. Places that had ‘very good public healthcare systems’ were able to control the virus better. “Look at the U.S., a country with very good institutes and technology. But when the pandemic struck, nothing worked and thousands died.” She said that the Kerala government decided to go with the containment method instead of the mitigation method that was adopted by Sweden. “We decided not to accept mitigation method because there were no vaccines nor guidelines at that time. We were more vulnerable because our population density is 860/square kilometre and lifestyle diseases were rampant in the State. In the Assembly, Leader of the Opposition had asked me why were we adopting the containment method, and I said we were not going to experiment...; we decided to contain the virus – trace, quarantine and wait for the development of the symptoms, and then we tested.”
Thoothukudi MP and DMK’s deputy general secretary K. Kanimozhi, who was present during the book launch, said: “It [the book] is not about her [Ms. Shailaja’s] life and her work, but about the contemporary history of Kerala and struggles of people. I am stunned by the attention she pays to details. Every Minister has to learn from her.”
“She pays attention to small details. She talks about taking medicines in the aftermath of the flood for water-borne infections. But when people did not take them, she ensured that they took the tablets. This is amazing,” she added.
