Prior to independence of India, Kerala experienced feudalism, landlordism and caste supremacy. There were two classes of people jenmi (landlord) and kudikidappukar (agricultural laborers), then the upper class and the lower class, the untouchables. Large economic inequality prevailed among the Keralite. The caste system in Kerala is one of the most complex in India. All these factors led to the birth and growth of communism in Kerala.

The first Assembly election to the Kerala Legislative Assembly was held in 1957 when I was six years old. The election brought the first democratically elected Communist Government of India and the second in the world with E.M.S.Nampoothiripad as the chief Minister. Mr. Kalyana Krishnan Nair of the communist party was elected as the M.L.A of Changanasserry.

The Communist Government introduced two controversial legislations, the education bill by the Education Minister Prof. Joseph Mundasserry and the Land Reform bill by the Revenue Minister K.R.Gowriamma. Many of the educational institutions were under the control of the Christian church and few under Nair Service Society (NSS). The education bill wanted to regulate the appointments and working conditions of the teachers in the Government aided schools. The land bill banned the eviction of all tenants and kudikidappukar and granted permanent ownership to them. It also puts a ceiling on the individual land holdings.

The two bills had raised panic among the Christians and Nairs which caused the outbreak of the Vimochana Samaram (liberation struggle). The Bishops wrote pastoral letters urging the faithful to rise against the bills and the Government. Shri Mannathu Padmanabhan the founder of the NSS directed the Nair community to revolt. All the educational institutions in Kerala were closed and a mass movement called 'Vimochana Samaram' was launched in 1959. Rallies and demonstrations against the Government took place throughout the State.

Mrs. Kamalam was the leader of the Indian National Congress party at Vazhappally. She used to go round all the houses, organizing the housewives for the rally. My mother also joined the movement with her as it was a religious calling. I accompanied her at these rallies shouting slogans. Some of the slogans were- Manda munda Mundasserry, ninte mandayil entha kalimannanoe (teasing Prof. Mundasserry about his poor intelligence and wisdom), keram thingum Kerala nattil K.R.Gowri bharikenda (K.R.Gowri should not rule Kerala, the land of coconut). All the rallies would converge at the main junction Kavala, where the picketing of public transport buses would take place. My mother along with me and other women would sit on the road picketing the buses under the watchful eyes of the Malabar Special Police (MSP). The demonstrations were mostly peaceful at Changanasserry while there were police brutality by beating the agitators with batons (lathi charge) and firing at the crowd at other parts of the State. Shri Mannathu Padmanabhan would be leading the liberation struggle on a Hamsa Ratham and would address the gathering at the end of the demonstrations. The Kerala Government was controversially dismissed on 31st July 1959.