K.K. Kochu

K.K. Kochu was born on 2 February 1949 at Kallara in Kottayam district in Kerala. He attended the Kallara NSS High School and Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam. Even as a student he was involved in political activism, and was jailed for 16 days. An aspiring writer from a very young age, Kochu was awarded the second prize in a play-writing contest for college students, conducted by the Mathrubhumi weekly in 1971. He went into hiding for six months following the Emergency. Subsequently, he played a major role in the creation of organizations like the Communist Youth Forum, the Peoples’ Workers’ Union, the Human Rights’ Committee and so on. In 1986, Kochu became a member of the central committee of the SEEDIAN, and the editor of its weekly. He joined the KSRTC in 1977 and worked there until his retirement as Senior Assistant in 2001. Since 1990, he has been active in struggles for protecting the rights of Dalits and Adivasis, human rights and the environment.

Besides innumerable articles on literature, films, politics, gender and subaltern studies, Kochu has authored several books in Malayalam—Kalaapavum Samskaaravaum, Buddhanilekulla Dooram, Ambedkar: Jeevithavum Dauthyavum, Idathupaksham Illaatha Kaalam, Dalit Nerkaazhchakal, Kerala Charitravum Samooha Roopikaranavum, Deshiyathakkoru Charitrapadhom and so on. He is a recipient of the Arali Award, the Vaikom Chandrasekharan Nair Award and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Overall Contributions.