V. P. Appukutta Poduval | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1923-10-09)9 October 1923 (age 102) |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Independence activist |
| Notable work | Gandhian Darsanathile Adhyatmikata, Bhagavat Gita: Atmavikasathinte Sasthram |
V. P. Appukutta Poduval (born 9 October 1923)[1][2] is an Indian independence activist[3][4][5] andGandhian social activist fromKerala,India.[6][7] He was awardedPadma Shri by the Government of India[8][9] in 2023.[10][11][12]
After completing his schooling at Payyanur Sanskrit Padhanasala and the Basel Mission School,Payyanur, V. P. Appukutta Poduval joined theUniversity of Lucknow and later theUniversity of Mysore.
A meeting withMahatma Gandhi in 1934[13]—during Gandhiji's visit toPayyanur—changed Appukutta Poduval's life for ever. Gandhiji's visit to Payyanur[14] was as per the invitation of Swami Ananda Theertha, a strong voice against untouchability. Poduval was influenced by Swami Ananda Theertha, Raghavji—who was among the 78 who participated in theSalt March withGandhiji,[15] freedom fighter and poet A. V. Sreekanda Poduval and Appukutta Poduval's uncle V. P. Sreekanda Poduval—a prominent figure in theSalt March atPayyanur.[16] During theQuit India Movement in 1942, Poduval was arrested by the British for delivering lectures in student meetings inKozhikode andKannur—for which he was imprisoned for two weeks at theCentral Prison, Kannur.[17] Personally and professionally, he dedicated his life toKhadi andGandhism. In 1944, he joined the Kerala branch of Charkha Sangh.[18] He also dabbled at art—the picture ofBharat Mata that he drew was featured on the cover ofMathrubhumi Azhchappathippu in 1946.[19] In 1947, he became the in-charge the Oorijita Khadi Kendra in Payyanur,[20] under the then Madras Government. He participated in theBhoodan movement along withVinoba Bhave andJayaprakash Narayan. During the early '50s, he worked forDeccan Herald as a journalist—during which he coveredJayaprakash Narayan's speech in Payyanur. In 1957, he took care of the office of the ninth Sarvodaya Sammelan, held atKalady.[21][22] In 1962, Poduval became an employee of the Khadi Gramodyog Commission.[23] He has served as Program Executive Officer of Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi, Secretary of Bharatiya Sanskrita Prachara Sabha, Principal of Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya Payyanur and the President of Payyanur Sarvodaya Mandal.[24]
Poduvalturned 100 on 9 October 2023.[25]