Summary of this article

In 1943, Dalit labourers in Kuttanad broke free from bonded labour through a key strike led by V.S. Achuthanandan.

Though slavery ended in 1855, caste and debt kept Pulayas and Parayas tied to landlords.

Union efforts from 1940s helped end feudal practices and sparked Dalit assertion.

“There may be sharks and ray fish in the backwaters, but fearing them the small fish are not going to walk on land”. This was the metaphorical response of the Dalit attached labourers of the largely aquatic Kuttanad region, the rice bowl of Kerala, after their successful strike in 1943 in Kavalam under the leadership of V.S. Achuthanandan. He was the towering leader of Kerala’s left movement who passed away a couple of months ago.

This pivotal strike had liberated them from the cl

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