A Satish By

Express News Service

PALAKKAD: Anakara is a small village on the Palakkad –Malappuram border. But it has always been in the limelight since the freedom struggle days due to the presence of the Vadakkath tharavadu which has thrown up freedom fighters like A V Kuttimallu Amma who was the KPCC president in 1944, Ammu Swaminathan and her two daughters, Captain Lakshmi and Mrinalini Sarabhai (dancer), Mallika Sarabhai (dancer daughter of Mrinalini) and former MP Subhasini Ali who is the daughter of Captain Lakshmi.

Naturally, the common man of this village is no stranger to politics. It seems P.V. Kunhukuttan, an auto driver of Melazhiyam in Aanakara had a premonition that one day the equality of people could be questioned based on their religion.

How else could you describe the act of Kunhukuttan, an auto driver who has named his vehicle Article 14 — which provides equality for everyone before the law in this country. "The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India," says Article 14, which is sported on his vehicle both in front as well as in the rear and was inscribed more than 27 years ago.

“During my SSLC days which happened more than 35 years ago, I was bright in the subject of history. The page of the book and the paragraph explaining the various articles of the Constitution was still vivid in my memory. Therefore, since it provides for all people equality before the law, I decided to name my auto by this name. Initially, there was a suggestion that since it is an auto, it may be named as Article 12 which speaks of “freedom of movement'. "But I decided to stick with Article 14,” said the 50-year-old Kunhukuttan, the driver.

As the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act grow louder all over the country, the relevance of Article 14 is more relevant than ever before.

"My friend, M.K.Pradeep, who is the CPM vice president of the Anakkara Block panchayat told me that he was taking a photo of the vehicle and posting it on social media. I fully agreed with him as I was also against the CAA and batted for equality to everyone, said Kunhukuttan.

Twenty-seven years ago, the design for the “Article 14” wordings was done by my classmate at the Government Sanskrit college, Pattambi for pre-degree, V.P.Suresh who worked as a designer for the CPM mouthpiece Desabhimani.

He is no more now. Therefore the name of the auto was also fitting tribute to this friend and I continue to sport this name, said Kunjukuttan.

"After my pre-degree studies (Class 12), I could not continue due to financial distress at home. I did not pass the course. Initially, I worked as a coolie and carried river sand for a living . However, I met with an accident and 27 years ago, I purchased the auto on a self-employment loan and till date, it was the collections from the vehicle which sustains my family, comprising my wife, Vijaya and two children, Pavithra (ninth standard student at GHSSS, Anakkara) and Viswajith (5th standard student at Swaminatha school Diet lab, Anakkara).," he said.

Kunhukuttan's vehicle does not have any names or symbols of religions. "From the beginning, I have taken care to avoid sporting religious symbols, said Kunhukuttan who was at a marriage function in Kulathur ferrying passengers.

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Seeing this unique name many passengers have asked me what was the relevance of Article 14. From my childhood, I read a lot. But the passengers underestimate me as an auto driver who does not know the meanings of the words written on his vehicle.

Even policemen test my knowledge of Article 14 even though they were aware of its meaning. One teacher recorded in her Facebook post that she happened to travel in an auto sporting the name Article 14 and I wonder if the driver knows what it stands for, she posted.

Kunhukuttan of Puthedath Vallapil who is the son of late Chatha and Kali is also a social worker who has planted saplings on the roadside from the Alinchuvadu( from the Banyan tree junction) to Pallipadi on the roadside in Kootanad and in many other areas.