‘GROW’ Vasu presented best social worker award
“The embodiment of undying sense of justice; a revolutionary who moved a society that had gone still, with a single act,” is how organising committee chairman Vijayaraghavan Cheliya described human rights activist and former Naxalite ‘GROW’ Vasu (Ayinoor Vasu) before he was honoured with the Thampan Thomas Foundation award for the best social worker in Kerala.
Mr. Vasu is the first recipient of the award instituted by Thampan Thomas Foundation for Socialism and Labour Empowerment. He was selected by a jury comprising Cyriac Thomas, N.D. Ramachandran, and Joy Shankar. The award was presented by former MP Thampan Thomas in Kozhikode on Tuesday.
A veteran of many ideological battles including the ones during the Emergency, Mr. Vasu had recently been in the limelight after he was arrested on July 29, 2023 in connection with a protest in front of the Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital mortuary. He had taken part in the protest in 2016 against the alleged extra-judicial police killings of two Naxalites in the Nilambur forests. He refused to take the help of an advocate and represented himself in court. He also rejected the court’s offer to appear for the trial through videoconferencing and insisted on being present in person every time.
Though he was acquitted 45 days later owing to lack of evidence, the 94-year-old’s refusal to avail bail or pay the fine, claiming that he was not guilty had kicked up a debate across the State, where his undying spirit was discussed.
Earlier, inaugurating the event, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader M.V. Sreyamskumar called upon the young generation to come to the forefront of battles against injustice drawing inspiration from veterans like Mr. Vasu.
Another socialist leader and freedom fighter, 100-year-old Socio Vasu, was also honoured on the occasion. Several revolutionaries, who had faced police brutality and jail term during the emergency, shared their experiences on the occasion.
The Thampan Thomas Foundation had been giving away the award for the best social worker in India for three years. While noted socialist and editor of Janata Weekly G.G. Parikh is the recipient of the award this year, activists Medha Patkar and Tushar Gandhi were the recipients in the previous years.
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