Vakkom Majeed

Vakkom Majeed (born S. Abdul Majeed; വക്കം മജീദ്; December 20, 1909 – July 10, 2000) was an Indian freedom fighter, politician and a former member of the Travancore-Cochin State Assembly. Majeed was a politician-extraordinary in the socio-political realm of Kerala in the 20th century. Born in Vakkom into a well-known Muslim family in Travancore, Majeed grew up with his sibling. He was attracted to the social reform movement of his uncle, Vakkom Moulavi. He came to politics in his early school days and as a young man, he became highly involved in social reform movements. He was one of the early architects of the Indian National Congress in Travancore, eventually becoming the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Attingal (1948–1952). A great nationalist that he was, Majeed belonged to a tradition of politics that was intrinsically value-based, secular and humanistic.

Early life & Family
Majeed was born on December 20, 1909, in Vakkom, a small village which was then part of the Travancore Princely State, Madras Presidency, British India (now in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala). He was born into a well-known Muslim family 'Poonthran Vilakom' which had ancestral roots to Madurai and Hyderabad. Majeed was the first of four children born to Syed Mohamed and Mohamed Beevi. Majeed had one sister: Safiya Beevi (1912–1986) and two brothers: Mohamed Abda (1914–1992), and Abdul Latheef (1917-1999). His uncle, Vakkom Moulavi, was a visionary, social reformer, scholar, educationist, writer, journalist and the proprietor of Swadeshabhimani newspaper. Majeed obtained his early education at St. Joseph High School, Anjengo. In 1936, Majeed married Suleha Beevi, the niece of Vakkom Moulavi. They had five children: Fathima (born 1937), infant boy (1939-1940), Najma (1943-1957), infant girl (1953-died soon after birth) and Shameema (1957-2011).

Freedom struggle
He was attracted to the social reform movement of his uncle, Vakkom Moulavi, as well as Narayana Guru. He came to politics in his early school days. When the Indian National Movement emerged in Kerala, Majeed was in the forefront of its leadership. He was one of the early architects of the Indian National Congress in Travancore. As a young man, he also became greatly involved in the social reform movement. Majeed was one of the few Congress leaders in Travancore who exhibited enormous courage by participating in the Quit India movement in 1942 and got arrested. He remained in jail for several months. Subsequently, when the idea of “independent Travancore” was mooted, Majeed was a staunch opponent of it and took part in the agitation against the move. He was incarcerated again for several months. When the INA hero Vakkom Kadir was sentenced to death by the British, Majeed visited him in the Madras Central jail. It was Majeed who brought Kadir’s last letter to his father before the hanging.

Political career
A staunch opponent of the Two-Nation Theory and Pakistan movement, Majeed argued that only a secular-nationalist India could keep the heart and soul of the masses together. In 1948, he was elected (unopposed) to the Travancore-Cochin State Assembly from the Attingal constituency. When the tenure of his term came to an end in 1952, he decided to eschew practical politics and took to serious reading. He was attracted to the writings of Bertrand Russell, M.N. Roy and several French writers. Majeed was opposed to doctrinaire politics and argued for secular-humanist perspective in politics and social issues. Majeed upheld the values of Liberalism and Modernism in Islam and called for the return of Ijtihad (freedom of thought) in Islamic traditions. He equally valued the thoughts of Narayana Guru and pointed to the increasing relevance of a “casteless” society.

Later years and death
The last three decades of Vakkom Majeed was the decades of his intense exploration and reading (and rereading) of nationalist history, ideology and practice. In 1972, during the Silver Jubilee celebration of Indian Independence, the nation honored him by giving 'Tamrapatra' for his participation in the Indian independence movement. He received the 'Tamrapatra' from the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. By the end of 1980s, Majeed's health was failing, and he was soon bedridden for a year. His wife Suleha Beevi died on June 18, 1993. Although he managed to attend few socio-political functions in later 1990s, his health was suffering. On July 8, 2000, he fell seriously ill and admitted in a private clinic. His condition worsened soon afterward and shifted to the CCU (Critical Care Unit) of Cosmopolitan Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram. On July 10, 2000 he suffered a fatal heart attack and was pronounced dead at 6:30 local time (1:00 UTC). Majeed was buried in East Jamaat Masjid (Vakkom Padinjare Jamaat Mosque) in Vakkom, alongside his ancestors.