M P Parameswaran, Pioneer of People’s Science Movement, Dies at 91

Eminent nuclear scientist, writer and Left theorist M P Parameswaran, who played a pioneering role in popularising science and literacy in Kerala, died at his residence here on Tuesday. He was 91.

Parameswaran was among the founding figures of the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP), which emerged as a platform for promoting scientific awareness and rational thinking among ordinary people. His life and work spanned science, literature, social activism and Left politics.

Born on January 18, 1935, in Kiraloor in Thrissur district, Parameswaran graduated in electrical engineering from Thiruvananthapuram Engineering College and later earned a PhD in nuclear engineering from the Moscow Power Institute.

He served as a scientist at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) from 1957 to 1975. He later left his scientific career to devote himself to KSSP activities, helping the organisation expand its influence through science popularisation and literacy campaigns.

Parameswaran wrote extensively in Malayalam and English on science and social issues. He also became a prominent participant in Left ideological debates through his “Fourth World” theory, outlined in his book “Fourth World: Dream and Reality”.

The theory envisaged a socialist society centred on decentralisation of power and environmental protection. It sparked intense debate within the CPI(M), which rejected his position and expelled him from the party in 2004.

Condolences poured in from sections of society following his death. CPI(M) veteran and former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan described Parameswaran's demise as a major loss to Kerala's scientific, cultural and social spheres.

Vijayan said Parameswaran had made invaluable contributions as a nuclear scientist, science populariser, writer, thinker and social activist. He also praised his role in the growth of KSSP and people's science and literacy movements.

According to Vijayan, Parameswaran dedicated his life to taking science closer to ordinary people and promoting scientific temper and rational thinking. He also chose social activism over the opportunities and privileges available through his scientific career, while advocating decentralisation and taking authority to the grassroots.