Thiruvananthapuram, Sunday, January 29, 2012: Former Minister and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) leader Baby John (1920 - 29 January 2008) was remembered on his fourth death anniversary on Sunday. John was born in the coastal hamlet of Chavara in Kerala’s Kollam District in 1920. He was the son of Sebastian John and Mary John.

Famously known as ”Kerala Kissinger”, John was a key figure in the coalition politics of Kerala for several decades. John’s long legislative career began in the early 1950s when he was elected to the Travancore-Cochin Assembly.

After the formation of Kerala state, he was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 1960 to 1996, mostly from his home constituency Chavara. He had served as minister handling different portfolios in coalition governments led by the C. Achutha Menon, K. Karunakaran, A. K. Antony, P. K. Vasudevan Nair, and E. K. Nayanar.

His long and eventful career came to an unexpected halt when he suffered a stroke while serving as Irrigation Minister in the E K Nayanar ministry in mid-1990s. Since then he had been confined to home.

A freedom fighter and trade unionist, John plunged into politics as a student and was arrested several times for participating in agitations.
A Congress worker to start with, John was later attracted to leftist ideology and was a founder member of the RSP in the country.

Lean, tall and with drooping mustache, John’s had been an image etched in the political memory of Kerala for varied roles he played with great skill and poise from the early 1970s.

He came to the political central stage as minister in the government led by CPI stalwart Achutha Menon in which Congress and RSP were partners.

In the political quickstands of Kerala, John had played the role of strategist and trouble shooter in whichever coaliton he was part of.
John died at a private hospital in Kollam in the wee hours on January 29, 2008 following a prolonged illness.