K. M. Chandy (English: KM Chandy; born- 6 August, 1921, Kottayam district, Kerala; died- 7 September, 1998) was a freedom fighter and former governor of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. He started participating in politics at the age of 17. At that time he was a student of 12th class. In 1946, when K. M. Chandy was the secretary of Meenachil Taluk Congress Committee, he was banned from participating in political activities, but he continued to participate in the freedom struggle. K. M. Chandy contributed to the establishment of ‘St. Thomas College’ in Palai. He also taught in this college in 1950. On May 15, 1982, K. M. Chandy became the Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry. He was made the Governor of Gujarat on August 6, 1983. Later he assumed the charge of Governor of Madhya Pradesh on May 19, 1984.
K. M. Chandy was born on 6 August 1921 in a town called Palai in Kottayam district of Kerala. He received his early education in his hometown and higher education in college in Changanacherry and Government Art College, Trivandrum. K. M. Chandy started participating in politics at the age of 17. At that time he was an intermediate student in St. Verchman’s College, Changanacherry. He led a strike in protest against the lathi charge on students who were welcoming the state Congress leaders in Trivandrum. Due to the strike, he was expelled from the college along with some other students, but when a mass satyagraha was held in front of the college, he and other students were taken back to the college.
While studying in Trivandrum, he played a major role in the formation of ‘Tagore Academy’ under the leadership of famous Gandhian G. Ramachandran. This academy was banned in 1941 due to activating the nationalist movement among students and youth. In 1946, when K.M. Chandy was the secretary of Meenachil Taluk Congress Committee, he was banned from participating in political activities, but he continued to participate in the freedom struggle. He was arrested in July 1946. When the High Court granted him bail, he was imprisoned under the ‘Defense of India Act’ and was released at the end of September 1947, a month after independence.
K. M. Chandy, being a ‘Young Turk’, was elected unopposed to the State Legislative Assembly at the age of 26. He was re-elected MLA in 1952 and 1954. He was the Chief Whip of the Congress Party in the Legislative Assembly. He was also a member of the first State Planning Board and the first State Minimum Wage Advisory Board. K. M. Chandy contributed to the establishment of ‘St. Thomas College’ in Palai. He started teaching in this college in 1950 and remained a postgraduate professor of English till 1968. He resigned from this post in 1972 when he was appointed Chairman of the Rubber Board.
K. M. Chandy was a member of many academic committees, Senate and General Assembly of Kerala and Cochin Universities. Professor K. M. Chandy played a major role in the formation of ‘All Kerala Private College Teachers Association’. During his presidency (1969-1972) two agreements were signed in the interest of teachers of private colleges- K. M. Chandy was the Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry from 15 May 1982 to 5 August 1983. After this, he was the Governor of Gujarat from 6 August 1983 to 25 April 1984. He held the post of Governor of Madhya Pradesh from 15 May 1984 to 30 November 1987.
K.M. Chandy was President of the District Congress Committee from 1953 to 1957, General Secretary of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee from 1963 to 1967 and its Treasurer from 1967 to 1972. He was a member of the State Congress Committee continuously since 1948 and a member of the All India Congress Committee continuously since 1963. He resigned from the post of Chairman of the Rubber Board to take over as President of the State Congress Committee in 1978 and accepted the challenging task of strengthening the Congress organisation in Kerala, even though many people had deserted Mrs. Indira Gandhi.
K. M. Chandy established the first Youth Congress unit in 1953 and participated in the first All India Conference of Youth Congress in 1957. The credit for the establishment and development of large cooperative institutions in Kerala mainly goes to Mr. Chandy. He was the President of Meenachil Taluk Cooperative Union for twenty years from 1949. He established Meenachil Cooperative Land Mortgage Bank. He travelled to London, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore etc. to participate in international conferences related to rubber studies, rubber production, rubber research etc. K. M. Chandy also went to Washington to discuss the World Bank project related to rubber.
Being from an agricultural family, K.M. Chandy took keen interest in the problems of the farmers and struggled for their solution. In 1962, the government appointed him as a member of the committee to examine the problems of those who settled in government forest land. His report was appreciated by all sections. Professor K.M. Chandy died on 7 September 1998.