A. Achuthan
A. Achuthan was an Indian environmental activist and science writer from Kerala. He was involved in many environmental protests in the state. His book titled Paristhithi Padanathinu Oramukham, won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Scholarly Literature in 2014.
Biography
A. Achuthan was born on April 1, 1933, to Ikanda Variyar, a sub-registrar, and Madhavi Variyar, a civil servant, in Avittathur near Irinjalakuda in present-day Thrissur district of Kerala. After completing graduation in civil engineering from the University of Kerala, he studied master's degree in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin and a doctorate from IIT Madras. As a civil engineer, he is specialised in hydraulics.Personal life and death
Achuthan and his wife Sulochana have two children, Aruna, a VLSI design engineer in Canada, and Anupama A. Manjula, an associate professor in the Department of Pathology at Manjeri Government Medical College,. He died on October 10, 2022, at Kozhikode. As per his wishes, his body was handed over to the Kozhikode Government Medical College for academic purposes, without being placed for public viewing or paying homage.Career
Achuthan started his career as a demonstrator at the Government Engineering College, Thiruvananthapuram in 1954. Later he worked at the Public and Engineering Division of the Public Works Department, Government of Kerala. While working in PWD, he has done research on 'Total Sanitation' at the Indian Council for Medical Research. He left PWD for teaching career and worked as a teacher at Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram engineering colleges and Kozhikode Regional Engineering College. He has also served as Dean and Director of Academic Staff College at the University of Calicut.In the same year he arrived in Kozhikode as a teacher in 1962, the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad was formed in Kozhikode. Although he did not attend any of the first meetings of Parishad, he was active in literature and cultural scene of Kozhikode in the 1960s. In a poetry circle, he met another Irinjalakuda resident, N. V. Krishna Warrier. Upon Warrier's request Achuthan became a member of the Parishad in 1965. In 1966, he became the general secretary of the Parishad and in 1969, he became its state president. It was during his time that the Parishad was registered as a society. It was first registered with the home address of Achuthan.
For the Parishad, he focused on new methods of waste disposal, proper mosquito control, the design of a smoke-free stove, ways to save electricity, drinking water conservation measures, and low-cost building construction using local resources. He prepared many books and pamphlets to promote these. The most important of these is Ningalkkoru Veedu, which was prepared in collaboration with Vincent Paul, a colleague at REC.
Achuthan was a member of the expert committees of the Central Department of Science and Technology, UGC, Kerala State Planning Board, and the Board of Studies, Faculty, and Academic Council of various universities. He also served as the editor of the science periodicals Sastra Gati and Ore Oru Bhoomi.