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{{Use Indian English|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{infobox person
|name = K. P. Kesava Menon
|birth_name =
|birth_date = {{birth date|1886|09|01|df=yes}}
|birth_place = Tharoor, [[Malabar District]], [[Madras Presidency]], [[British India]] (present day [[Palakkad district|Palakkad]], [[Kerala]], India)
| nationality = [[India]]n
|death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1978|11|9|1886|09|01}}
|occupation = {{hlist|[[Politician]]|[[Social activist]]|[[Writer]]}}
|spouse = Laxmi Nethyaramma
| relatives = [[K. P. Udayabhanu]] (nephew)
}}
'''Kizhakke Potta Kesava Menon''' (1 September 1886 – 9 November 1978) was a patriot, [[idealist]] and [[Indian independence activists|Indian independence activist]].<ref>Who is who of Freedom Fighters in Kerala — K. Karunakaran Nair -Regional Records Survey Committee, Kerala State, 1975 - Kerala – page 212</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=K.P.Kesava Menon {{!}} Kerala Media Academy|url=http://keralamediaacademy.org/archives/?q=content/kpkesava-menon|access-date=2021-08-22|website=keralamediaacademy.org}}</ref> He was born in Tharoor village of [[Palghat]] as the son of Naduviledathil Bheemanachan and Meenakshi Amma. He graduated in Arts from [[Madras University]] and Bar-at-law from [[Middle Temple]]. Menon was the founder of ''[[Mathrubhumi]]'', a popular daily newspaper which earned the second place in circulation in [[Kerala]]. In 1924, he led the [[Vaikom Satyagraha]] in Travancore. He was awarded the third highest civilian honour, [[Padma Bhushan]], by the [[Government of India]] in 1966.<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web|url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |date=2015 |access-date=21 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 October 2015 }}</ref>He was conferred with an [[honorary doctorate]] ([[Doctor of Letters|D.Litt]]) posthumously by [[University of Calicut]] in 1987.<ref>{{Cite web |title=University of Calicut Former Honorary Degree Recipients |url=http://www.universityofcalicut.info/news/formerdegreerecepients.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131107134605/http://www.universityofcalicut.info/news/formerdegreerecepients.pdf |archive-date=2013-11-07 |access-date=2020-07-12}}</ref>

== Marriage ==
Kesava Menon married Akathethara Manikyamelidam Laxmi Nethyaramma.<ref name=":0" /> Palakkatsseri Valiyaraja Manikyamelidam Shekhari Varma (the former Maharajah of Palghat) was the second of his five children (Since the first and second Rajas are residing outside India, it was the third Raja, KK Itti Pangi Achan who performed the religious duties on their behalf). The other four children are: Chellamma, Thankam, Padmini and Leela.<ref name=":0" />

== Political life ==
After his education, he became the secretary of Malabar Home rule League. He joined the [[Indian National Congress]] in 1915 and served as the secretary of the Malabar branch of the Home Rule League after setting up practice in Calicut. He was a member of the Home Rule League under [[Annie Besant]] which proceeded to London to present a memorandum to the Secretary of State in 1917. He also wrote a dozen of books and collections of essays. In 1919, in Madras he organised sweepers and rikshaw drivers. He was among the earliest in Kerala to argue for abolition of 'untouchability'<ref>Social History of India – SN Sadasivan – Page 511</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www.mathrubhumi.com/online/malayalam/news/story/719761/2011-01-09/kerala |title=Kerala News - പാലക്കാട് വലിയരാജാവിന് സിംഗപ്പുരില് നൂറാംപിറന്നാള് - India, World News — Mathrubhumi Newspaper Edition |publisher=Mathrubhumi.com |date=2011-01-09 |access-date=2011-11-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926222837/http://www.mathrubhumi.com/online/malayalam/news/story/719761/2011-01-09/kerala |archive-date=26 September 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

== Mathrubhumi ==
Kesava Menon established [[Mathrubhumi]] in 1923. He was its Chief Editor from the beginning till his death, except for a brief interregnum he moved out of Kerala and went to practice law in Malaysia and Singapore. There also he was actively involved in nationalist movements. His autobiography has been published by Mathrubhumi Books.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiB0e29mhaY |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/WiB0e29mhaY |archive-date=2021-12-21|url-status=live|title=K P Kesava Menon {{!}} Swathanthrathinte Thirayilakkam {{!}} Mathrubhumi Documentary {{!}} Rahul Ayani|access-date=22 August 2021}}{{cbignore}}

{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 1960–69}}
{{Sahitya Akademi Award For Malayalam}}
{{Mathrubhumi Group}}
{{Padma Award winners of Kerala}}
{{Kerala Sahitya Akademi Fellowship}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menon, K. P.}}
[[Category:1886 births]]
[[Category:Indian independence activists from Kerala]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Kerala]]
[[Category:Malayali people]]
[[Category:People from Palakkad district]]
[[Category:1978 deaths]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Malayalam]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in public affairs]]
[[Category:Malayalam-language journalists]]
[[Category:Government Victoria College, Palakkad alumni]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award]]

K. P. Kesava Menon - Revision history

UpdateBot at 07:08, 21 June 2022