M.P. Parameswaran, a former nuclear scientist who later gained recognition as a CPI(M) theorist, activist in the people’s science movement, and author, died in Thrissur, Kerala, on Tuesday at the age of 92.
He was among the founding members of the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad. His writings on the concept of a ‘fourth world’ sparked extensive discussion and resulted in his removal from the CPI(M) in February 2004.
Born in Thrissur district on January 18, 1935, he earned an engineering degree from the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, in 1956 and a doctorate in nuclear engineering from the Moscow Power Institute in 1965. He worked as a scientist at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai between 1957 and 1975.
After departing the research centre, he devoted himself full time to activism and became a leading figure in the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad.
His interests covered environment, energy, education, and rural development. He authored many books, several of which received awards.
He played a key role in establishing the All India People’s Science Network, serving as its secretary and later president. He also contributed to the creation of the Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, which conducted large-scale literacy drives across India.
His book Fourth World prompted intense internal debate in the CPI(M). It proposed a society based on decentralised democracy and production, free from consumerism. The party expelled him in February 2004, citing violations of discipline and departure from official positions.
He wrote numerous popular science works in Malayalam and English on subjects including atomic energy, radioactivity, astronomy, mathematics, political science, and ecology.
