Who is Sadanandan Master, the newly nominated Rajya Sabha MP whose legs were chopped off by CPIM goons
On Saturday (12th July), President Droupadi Murmu nominated C Sadanandan Master, a schoolteacher whose legs were chopped by CPIM goons, to the Rajya Sabha.
C. Sadanandan, who is popularly known as Maash” (Master), is a teacher at a school in the Thrissur district of Kerala. His nomination to the Rajya Sabha is special, as it is not just a recognition of his contribution to public life and education but also to his personal struggles.
C. Sadanandan entered the national scene after surviving one of the most horrific political attacks in the tumultuous history of Kerala.
On the night of 25th January, 1994, at the age of 30, Sadanandan was ambushed by CPI(M) goons near his home village of Perinchery. In a shocking act of political violence, they chopped off both his legs and left him bleeding on the roadside as a warning to those switching political sides.
Recalling that night, he once shared how no one dared to help him because of fear. It was only when the police arrived on the scene, maybe fifteen minutes later, that I was whisked off to the hospital. By then, I had lost consciousness.
But that terrible night didn’t stop him from moving forward. He returned to teaching in 1999 and still works as a social science teacher at Sree Durga Vilasam Higher Secondary School in Peramangalam.
Over time, he also became an active part of the BJP and contested elections from the Koothuparambu constituency in 2016 and 2021.
In his youth, Sadanandan leaned towards communist ideas, just like many young people in Kerala. But things changed for him when he started reading more about the RSS and its views on cultural nationalism.
He was especially moved by poet Akkitham’s article ‘Bharata Darshanangal’ and joined the RSS in 1984, even though his family had strong Left roots. His father was a retired teacher and a CPI(M) supporter, and his brother was also an active party worker at the time.
Today, apart from teaching, Sadanandan is the state vice-president of the National Teachers Union in Kerala. He also edits its magazine Deshiya Adhyapaka Vartha and is part of the Bharatiya Vichara Kendram, an RSS-affiliated intellectual group.
He is married to his college love, Vanitha Rani, who is also a teacher, and their daughter Yamuna Bharati is studying BTech and is active in the ABVP student organisation.
From surviving a brutal attack to being nominated to the Rajya Sabha, Sadanandan Master’s life is a story of strength, hope, and transformation.
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