Kunjakkamma was a unique personality in the history of anti feudal struggles in Malabar. Soon after the second world war, there was a flood of struggles- big and small- all over the country. Two were unique due to the participation of peasant women in large numbers. They were Cheemeni thol viraku struggle (Green leaf for manure and logs for fuel) and Kandakkai thatching grass struggle.
In Kandakkai, the notorious feudal landlord and the village headman denied the common people from collecting thatching grass from the uncultivated land for thatching the roof of their houses. But karshaka sangham decided to defy the order of the village headman and the local landlord and forcefully collected the grass. This developed into a big struggle and both men and women participated in the struggle. The landlord in turn strengthened the attack against the Sangham. He stationed a company of police along with his goons.
Karshaka sangham raised the slogan 'Those who sow will reap' and harvested the paddy. This infuriated the landlord and he started cruel torture to suppress the rising tide of opposition against him. He also used the Malabar Special Police. They raided the houses of the peasant activists and communist party workers and tortured them. They did not even spare women and children. They completely destroyed the household utensils and home appliances of these families. The brave woman leader Kunjakkamma along with thirteen other women from local peasant families marched to the house of the village headman and landlord (Adhikari). They carried the ruins of the destroyed materials with them and deposited it in front of his house. This infuriated the landlord and the police immediately arrested and sentenced Kunjakkamma. Her struggle was not pre-planned, but a spontaneous one. After her release, she received a warm welcome from the people and later travelled with A K G in his tour for the election campaign in 1951. Her leadership in that struggle was par excellence.
