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. [1] 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. [2] As a civil engineer, he is specialised in hydraulics. [3]
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,. [1] He died on October 10, 2022, at Kozhikode. [4] 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. [4]
Career
Achuthan started his career as a demonstrator at the Government Engineering College, Thiruvananthapuram in 1954. [3] Later he worked at the Public and Engineering Division of the Public Works Department, Government of Kerala. [1] While working in PWD, he has done research on 'Total Sanitation' at the Indian Council for Medical Research. [3] He left PWD for teaching career and worked as a teacher at Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram engineering colleges and Kozhikode Regional Engineering College. [1] He has also served as Dean and Director of Academic Staff College at the University of Calicut. [1]
In the same year he arrived in Kozhikode as a teacher in 1962, the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad was formed in Kozhikode. [5] 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. [5] In 1966, he became the general secretary of the Parishad and in 1969, he became its state president. [5] It was during his time that the Parishad was registered as a society. It was first registered with the home address of Achuthan. [5]
For the Parishad, he focused on new methods of waste disposal, proper mosquito control, the design of a smoke-free stove (now called the parishad stove), ways to save electricity, drinking water conservation measures, and low-cost building construction using local resources. [5] He prepared many books and pamphlets to promote these. The most important of these is Ningalkkoru Veedu [A Home for You], which was prepared in collaboration with Vincent Paul, a colleague at REC. [5]
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. [1] He also served as the editor of the science periodicals Sastra Gati and Ore Oru Bhoomi. [1]
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