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OJ JOSEPH
Ooroth Joseph Joseph ( 17-September 1914 – 19 November 1991), popularly known as O.J. was a prominent leader of the Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPIM), a  Trade union leader (CITU), and Parliamentarian (Rajya Sabha ).

Personal life
O.J. Joseph was born on 17th September 1914 at Kizhakambalam in Ernakulam, Kerala to Ooroth Joseph and Rosamma Parekattil. He was the eldest of the seven siblings. His ancestors hailed from Oorakam in Thrissur, Kerala. His family, Oorakath Madam was a Namboothiri family who later converted to Christianity when St. Thomas visited Kerala.

In 1960, O.J. married P.O Kathrikutty. They had three children, a son Lalu Joseph and two daughter Leena Joseph and Lethy Joseph who married Jenny Thekkakara, Asokan Varkey, and D Reghunathan Pillai. He has four grandchildren- Lekshmi Reghunath, Kaatha Lalu, Nazreen Asok and Kripa Lalu.

O J passed away at the age of 78, on 19th November, 1991  at a hospital in  Thiruvananthapuram. After his death, his eyes were donated to Children in need of donors.

Political Career
O.J. started business at the age of 18 with the sale of spices. He would buy spices from the farmers of Nilambur and supply it to wholesalers at Alappuzha. During the course of time he moved to Alappuzha where he learned different skills like weaving, printing, etc. O.J. started working in a weaving company at Alappuzha and it is from there where he started to actively participate in the trade unions activities, thereby stepping into his political career.

Between 1932 and 1934, O.J. was initiated into active participation in trade unions. He started by promoting the periodical publication of Thiruvithamcore Labour Association among labours. In 1937, he organised the “Pattini Jatha”- a hunger strike and poverty March by labourers. In the same year, a union was registered under the name of the Congress Socialist Party (CSP) and OJ Joseph became a member of the CSP Union. He was selected into the subcommittee for organising multiple strikes for the betterment of labourers, their right to vote, etc,. In 1938, O.J. was nominated as the joint secretary of the Alapuzha Union Committee and he was in-charge of the Cherthala division. In 1940, he was advised by the Communist Party to take charge of the Malabar region and he took up the leadership of the Cheruvannur union. It is at that time that the Communist Party was gathering people against the Second World War.

During this period, the trade Union announced protests against Marthanam - Police violence and Vila Kayattam - Price Hike. O.J. Joseph was arrested for his speech and punished with rigorous imprisonment for one and a half years. He was initially serving at the Kannur Central Jail and later was shifted to Vellore and Bellary. He escaped prison in 1941, along with three other comrades. From there, O.J. reached Chirakkal and became a member of the Chirakkal Taluk Committee. In 1943, O.J. was nominated as the party secretary for Kurumbanade Taluk. He was then transferred to Travancore with E.K. Nayanar as a co-member of the committee.

In 1946, the government was arresting Communist Party Leaders and the party instructed O.J. to go into hiding and he remained in hiding while giving speeches at limited and selective staged until India got its Independence.

Post- Independence, after the second Party Congress of the Communist Party of India was held in Calcutta, the Congress Government imposed a ban on the Communist Party of India. At this point of time, several leaders of the party, along with O.J. were arrested. O.J. was sent to the Vellore jail, were he remained until 1950 when he was released.

In 1951, O.J was sent to Ernakulam to work for the trade union and he offered his support to all the Trade Union Periodical Publications. During that period, he attended a farmers meeting in Thodupuzha, Idukki and from then got involved in the Peasant Trade Union activities. He was soon nominated at the Kaliyar Thottam Thozhilali Union President.

While the base of his activities was at Ernakulam, the Party instructed O.J Joseph to take up work with the State Transport Employees Union at Thiruvananthapuram as its Joint Secretary. After O.J. took charge in the Employees Union, there was a historical struggle by transport employees, in while O.J. played a crucial role.

In 1960 O.J. was arrested for his involvement in peasant struggle and he was remanded to the Sub Jail for 15 days. In 1962, during the India-China war, O.J. was arrested along with communist party leaders of Kerala state.

O.J began to mobilise workers in the unorganised sector and hitherto neglected sections of working people like Non-Muster Roll (NMR) workers and casual labor in PWD, farmworkers, Government Press employees, FCI godown workers, and workers in Hindustan Latex Ltd. His focus was on organise them into structured Trade Unions.

In 1964, the communist party split into two CPI and CPI (M). OJ Joseph stood with CPIM and in the first meeting, was selected as a CPIM state committee member. In the communist party he was in the state council. In 1968, he was selected as the Thiruvananthapuram District Secretary of the CPIM and in the same year, he was selected to Kerala state secretariat of CPIM.

In 1967  members of ITUC separated and formed and new trade union of transport employees union and OJ Joseph was the first vice president.

During the 78 years of his life, he was involved in trade union activities in all sectors. Along with EMS Namboodiripad and AK Gopalan, he was the one who lived and traveled all over Kerala to do intensive organisational work to promote CITU and the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

O.J. lead the trade union cadres in Alappuzha, Cherthala, Kollam, Karthikappally, Ernakulam, Kannur, Thalassery, Chirackal, Kurumband, Cheruvannur, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram and others.

OJ had organized trade unions in traditional as well as modern sector industries. He was involved in the mobilization of coir factory workers, plantation /estate workers, paper mills, Ceramics, textile, tile industries, State Transport, Government press,farms,FCI godown, Hindustan Latex Ltd.

Before Kerala was formed, O J was vice-president of the Kerala Regional Trade Union Congress (KRTUC).In 1970 he was selected Vice President of the CITU.

During his life, he spends 6 years in Jail and nine and a half years in hiding due to the active persecution of communist party members. He represented  CPI(M) as a member of Parliament  Rajya Sabha from 1981.