Vyloppilli Bala Krishna Menon was a great freedom fighter and also a great scientist. He worked as a Scientist at CMFRI. He was born on 21 June 1921, in Kaloor, a downtown area located in the city of Kochi, Kerala State. He was born as the sixth of six sons. His parents were Kunjikuttyamma and T SubbaramIyer. He holds a B.Sc degree from Maharaja College of Ernakulam and an M.Sc and Ph.D. from Allahabad University. He did his research in Marine Biology with a UNESCO scholarship at the University of Bourbon in Paris. After graduation, he worked as a scientist at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute. He retired as Professor Emeritus.
In 1942, when he was studying at Maharaja’sCollege, he took part in the Quit India Movement and was imprisoned for eight months. He was kept in Viyyur jail along with Panampilli Govinda Menon, Ikkanda Warrier, and C. Achutha Menon. Authorities banned him from continuing studies for a period of two years since he participated in the Quit India Movement.
St. Teresa’s College (Autonomous) affiliated with Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, the Department of History felicitated the freedom fighter Vyloppilli Balakrishna Menon on 25 August 2017. He shared his experiences with the students. He died on 27 December 2021. The interaction helped students to realize the value of freedom.
Source: BBT Sundari, DRP, CCRT