M.P. Parameswaran, nuclear scientist and people's science icon, dies at 92
M.P. Parameswaran, a former nuclear scientist who rose to prominence as a theorist of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and a leading figure in the people's science movement, died in Thrissur, Kerala, on Tuesday (August 11, 2026). He was 92.
Parameswaran was among the earliest and most distinguished members of the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP), an organisation dedicated to spreading scientific literacy among the public. His intellectual pursuits spanned environment, energy, education and rural development, and he authored numerous books in Malayalam and English on topics from atomic energy and radioactivity to astronomy, mathematics, political science and ecology.
Born on January 18, 1935 in Thrissur district, Parameswaran completed his bachelor's degree in engineering from the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, in 1956. He later earned a PhD in nuclear engineering from the Moscow Power Institute in 1965. From 1957 to 1975, he worked as a scientist at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai, contributing to India's nuclear programme.
He left BARC in 1975 to become a full-time activist, dedicating his life to the KSSP and the wider people's science movement. He played a pivotal role in establishing the All India People's Science Network (AIPSN), a coalition of science-based organisations across the country, and served as its secretary and later president. He also helped build the Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, an organisation that carried out massive literacy campaigns across India.
His 1997 book Fourth World sparked intense debate within the CPI(M), of which he had been an active member. In the book, he envisioned a world built on decentralised democracy and economic production, free from consumerist excess. In February 2004, the CPI(M) expelled him on charges of indiscipline and deviation from the party line.
Despite the political controversy, Parameswaran remained a respected intellectual figure. He continued to write and speak on science, society and politics until his final days. His death marks a significant loss to the scientific and literary community in India.
He is survived by his family and a legacy of scientific temper and public engagement.
