Secularism is not a word in a dictionary.

I was born into a distinguished and aristocratic, socially well connected family in North Malabar. I grew up in a highly stimulating and intellectual environment, where open discussions of ideas and concepts were encouraged and endorsed. We have always been cosmopolitan and secular in our outlook and liberal and broad minded in our views. Tolerance and secularism were not words in a dictionary but something that we practiced in life.
My Grand uncle ( father’s uncle) MP Narayana Menon was the Kerala Pradesh Capital Committee who sided with the Muslims during a police clamp down is my hero and Archetype who opened the doors of wisdom to us. He was the main force behind the Hindu-Muslim solidarity witnessed in Malabar during the early phase of the Khilafat and non cooperation movements
He and his Moplah friends Kattilasseri Mohammed Musaliyar and Thaliyil Mohammed Kutty Musaliyar (K.M. Moulavi Saheb) who were responsible for awakening the Moplah peasants which led to the famous Malabar rebellion of 1921-1922. He was also the initiator of the agrarian reforms which give absolute rights over the land to the tillers and kudiyans of Kerala and put an end to the exploitation by the landlords. . He was a friend and colleague of Anne Besant, C. Rajagopalachari and Pattambhi Seetharamaiah. M. P. Narayana Menon never stood for an election in free India although he was offered the parliamentary seat from Malabar and would have got elected unopposed. He refused the other crumbs thrown by the congress government like ministerial posts, land, money, free travel etc. His life was a saga of courage, coolness, integrity and commitment amply deserving the honor of the title “The Abu Tualib of Malabar” bestowed on him by the Moplah Muslims of Kerala.
During the communal riots in India in the early fifties, both Muslims and Hindus were killed in the mayhem. He was in the midst of all these conflicts and spear headed the congress movement. He refused to bow down to the might of the British Empire. He was sentenced to ‘Transportation for Life’ and spent 17 years in British jails. He was the only non Muslim who was charge-sheeted under the ‘Moplah’ outrageous act.
He was crystal clear on his take; He told us the "individuals and vested interests" are responsible for the bloodshed and not the religions; he would emphasize that you cannot blame the intangible religion and expect justice, we must blame the individuals who caused it and punish them accordingly for disturbing the peace and thus bring a resolution to the conflict by serving justice. He said you cannot annihilate, kill, hang or beat the religion, then why bark at it like dogs? Barring some fundamentalists on both sides I think Muslims in India are happy and are leading a life of dignity in India. I wish we had leaders like him at our helm now. As his biography reads he is a forgotten pioneer. – K. Vinay Kumar