THE Central Committee meeting of the Communist Party of India(Marxist) was held on January 17-19, 2020 in EMS Academy, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The EMS academy is a party school run by the Kerala state committee of the CPI(M).

EMS academy is one of the finest examples of people’s participation under the banner of the Kerala State Committee of the Communist Party of India(Marxist) in building institutions of research and studies. The 35.27 acre academy campus at Vilappilshala on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram is a result of the progressive mindset of the people of Kerala.

The Kerala state committee of the CPI(M) set up the academy as a tribute to the veteran communist leader and marxist philosopher, Comrade EMS Namboodiripad.

The Party undertook two rounds of fund collection to raise finances to establish the academy. During each round, the Party functionaries visited homes across the State and mobilised resources.

THE BUILDING PROCESS

Immediately after the demise of Comrade EMS in 1998, the CPI(M) set-up the EMS Academy Trust to set-up an appropriate memorial for his significant contributions to the political, intellectual, and socio-cultural spheres internationally, and in India and Kerala in particular. Comrade Harkishan Singh Surjeet, the then General Secretary of the CPI(M) laid the foundation stone for the memorial building on March 19, 1999, and inaugurated the building on March 19, 2001. The campus started with a single building and subsequently added seven structures. The buildings reflect the architectural heritage of Kerala.

The academy also has a museum on EMS’s life and a collection of rare pictures of the legendary Marxist adorning its walls.

The EMS Academy has also been entrusted with the responsibility of conducting research to publish a comprehensive history of the Communist Party in Kerala. Besides, the academy will also organise seminars and symposia in collaboration with other research organisations.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES
• Party school - To educate party cadres on the basic aspects of Marxism-Leninism, policy positions of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and on the organisation.
• Study camps for class and mass organizations - To conduct short-term study classes on different subjects.
• Classes for political campaign - These classes will be organised on contemporary political issues.
• One-year course - This programme is open to those interested in understanding the Marxist-Leninist perspective the contemporary issues in India.
• General courses targeting university students- These are academic-oriented programmes for students.

The first four programmes are being conducted at the academy at present. At any given point of time training can be imparted to over 500 people. On an average 150 academic days have been held annually at the campus and over 50 organisations have made use of its facilities on an average annually. Yoga physical exercise is a regular feature during various courses.

In 2019, the Kerala state committee of the CPI(M) organised a week-long residential state-camp for the state-level teachers.

HOSTELS
The academy has hostel facilities to accommodate three hundred and fifty participants at a time. There is also a faculty guest house for teachers. A modern canteen is situated within the academy campus.

The library has a collection of over 20,000 research and reference materials, including 11,000 books. Another attraction is the collection of periodicals from 1969 onwards. High-speed WiFi connectivity is available throughout the campus.

FARMING IN THE CAMPUS

The EMS Academy is an eco-friendly campus which practices integrated and organic farming. In addition to vegetable cultivation, the academy also farms cattle, poultry, and fish as a part of the integrated farming method in the campus. The campus that prides of being an eco-hub has a medicinal plants garden, fruit plants, and a biodiversity park as its specialities.

Integrated farming systems adopted in the academy is a combination of Kerala's heritage agriculture and the most modern methods of farming. Modern agricultural practices such as precision farming techniques including poly-house and rain shelter cultivation, extra high-density planting, watershed-based enterprise planning, animal husbandry and fisheries are demonstrated here to represent the agricultural scenario in the state.