Screenshot from a TV interview. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan shed some light on little-known aspects of his life in an apparently free-spirited interview with actor Mohan Lal that aired on prime-time television on Thursday (February 26, 2026).
Mr Vijayan revealed his love for Rajanikanth films and preference for action films. He also reflected on how reading helped him get over his childhood fear of “ghosts and demons”
“Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables and Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina shaped my world view. The Mahabharata, the Ramayana and other classical Hindu texts ignited in me the spirit of renunciation typical of a sanyasi. It taught me to be content with what I have and not to chase material benefits,” he said. He called veteran communist AK Gopalan a “role model”.
Mr. Vijayan’s voice faltered slightly as he remembered his mother. “My mother had 14 children. I was the youngest. Eleven of my siblings died young, we two older brothers and I stayed,” he said.
Mr. Vijayan recalled that after the horoscope was written, his teacher at UP urged his mother to “keep studying until I succeed.” At that time, he said, children in the fifth grade used to leave school and go to roll beedis. He said his UP teacher used to call him “mukhyasthan”, which became a childhood nickname.
Mr. Vijayan remembered that his mother had died resting on his shoulder and after drinking the water he offered. “I was speechless,” he said.
A deep loss
Mr. Vijayan’s words conveyed a similar sense of deep loss and poignancy as he addressed the untimely death of CPI(M) State Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. “I couldn’t finish the eulogy. Losing a friend, especially one you think will be around after you’re gone, is devastating,” he said.
Mr. Vijayan revealed his love for football and ball badminton, which he played as a youth. “We made bats and balls from coconut leaves and stems,” he said.
Asked if he had a “weakness”, Mr Vijayan said how a political rival had threatened to kidnap his children. “Some perceived my children as my weakness,” he said.
“Mr Vijayan said he was unfazed by political witch-hunts and smear campaigns. “The party is my strength and integrity, my stronghold,” he said.
Mr Vijayan revealed his love for animals, introduced his pet labrador Robin and shared his views on religion and spirituality, quoting a line from an Upanishad taught to him by his teacher at school. “God is in your actions and conscience. There is no point in chasing after idols,” he said.
Published – 26 Feb 2026 21:38 IST
