NK Krishnan was born on 12 April 1913 in a middle-class family in Nadavaramba village in the princely state of Cochin, later part of Kerala, in ‘Cherayathu Madom’, a huge rambling house with extensive banana and coconut tree plantations.

[2] Krishnan stood first in class IV in Cochin state in scholarship exams and was awarded a medal.

He read a range of English literary authors from Keats to Shelley and Shakespeare, also Sanskrit, and developing an interest in Carnatic music and tennis.

Completing his school education in Wadakkancheri in 1926, he topped SSLC securing highest marks in Cochin state.

He became a voracious reader of Marxist literature, soon coming in contact with Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB), becoming active in it.

Because of anti-Communist leanings of the Principal, he changed his college, and studied hydrodynamics under Prof Hyman Levy, who had a soft corner for Communists and they both got on very well.

Krishnan came in contact with CPGB leaders such as Harry Pollitt, R. Palme Dutt, Ben Bradley, James Klugmann, Michael Carritt, Emile Burns, William Gallacher, etc.

Carritt was an ICS officer in Bengal earlier, and helped freedom movement and Indian communists.

Krishnan participated in international student conferences in Paris in the 1930s, along with Yusuf Meherally, Parvati, P. N. Haksar, K. T. Chandy, and others.

He read Gabriel Peri, Jacques Duclos, Maurice Thorez, Marcel Cachin and others.

Party branch included Bhupesh Gupta, Haksar, Nikhil, Renu, Jyoti Basu and many others.

Krishnan prepared a comprehensive Marxist study syllabus for central staff of PHQ, and delivered lectures.

There started DA strikes in 1940 and NK came to know leaders like Tambitkar, Patkar, Md Shaheed, Parvatibai, Bhogale and others.

He helped organize AISF and BSU (Bombay Students’ Union), and cooperated with Nergis Batlivala and others.

Krishnan was in Salem in June 1942 to help organize the conference of AISF of southern region, along with Parvati, S. Ramakrishnan and Parameswaran.

There were some of the leaders released at that time which included Subramania Sharma, Mohan Kumaramangalam, B. Srinivasa Rao, others.

The distinguished Subbarayans had made massive contributions to the country including in politics, music, army, Communist movement etc.

Krishnan was present at Gowalia Tank Maidan, Bombay, on 8 August 1942 when Quit India Movement was announced.

Later Communists were accused of collaborating with the British, and PCJ of secretly meeting Home Secretary Reginald Maxwell.

Krishnan wrote an effective pamphlet proving the so-called ‘Maxwell Letter’ to be a forgery.

NK and others would collect second hand clothes to meet the shortage of personal funds, wages being inadequate.

Prominent national and international personalities visited the Commune including Subbaraya, Rajaji, Uday Shankar, Vallathol, Edgar Snow, Margaret Bourke White of Life magazine, and Betty Collier of Colliers magazine.

NK also visited Golden Rock in March 1943 with Parvati and took extensive classes and study circles in SIR Labor Union (railways).

NK met Prem Dhawan, Balraj, Prithvi Raj Kapoor, Ismat Chugtai and other prominent personalities in the course of work.

About 100 top Communists were arrested throughout the Province in January 1947, including NK, Venkataraman, EMS, P. Ramamurthy, AKG, Moyaram, K. Murugesan, N Rajsekhara Reddy, etc.

NK Krishnan was staying at Dr Subbarayan's place (Parvati's father), then home minister in the province.

By September 1947, when NK was released, inner-party struggle had sharpened, culminating in a sectarian adventurist line at second party congress, Calcutta, Feb-March 1948.

Krishnan wrote that repudiating Leninist teachings on dual role of national bourgeoisie, party adopted infantile sectarianism and left adventurism, as if as an ‘occupational disease’!

Krishnan writes: "Though PC Joshi was included in the official panel for the new central committee which had been proposed from the platform, he was voted out.

[citation needed] NK Krishnan was a specialist in international affairs, and represented CPI in several world conferences.