Master was suffering from a prolonged illness.

The name of Irayi Kunnathidathil Kumaran Master was synonymous with the history of the region spanning Kannur and Kozhikode districts, ever since the agitation for the liberation of Mahe began in 1948.

The cremation will take place at Mahe this evening.

Idolised by the people of Mahe, earlier known as `Mayyazhi', Master fought for the ideals he stood for throughout his life.

A prohibition activist in his later days, he worried about Mahe, now under the Pondicherry administration, becoming an `alcoholic pocket'. During the last few years, Kumaran had also been campaigning for the merger of Mahe with Kerala.

Born on September 17, 1903, he was educated at Basel Mission School, Mahe and Government Brennen College, Thalasserry. He was attracted to the freedom movementduring his intermediate days.

In 1933, he gave up his job as a teacher to become involved in the freedom struggle. Master was a member of the Mahe Youth League, which later became the `Mayyazhi Mahajana Sabha'.

He took part in many meetings addressed by Mahatma Gandhi in 1934, who was then touring the nation for the uplift of Harijans. He became a full-time political activist in 1940, inspired by people like Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Subhas Chandra Bose.

Master was tortured during the Alipur agitation in 1942. The French had refused to vacate Mahe even after the country became independent in 1947.

The agitation for liberating Mahe began in 1948 under his leadership. A historic march to the administrator's office on October 23 was a success, with the French fleeing.

Master took over the administration of Mahe, which, however, lasted only a week.

The French, who came back with four shiploads of their army, recaptured the region. A week later, Master sneaked out of Mahe when he was sentenced to 20years' rigorous imprisonment and fined 1,000 francs by the French rulers.

Master went into hiding and organised the `Mayyazhimahajana Sabha' from outside the region. On July 14, 1954, French Republic Day, he organised a `People's March' to the Mahe administrator's office.

The March, inaugurated by K Kelappan, veteran freedom fighter, turned out to be the successful culmination of Mahe's freedom struggle. The French invaders agreed to leave Mahe on July 16.

Master was administrator of the region for the next few years. In 1969, he became a member of the Pondicherry Assembly, representing Mahe.

Master, who was associated with the Bhoodan Movement and the Harijan movement during his youth, later became an active campaigner for prohibition. He formed the `Madya Varjana Samiti' (anti-liquor committee) in the 1980's and fought against the `alcoholic culture' taking root in Mahe.

When the proposal to merge Mahe with Kerala came up, he advocated the same, hoping it would help his prohibitioncampaign.