Revolutionary singer M.L. Paulina passes away at 87

Revolutionary singer and veteran cultural activist M.L. Paulina, popularly known as Paulina Teacher, passed away in Kannur on Saturday (September 20, 2025). She was 87.

Born in 1938 in Thalassery, Paulina emerged as one of the most prominent revolutionary voices of Malabar, closely associated with the undivided Communist Party.

Alongside her brothers M.L. Lawrence and M.L. Simon, she formed the M.L. Brothers Music Club in Thalassery, which rose to fame as a revolutionary singing group across Malabar.

Her father M.N. Thambi was a noted singer, mridangam player, and tabla maker, and Paulina was trained in music for 24 years. She later served as a music teacher at St. Antony’s High School, Peravoor, and retired from a Girls’ school at Paloor in 1993.

Guided by Communist stalwarts like E.M.S. Namboodiripad and A.R. Joseph, the group became the cultural front of the undivided Communist Party. Lawrence went on to compose music for more than a hundred amateur plays, while Paulina lent her voice to several revolutionary songs and HMV recordings that became popular in the 1960s.

Paulina’s husband M. Govindan had predeceased her. She is survived by her children Beena, Rani, Rafi, and Sangeeth. The funeral will be held on Sunday morning at Kandikal Nidratheeram crematorium.