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Three Strikes and Not Out- Lt. Col. Achuthan Sahadeva Panicker (1924-2017)

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Lt. Panicker (from the personal collection of Lt.Col A.S.Panicker (Retd.)) Most men have one life. And one death. Lieutenant Colonel A.S. Panicker had three.   Strike 1 Achutan Sahadeva Panicker was given up for dead even before he opened his eyes for the first time. It was on Onam day, in 1924 that he was born in an Ezhava household near Kundara in Kollam, Travancore. He was the 8th of 9 children, born to Achutan Vaidyan and Parvathy Amma. The little baby was thought to be still born as he was not breathing. Just as his last rites were to be performed, he began to cry. A stunned family thanked their lucky stars that he cried out when he did. This was the dramatic way in which young Sahadevan entered this world.   Life begins Sahadevan attended his village school where he, like other children of his time, learnt to read and write first by drawing on mud and later on a slate. As he grew, he became a star football player. This love for football stayed with