In 1944, when Govindan Nair was working as a Clerk cum Bill Collector in Nediyiruppu Panchayath, a protest struggle started demanding the demolition of the Hitchcock memorial statue in Valluvambram. Hitchcock was the British District Police Officer who suppressed the Malabar Revolt. Govindan Nair was in the forefront of the protest. His war song (padappattu) titled "The Brave Children of Eranad" got widespread appreciation during and after the Indian independence struggle.