Ayyankali (1863–1941)
History
Ayyankali was born in 1863 in Venganoor, Trivandrum, Travancore. He was one of theseven children born to a Pulaya (Cheramar) family. He was illiterate as were all Dalits at that time. In those days Dalits were not allowed to walk along public roads. The Dalit women were not allowed to cover their breasts in public places. Ayyankali organized Dalits and fought against these discriminations.Ayyavu Swami, a saint and scholar whom Ayyankali loved and respected as his teacher, was a major inspiration for him to fight against all social discriminations.
He was in the forefront of movements against "Manusmrithi" colour system and casteism. He passed through the public roads of Venganoor on a bullock cart which was not allowed for the Dalits. Ayyankali demanded right for Dalit children to study in school. He started a school to teach Dalit children at Venganoor.
The significance of Ayyankali lies in the fact that he could spearhead a struggle for human rights of the untouchables raising demands which find expressions in international human rights documents well before their adoption. He pioneered a movement for democratizing public places and assertedthe rights of workers . The most amazing part of it is that he did all this in spite of his illiteracy. Ayyankali was later nominated to the assembly of Travancore namely, Sri Moolam Legislative Assembly, in 1910 by the then rulers in recognition of his leadership ability. In his efforts Ayyankali also received the support of his great contemporary Sree Narayana Guru and other social reformers. By 1900 Dalits were given the freedom to walk on public roads, and by 1914, Dalit children were allowed to join schools. Dalit women were allowed to cover their nakedness in public through his efforts.
In 1937 he was praised by Mahatma Gandhi when he visited Venganoor, Ayyankali's home town. In November 1980, Indira Gandhi unveiled the statue of Ayyankali at Kowdiar square, in Trivandrum.
Sahodaran Ayyappan
Sahodaran Ayyappan was born into a traditional Ezhava family of Cherai in Vypin Island of Ernakulam district as the son of Kumabalathuparambil Kochavu Vaidyar and Unnuli on 21 August 1889. He lost his father at an early age and was brought up under the guidance of his elder brother Achuthan Vaidyar. After having his school education primarily in Cherai and North Paravoor, Ayyappan did his pre-university course at the Malabar Christian College, Kozhikode.
It was at this time that he had the opportunity to interact closely with Sree Narayana Guru at whose encouragement he decided to continue his studies and took B.A. from Maharaja's College, Ernakulam, in 1916. He also met the poet Kumaran Asan during this time.
At Cherai, in 1917, Ayyappan organized a misra bhojanan (a grand feast of all castes sitting together under one roof ). The feast was organized under the aegis of the Sahodara Sangham. The feast was attended by about 200 people including the so-called untouchable Pulayas. This was opposed forcibly by conservative sections of society, including Ezhava lords.From then on, Ayyappan came to be known as Sahodaran Ayyappan.
By this time he had also acquired a Law degree from the Government Law College, Trivandrum. His consuming passion was still directed towards effecting radical reforms in the society. With this aim in view he started the journal ‘Sahodaran’ from Mattancherry, containing articles and poems, which continued to be on print until 1956.
An inquisitive soul from childhood, K. Ayyappan’s mind kept probing beyond caste, religion and other dogmas. He didn't believe in any religion. He became the founder editor of the magazine Yukthivadi (The Rationalist) which was started in 1928. Ayyappan proclaimed his slogan of Jati Venda, Matham Venda, Daivam Venda (No Caste, No Religion, No God for Human-beings). Despite such atheism, he nevertheless had deep respect for the Guru.
In 1928, Ayyappan was elected to Cochin Legislative Council of which he continued to be a member for the next 21 years.
He served as a minister two times in Cochin Legislative Assembly and one time in Thiru-Kochi Assembly.
He was widely respected by all sections of people across the society because of his selfless social work and also on account of his impeccable personal integrity. For the last 15 years of his life he stayed away from active social life. On 6 March 1968 Ayyappan breathed his last.
Kumara Gurudevan
He joined the Marthoma church, a reformist sect among the Syrian Christians, but realized the church treated Dalits as an inferior class, and left the church. He then joined a new sect called the Brethren Mission. Here he faced similar instances of caste-based discrimination.
In 1909, Johannan left Christianity and started his own Dalit liberation movement named Prathyaksha Raksha Daiva Sabha (PRDS). He was known as Poikayil Appachan or Kumara Gurudevan afterwards. Hewas successful in convincing the majority of his brethren to abandon Christianity and embrace PRDS.
He bought 125 acres of land in various parts of Travancore for the use of PRDS. The new organisation was headquartered at Eraviperoor. Poikayil Yohannaan set up schools and industrial training centres in different places in addition to constructing buildings for religious ceremonies and public functions.
Johannan was also twice nominated, in the years 1921 and 1931, to the Sree Moolam Praja Sabha, the legislative council of the princely state of Travancore.
In the Praja Sabha, Johannan made a forceful case for the education and employment of the Depressed Classes. Some of the measures he advocated for these Dalits included provision for concession in fee for studies beyond fifth class, job reservations and land for each Dalit family. Johannan died on 29 June 1939 at the age of 61.
Pandit Karuppan
Karuppan’s famous work ‘Jathikummi,’ which criticised the prevailing caste system, was written in 1904 during the period of his study at Kodungallur Kovilakam and it became popular among the poor. Jaathikkummi is a pioneering attempt in Malayalam literature questioning the caste system and untouchability.Though most of Karuppan’s writings were in scholarly Sanskrit, Jaathikkummi employs simple, everyday Malayalam that illiterate people from the local communities were able to understand and propagate. Karuppan’s talents in Sanskrit came to the notice of Rajarshi Ramavarma Raja, the Maharaja of Cochin. The Maharaja arranged for Karuppan's advanced study of Sanskrit under ‘Sahridayathilkan’ Rama Pisharody, the principal guru of the royal family. Karuppan was appointed Sanskrit teacher at the St. Theresa’s Convent Girls’ High School in Ernakulam.
Later, he joined the staff of Caste Girls’ High School, Ernakulam, and Victoria Girls’ High School, Thrissur in 1918. Subsequently, he was posted at the Teacher Training School ther.
In August 1925, he was nominated as a member of the Cochin Legislative Council. He pressed the Government to establish a separate Department for this purpose leading to the establishment of the Department for the Protection of the Depressed Classes with the then Director of Public Instruction, Rao Sahib C. Mathai as ex-officio Protector and Karuppan as full-time Assistant Protector. He persuaded the Government to provide scholarships, fee concessions and a number of other incentives for the education of children from the depressed classes. The Depressed Classes Department was later renamed the Harijan Welfare Department.
Pandit Karuppan was then appointed as Secretary to the Elementary Education Committee and the Bhashaparishkarana Committee. In 1931, he assumed the newly created post of Superintendent of Vernacular Education of Cochin State. In 1932, he was appointed lecturer of Sanskrit at the Maharaja’s College. During this time, Karuppan also served as Chairman of the Board of Examiners of the Madras University and as Member of the Municipal Council, Ernakulam.
The Maharaja of Cochin honoured Karuppan with the title Kavithilakan or Great Poet. Impressed by Karuppan, Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran of Travancore, known as Kerala Kalidasan for his translation of Shakunthalam into Malayalam, conferred the title of Vidwan upon him in 1913. Karuppan decided to quit his teaching job to spend more time and energy spearheading social reforms. With this purpose, he organized the people of his own community into regional groups called sabhas. The main agenda of the sabhas was to persuade people to fight ignorance and superstitions. He put strong pressure on his fellow countrymen to become better educated and accept a healthier lifestyle.
He gave equal emphasis to the emancipation of other communities too as seen through the formation of the Cochin Pulaya Maha Sabha for the uplift of the Pulaya community in 1913. Treated as untouchables by the upper caste Hindus, they were not allowed to assemble in any common place for meetings. To keep such meetings away from the eyes of the landlords, Karuppan asked the Pulayas to come in rowboats to the expanse of the Ernakulam backwaters and tie their boats together. There, he addressed them on a wooden-planked platform and charted out strategies for their emancipation by forming a Sabha. Subsequently, Karuppan persuaded other communities like Velas, Sambavas, Ulladas and Kudumbis to form similar Sabhas to give momentum to their fight against social evils and discrimination.
Pandit Karuppan’s wife Kunhamma hailed from Panambukad and the couple lived in Sahithyakudeeram, a house near the St. Teresa’s College, Ernakulam, with their only daughter Parvathy. Pandit Karuppan died of pleurisy on March 23, 1938 at the age of 53.
K. Kelappan
He was called Kerala Gandhi. He worked hard for eradication of untouchability and worked for upliftment of Harijans. He set up many Harijan hostels and schools in Kerala.
He joined studies in Law at Bombay which he gave up to join the Non-cooperation movement led by Mahatma Gandhi and joined the Freedom movement.
During the Malabar rebellion, he faced a group of rebels who came to loot the Ponnani Treasury and persuaded them to retreat by appealing to their good sense.
He gave the lead to the Payyannur and Calicut salt Satyagraha and was chosen as the first Satyagrahi from Kerala in the individual satyagraha movement launched by Gandhiji. He played a dominant role in the famous Vaikom Satyagraha and was the leader of the Guruvayur Satyagraha in 1932.
He was jailed by several times during the Indian freedom movement including the Quit India Movement.
He was in the forefront of Swadeshi Movement and did his best to build up a base of Khadi and village industries. He died on October 7, 1971.
Chattampi Swamikal
Chattampi Swami was born on 25 August 1853 at Kollur, a suburban village of Trivandrum in southern Travancore. Knowing his thirst for learning an uncle took him to the traditional school conducted by Pettayil Raman Pillai Asan, a renowned scholar and writer who taught him without any fee. It was there that he earned the name Chattampi on account of his assignment as the monitor of the class.
Kunjan Pillai took to many manual works. For some time he worked as a document writer and also as an advocate's clerk. He stood first in a test for clerical posts in Government Secretariat, Trivandrum conducted by Sir T Madhava Rao the then Divan of Travancore State. But he left the service after a short while as it curtailed his freedom and prevented his wanderings for spiritual exploitations and research. Kunjan Pillai met Subba Jatapadikal from Kalladaikurichin in Southern Tamil Nadu; a renowned teacher well versed in Tarka, Vyakarana, Mimasa, and Vedanta. He spent many years learning under Subba Jatapadikal. After completing his studies under Subba Jatapadikal he spent long periods of learning and under a Christian priest. Later he spent lived with an old Muslim well versed in Koran and Sufi mysticism who taught him the main tenet of Islam. These days revealed to him that the basic concepts of all religions are the same. It is misinterpretation that causes conflicts and makes religion a tool for oppression and subjugation. At the end of his wanderings and quest Kunjan Pillai was led to self-realization by an avaduta. It is believed that this avaduta belonged to the line of immortal masters of southern India, the Sidddhas who knew the scientific art for realizing God. He returned to Kerala as a great scholar and saint.
Maha Samadhi
Toward the end of his life Swamikal settled down at Panmana, a village in Kollam district. After a short period of illness during which he objected to take any medicine, at an auspicious time marked by him on May 5, 1924 Swamikal attained Maha Samadhi.
Mannathu Padmanabhan
On 31st October, 1914 with the help of a few others, he established the Nair Service Society. His main ambition was to uplift the status of the Nair community. In 1924-25 the NSS persuaded the Travancore Government to enact the Nair Regulation which broke up the materiarchal joint family providing for paternal and maternal property to divided among all the children. He fought for social equality, the first phase of being the Vaikom Satyagraha, demanding the public roads near the temple at Vaikom be opened to low caste Hindus. He took part in the Vaikom and Guruvayoor temple-entry and anti-untouchability agitation. He became a member of the Indian National Congress in 1947 and took part in the agitation against Sir C. P. Ramaswamy Iyer’s administration in Travancore.
In 1949 Padmanabhan became a member of the Travancore Legislative Assembly. In 1959 he, along with Christian Churches, led a united opposition against the State Communist Ministry, which became known as the Vimochana Samaram (liberation struggle).
Padmanabhan was involved with the Nair Service Society as its Secretary for 31 years and as its President for three years. He was honoured with the title Bharata Kesari by the President of India. He also received Padma Bhushan in 1966. He died on February 25, 1970.
Sree Narayana Guru Swami
Narayana Guru is revered for his Vedic knowledge, poetic proficiency, openness to the views of others, non-violent philosophy and his resolve to set aright social wrongs.
Guru stressed the need for the spiritual and social upliftment of the downtrodden by their own efforts through the establishment of temples and educational institutions. In the process he brushed aside the superstitions that clouded the fundamental Hindu cultural convention of Chaturvarna
Narayana Guru was born on 20 August 1856, in the village of Chempazhanthy near Thiruvananthapuram, the son of Madan Asan, a farmer, and Kutti Amma. The boy was dotingly called Nanu. As a boy, Nanu would listen to his father with keen interest when he narrated stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata to the simple folks of his village.[citation needed] Nanu was initiated into the traditional formal education Ezhuthinirithal by Chempazhanthy Pillai, a local schoolmaster and a village officer. Besides schooling, young Nanu continued to be educated at home, under the guidance of both his father and uncle Krishnan Vaidyan who was a reputed Ayurvedic physician and a Sanskrit scholar.
As a child, Nanu was very reticent and was intensely drawn to worship at the local temple. He would criticise his own relatives for social discrimination and the apartheid-like practice of segregating children from, supposedly, lower castes. Nanu spent the most part of his early youth assisting his father in tutoring, and his uncle in the practice of Ayurveda, while devoting the rest of his time for devotional practices at the temples nearby.
Nanu found the life affected by an intolerable restlessness. One of his friends took him to Chattampi Swamikal. The two were attracted to each other at the first sight. Nanu's keen intellect and imperturbability astonished Chattampi Swami and he took Nanu to his own guru Thycaud Ayyavu Swamikal.Nanu became his disciple and got from him advanced training in yogic practices.Later, Nanu moved to his hermitage deep inside the hilly forests of Maruthwamala, where he led an austere life immersed in meditative thought and yoga and subjected himself to extreme sustenance rituals. This phase of solitude lasted for 8 long years. After an unpretentious life of over thirty years abounding in knowledge and harsh experiences, this epoch is considered the culmination of the meditative recluse; the point at which Narayana Guru is believed to have attained a state of Enlightenment.
A new phase began in the Guru's life in 1904. He decided to give up his wandering life and settle down in a place to continue his Sadhana (spiritual practice). He chose Sivagiri, twenty miles north of Thiruvananthapuram. Goddess 'Amba' became his deity of worship.
Next, he started a Sanskrit school in Varkala. Poor boys and orphans were taken under his care. They were given education regardless of caste distinctions. Temples were built at different places – Thrissur, Kannur, Anchuthengu, Tellicherry, Calicut, Mangalore. A temple was built for Sharada Devi in 1912, at Sivagiri. Worship at such temples helped reduce to a large extent superstitious beliefs and practices.
In 1913, he founded the Advaita Ashram at Aluva. This was an important event in his spiritual quest. This Ashram was dedicated to a great principle – Om Sahodaryam Sarvatra (all men are equal in the eyes of God). This became the motto of the new Ashram.
When Narayana Guru attained the age of sixty, his birthday was observed throughout the west-coast from Mangalore to Sri Lanka. Between 1918 and 1923 he visited Sri Lanka many times. In 1921, a Conference of Universal Brotherhood was held at Aluva. Again in 1924, a conference of all religions was held there. Guru stressed the need for a Brahma Vidyalaya for a comparative study of different religious faiths.
Sree Narayana Guru had many followers and disciples. Nataraja Guru, a notable disciple of Sree Narayana Guru, introduced Guru's visions and ideals to the western world. He established Narayana Gurukulam in 1923 in the Nilgiri Hills with the blessings of Narayana Guru.
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