My Grandfather's role in Kerala Piravy (Foundation) Day
As we commemorate Kerala Piravi Day today November 1st 2023, I feel incredibly proud of my grandfather K Madhavan Nair, who had a major role to play in its inception.
Kerala was
split between the autonomous regions of Malabar, Cochin, and Travancore before
this merger. From Trichur to Kasargod, the northernmost parts of Kerala were
part of the British Malabar Presidency. The southern part was governed by the
sovereign State of Travancore, while the middle section was controlled by the
princely State of Cochin.
At the 1920 All India National Congress meeting in Nagpur,
when discussions were taking place to strengthen the local Congress chapters on linguistic basis,
my grandfather, the leader of the Malabar Pradesh Congress took the podium. He
spent hours arguing that fundamental states like Kerala should be included in
the struggle for independence and that Travancore, Cochin, and Malabar should
be united into a single Congress party that would be known as Kerala Congress
and not the Malabar Congress.
In their biographies, his colleagues like Abdul Rahman Sahib who
went with him have expressed their amazement at his oratory prowess and his
ability to debate fearlessly despite lacking physical attractiveness. He was
short, just five feet tall, not good looking, dark, and had buck teeth. Not
surprisingly, the esteemed poet Vallathol, who founded the Kerala Kala
Mandalam, a university dedicated to the arts, named his article on my
grandfather as
Karuthu Kuruthaya Vappusu
(dark, small stature)
Velluthu Neduthaya Manassu
(White, expansive, mind)
When the Kerala Pradesh Congress was created ( in Januay 1921, he was unanimously appointed to the position of first secretary and U Gopala Menon as Asst Secratary (mentioned in azadi ki amritmahotsav unsung heroes, a national govermental website).
When the post of president was introduced in 1925, he was once again elected to this position unanimously with K Kelappan as secretary. (mentioned here in this article and in the article by Shashi Tharoor in Mathrubhumi.)
Up until the time he was imprisoned in 1921, he made a lot of
trips around Kerala advocating for the cause of "United Keralam," or
"Aikya Keralam." Other events in Kerala took precedence for a number
of years afterward, including the 1921 Hindu massacre, starting of the newspaper Mathrubhumi, numerous satyagrahas to
support lower castes, the boycott of foreign products, and the admission of
lower castes to temples.
1933 my grandfather passed away. However, many of his friends
including K P Keshava Menon did not forget my grandfatherβs desire for a united
Kerala, and they pursued the dream that they had created together. They
reintroduced it in 1946 at several gatherings, actively promoting it, and as a
result, the state of Kerala was created on November 1st, 1956, following
India's independence.
The article by Vallathol below:
K Madhavan Nair Janmashatabdi Smaranika by Prof. John Ochanturath
K Madhavan Nair Biography by Prof Moosad
Really Shri K Madhavan Nair was a great hero. He should be inevitably commemorated.
ReplyDeleteAnother informative post! As usual so well put together!
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