In
1917 Chakola Kurumbaan Deivathaan became a member of the Sreemoolam
Praja Sabha. He led a historic procession of more than 2000 Pulaya and
forcibly entered the Chengannoor Temple. This was ten years before the
famous Temple Entry Ordnance and could be considered the first Temple
Entry Movement in the country.
A section of Pulayas converts into Christianity started a new movement under the leadership of Pambaadi John Joseph. They felt that the caste name Pulaya was undignified. 'Those who were the original populace of the ancient Chera Kingdom should be called Cheramer' was the stand taken by Joseph. He placede findings of Mr Logan, editor of 'The Malabar Manual' and quotations from the writings of Tamil Sangam Period to bolster his arguments and formed Cheramer Sangham. A chronicle named 'Cheramer Dootan' ( Cheramer Messenger) was also started.
The Cheramers broke up into Hindu Cheramers and Christian Cheramers following large scale conversions. When the number of Chermer Christians increased many fold, the savarna Christians began to consider them as untouchables. They were thrown out of the churches, so, they build their own churches and chose their own padres. The unsavoury experience from the Syrian Christians created sufficient mental agony in PJ Joseph to submit a memorandum listing the misdoings of Syrian Christian church to the British Parliament. Ultimately Mr Joseph began struggles against Hindu-Christian upper caste domination within the church.
Ayyankali was tolerant towards all religions, he gave support to the struggle begun by PJ Joseph. He not only collaborated with him on many fronts, he also recommended his name to the government for being made a member of the legislative assembly at the cost of Mr TT Keshavan Shastri. Thus PJ Joseph was nominated in 1921 to the Legislative Council.
Parallel to the Travancore State struggles, Kochi State also saw untouchables on the war path. After the formation of Pulaya Maha Sabha in 1913, they struggled and got social and economic benefits. Still certain obstructions and civil liberties were yet to come by. The appointment of KP Karuppan as Assistant Protector of Depressed Classes was considered a significant gain. When the expectations of social progress were belied, Krishnadi Asaan fell prey to avarice and got converted. He received the name John. He and his followers searched for the path to salvation. Krishnadi's action was a setback to the Pulaya freedom movement in Kochi State. With the leader removed, the movement came to a halt.
Meanwhile Ayyankali gave more importance to creative activities. In 1916 he established Theeyankara Pulaya School, in 1919 Shankhumukham School for Christian converts, Night school at Manarkadu, Primary School at Venganoor, Weaving centre and many other such establishments. Hundreds of offices of Sadhu Jana Paripaalana Sangham were turned into schools.
Amidst his drive on the educational front, he also had to mediate and settle communal riots. In 1921 a property dispute between the Syrian Christians and untouchables in North Erumeli flared up into a riot. It came to be known as '800 landholdings riot'. A savarna convert's efforts to forcibly occupy plots of forest land allotted to untouchables, using administration's support through money power, ignited this riot.
Ayyankali ordered to oppose them with all their might. The struggle led by Vellikkara Chodi and P Yohannaan. The local circle inspector of police Mr. Gopalasamy Pillai could not be won over by the Syrian Christians. So, before the riot took the turn for worse, he brought it under control.
After energetic efforts to rejuvenate the Pulaya MahaSabha, PC Chaanjan was elected the secretary in a meeting chaired by Dewan Narayana Iyer in 1924. KP Vallon made his entry when he was elected joint secretary. KP Vallon started a weekly "Adhakrithan" (Low People) to carry on the fight against injustice. The workers also got back some of the elan of earlier days.
Both Vallon and Chaanjan were nominated to the Kochi Legislative Assembly in 1931 & 1926 respectively.
One prominent group among the depressed classes was 'Kuravan'. They were also moving into the path already trodden by Ayyankali. To put an end to the static situation in the community, Varkala SK Raghavan entered the scene. After resigning from the department of health he became a social activist. In 1928 he started 'Satya-vilasini Sangham' to channelise the engross of his community. Though Ayyankali, Kandan Kumaran and PJ Joseph were members of the legislative council, there was no Kuravan representative. It was in 1929 that Kallada Raman Narayanan got nominated to the legislative council.
Kallada Narayanan started an organisation named 'Arumugha-Valli Vilasom' (named after son and daughter in law of Lord Shiva). Both organisations of Kuravans worked in tandem and set up many branches. When these organisations became weak and lifeless, a new organisation 'Kuravan Maha Sangham' was formed in 1936. PC Aadichan was nominated from the sangham into the legislative council. In 1937 SK Raghavan was made President and Kaattoor Ayyappan the Secretary. After sometime the working of the Sabha became weakened due to internal dissentions. Their activities picked up only in 1945. But, then, the activities led only to break up of the Sabha into Kuravan Mahasabha and Sidhaner Service Society. But the general direction of all organisations coalesced and progressed.
One of the important events of the new awakening era was the Vaikom Satyagraham of 1924 and Guruvayoor Satyagraham of 1931. These two movements, in which all castes rubbed shoulders for a common goal, broke through the chink in the wall between savarna and avarna is a historic fact. The role of the depressed peoples' role in those two struggles for independence would be entered in golden letters in the history of Kerala.
A section of Pulayas converts into Christianity started a new movement under the leadership of Pambaadi John Joseph. They felt that the caste name Pulaya was undignified. 'Those who were the original populace of the ancient Chera Kingdom should be called Cheramer' was the stand taken by Joseph. He placede findings of Mr Logan, editor of 'The Malabar Manual' and quotations from the writings of Tamil Sangam Period to bolster his arguments and formed Cheramer Sangham. A chronicle named 'Cheramer Dootan' ( Cheramer Messenger) was also started.
The Cheramers broke up into Hindu Cheramers and Christian Cheramers following large scale conversions. When the number of Chermer Christians increased many fold, the savarna Christians began to consider them as untouchables. They were thrown out of the churches, so, they build their own churches and chose their own padres. The unsavoury experience from the Syrian Christians created sufficient mental agony in PJ Joseph to submit a memorandum listing the misdoings of Syrian Christian church to the British Parliament. Ultimately Mr Joseph began struggles against Hindu-Christian upper caste domination within the church.
Ayyankali was tolerant towards all religions, he gave support to the struggle begun by PJ Joseph. He not only collaborated with him on many fronts, he also recommended his name to the government for being made a member of the legislative assembly at the cost of Mr TT Keshavan Shastri. Thus PJ Joseph was nominated in 1921 to the Legislative Council.
Parallel to the Travancore State struggles, Kochi State also saw untouchables on the war path. After the formation of Pulaya Maha Sabha in 1913, they struggled and got social and economic benefits. Still certain obstructions and civil liberties were yet to come by. The appointment of KP Karuppan as Assistant Protector of Depressed Classes was considered a significant gain. When the expectations of social progress were belied, Krishnadi Asaan fell prey to avarice and got converted. He received the name John. He and his followers searched for the path to salvation. Krishnadi's action was a setback to the Pulaya freedom movement in Kochi State. With the leader removed, the movement came to a halt.
Meanwhile Ayyankali gave more importance to creative activities. In 1916 he established Theeyankara Pulaya School, in 1919 Shankhumukham School for Christian converts, Night school at Manarkadu, Primary School at Venganoor, Weaving centre and many other such establishments. Hundreds of offices of Sadhu Jana Paripaalana Sangham were turned into schools.
Amidst his drive on the educational front, he also had to mediate and settle communal riots. In 1921 a property dispute between the Syrian Christians and untouchables in North Erumeli flared up into a riot. It came to be known as '800 landholdings riot'. A savarna convert's efforts to forcibly occupy plots of forest land allotted to untouchables, using administration's support through money power, ignited this riot.
Ayyankali ordered to oppose them with all their might. The struggle led by Vellikkara Chodi and P Yohannaan. The local circle inspector of police Mr. Gopalasamy Pillai could not be won over by the Syrian Christians. So, before the riot took the turn for worse, he brought it under control.
After energetic efforts to rejuvenate the Pulaya MahaSabha, PC Chaanjan was elected the secretary in a meeting chaired by Dewan Narayana Iyer in 1924. KP Vallon made his entry when he was elected joint secretary. KP Vallon started a weekly "Adhakrithan" (Low People) to carry on the fight against injustice. The workers also got back some of the elan of earlier days.
Both Vallon and Chaanjan were nominated to the Kochi Legislative Assembly in 1931 & 1926 respectively.
One prominent group among the depressed classes was 'Kuravan'. They were also moving into the path already trodden by Ayyankali. To put an end to the static situation in the community, Varkala SK Raghavan entered the scene. After resigning from the department of health he became a social activist. In 1928 he started 'Satya-vilasini Sangham' to channelise the engross of his community. Though Ayyankali, Kandan Kumaran and PJ Joseph were members of the legislative council, there was no Kuravan representative. It was in 1929 that Kallada Raman Narayanan got nominated to the legislative council.
Kallada Narayanan started an organisation named 'Arumugha-Valli Vilasom' (named after son and daughter in law of Lord Shiva). Both organisations of Kuravans worked in tandem and set up many branches. When these organisations became weak and lifeless, a new organisation 'Kuravan Maha Sangham' was formed in 1936. PC Aadichan was nominated from the sangham into the legislative council. In 1937 SK Raghavan was made President and Kaattoor Ayyappan the Secretary. After sometime the working of the Sabha became weakened due to internal dissentions. Their activities picked up only in 1945. But, then, the activities led only to break up of the Sabha into Kuravan Mahasabha and Sidhaner Service Society. But the general direction of all organisations coalesced and progressed.
One of the important events of the new awakening era was the Vaikom Satyagraham of 1924 and Guruvayoor Satyagraham of 1931. These two movements, in which all castes rubbed shoulders for a common goal, broke through the chink in the wall between savarna and avarna is a historic fact. The role of the depressed peoples' role in those two struggles for independence would be entered in golden letters in the history of Kerala.
No comments:
Post a Comment