A. Vaidyanatha Iyer (16 May 1890 – 23 February 1955), also known as Madurai Vaidyanatha Iyer or Ayyar was an Indian activist, politician and freedom-fighter who spearheaded the temple entry movement in Madras Presidency in 1939.

Early life

Vaidynatha iyer was born on 16th May 1890 in Vishnampettai Village,

Thanjavur Thanjavur (), also Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is the 11th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. Most of the Gr ...

in then Madras Presidency in 1890 as the second of eight children in a Tamil Brahmin family to Arunachalam Iyer and Lakshmi Ammal. His siblings were Raamanaathan, Kamalaamba, Sankaran, Vaalaamba, Parvathi, Subramanian, Sivakaami. Iyer was a math teacher in Pudukkottai Maharaja's school. AV Iyer studied in Madurai Sethupathi High School. In 1909, he completed his SSLC. Iyer got his FA in Madura College. He was awarded the prestigious Neelakanda Sastri gold medal along as well as the Fisher gold medal by the institution. At the age of 18, after his FA examinations, Iyer's parents conducted his marriage with 9 year old Akilandam, who remained his spouse for the rest of his life. Iyer received his BA 1914 from Madras Presidency College. He was a teacher for a year at Bishop Heber Higher Secondary School in Trichy and for a year at Masoolipattinam Hindu Higher Secondary School, prior to qualifying himself in law and acquiring the status of Pleader. He entered the Indian independence movement in 1922 when he participated in the

Non-Cooperation Movement The Non-cooperation movement was a political campaign launched on 4 September 1920, by Mahatma Gandhi to have Indians revoke their cooperation from the British government, with the aim of persuading them to grant self-governance.

. He also participated in the Vedaranyam Salt Satyagraha (1930) and the Quit India Movement of 1942.

Temple Entry Movement

The Temple Entry Authorization and Indemnity Act was passed by the government of in 1939 by which restrictions prohibiting Nadars and

Dalits Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold varna system of Hinduism and were seen as forming ...

from entering Hindu temples was removed. During this time, Vaidyanatha Iyer was the President of the Tamil Nadu Harijan Seva Sangh. On 8 July 1939, Vaidyanatha Iyer entered the Meenakshi temple at Madurai in the company of L. N. Gopalasamy and six of his Dalit friends, P. Kakkan, Muruganandam, Chinniah, Purnalingam and Muthu.He who removed fear and changed history
The Hindu (12 March 2013). Retrieved on 2018-11-27. This was stringently opposed by upper-caste Hindu leaders and those seeking to preserve

Varnashrama Dharma ''Varṇa'' ( sa, वर्ण, varṇa), in the context of Hinduism, refers to a social class within a hierarchical caste system. The ideology is epitomized in texts like ''Manusmriti'', which describes and ranks four varnas, and prescribes ...

. In addition,

Periyar Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy (17 September 1879 – 24 December 1973), revered as Periyar or Thanthai Periyar, was an Indian social activist and politician who started the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam. He is known as the ' ...

commented it as a political drama to counter Justice Party in the upcoming elections 1926 Madras Presidency Legislative Council election.

Death and legacy

The Tamil Nadu Harijan Sevak Sangh wrote a biography in honor of Iyer that was named “Harijana Thanthai Amarar Vaidyanatha Iyerin Vazhkai Varalaaru (Biography of the Immortal Vaidyanatha Iyer, Father to all Harijans)”. The biography was written by Professor P. S. Chandraprabhu in 1991. A new edition of the book was published in March 2012. Iyer was dedicated to the freedom movement and helped socially depressed people as well as the people of his constituency. He did not participate in the election in 1952 because he was getting too frail. In his final days, even the best medical procedures couldn't save him. Every year, on Iyer's death anniversary (February 23), people pay respect to him by garlanding a statue of him. Every year on that day, respects are paid to his memorial at the Chennai Thakkar Baba Vidyalaya School and the Madurai ‘Sevalayam’, which was started by Iyer in 1932 to serve Harijans. Vaidyanatha Iyer died in 1955. A postage stamp was issued in his memory by the Government of India on 9 December 1999.

References

Publications

External links

Madurai A. Vaidyanatha Iyer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iyer, A. Vaidyanatha 1890 births 1955 deaths People from Thanjavur Indian independence activists from Tamil Nadu Indian independence activists Indian social reformers Gandhians