Kumbalathuparambu Ayyappan (August 21, 1889 – March 6, 1968), better identified as Sahodaran Ayyappan , was a social reformer, thinker, rationalist,

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

, and politician from

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. A vocal follower of

Sree Narayana Guru Narayana Guru, , (20 August 1856 – 20 September 1928) was a philosopher, spiritual leader and social reformer in India. He led a reform movement against the injustice in the caste-ridden society of Kerala in order to promote spiritual ...

, he was associated with a number of events related to the

Kerala reformation movement The Reformation movement in Kerala refers to a socio-cultural movement that began towards the end of 19th century and led to large scale changes in the social outlook of the southern Indian state of Kerala. Background The foundations of socia ...

and was the organizer of ''Misra Bhojanam'' in

Cherai Cherai ( ml, ചെറായി) smallest town located in north side of Vypin island. This town connects to kochin, North pravur and Kodungallur. It is a region in Kochi Taluk, a suburb of the city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India. I ...

in 1917. He founded ''Sahodara Sangam'', and the journal ''Sahodaran'' and was the founder editor of the magazine ''Yukthivadhi''.

Biography

K. Ayyappan was born on August 21, 1889, in

Vypin Island Vypin (Malayalam: വൈപ്പിന്‍, Cochin Portuguese: Isla Santa) is one of the group of islands that form part of the city of Kochi (Cochin), in the Indian state of Kerala. Vypin forms a barrier island which lies between the Ar ...

, in

Ernakulam district Ernakulam, ; ISO: ''Eṟaṇākuḷaṁ'', in Malayalam: എറണാകുളം), is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala, that takes its name from the eponymous city division in Kochi. It is situated in the central part o ...

of the present day south Indian state of

in an aristrocatic

Ezhava The Ezhavas () are a community with origins in the region of India presently known as Kerala, where in the 2010s they constituted about 23% of the population and were reported to be the largest Hindu community. They are also known as ''Ilhava'' ...

family of

ayurvedic Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population rep ...

physicians to Kumabalathuparambil Kochavu Vaidyar and Unnooli, as the youngest of their nine children. His father died when he was a child and was brought up under the guidance of his elder brother, Achuthan Vaidyar. His early education was in the traditional way and he learnt

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

from local teachers such as Mattapilla Kannu Asan and Kochupilla Asan after which he started the formal education at a local school started by Nediyara Achan Bava. Subsequently, he studied at schools in Pallippuram and

North Paravur North Paravur. formerly known as Paravur or Parur, is a municipality and suburb in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is a northern suburb of the city of Kochi and is situated around 20 km from the city centre. It is ...

before passing the pre-degree course from

Malabar Christian College The Malabar Christian College (MCC), established in 1909, is one of the oldest institutions located in Kozhikode, Kerala, India. History It was established by Protestant Christian missionaries from Basel, Switzerland with the aim to impart educa ...

to join Maharaja's College, Thiruvananthapuram, the present-day

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

for his under graduate studies. In between, there was a short break in studies due to health issues. During this period, he had the opportunity to interact with

Narayana Guru Narayana Guru, , (20 August 1856 – 20 September 1928) was a philosopher, spiritual leader and social reformer in India. He led a reform movement against the injustice in the caste-ridden society of Kerala in order to promote spiritual ...

and it was Guru who arranged for Ayyappan's stay in Thiruvananthapuram with the noted poet,

Kumaran Asan Mahakavi Kumaran Asan (Malayalam: എൻ. കുമാരൻ ആശാൻ) (12 April 1873 – 16 January 1924) was a poet of Malayalam literature, Indian social reformer and a philosopher. He is known to have initiated a revolution in Malayalam ...

. After completing his graduate studies in 1916, he returned to his native place to start his career started as a teacher at Rama Varma Union High School, Cherai but he could not carry his social and political life along with the teaching career and he quit the job. Later, he studied law but that was a futile attempt as he failed in the FL examination. Ayyappan was married to Parvathy and the couple had a daughter, Aisha and a son, Sugathan. He died on March 6, 1968, at the age of 78,following a cardiac arrest.

Reform movements

After his

graduation Graduation is the awarding of a diploma to a student by an educational institution. It may also refer to the ceremony that is associated with it. The date of the graduation ceremony is often called graduation day. The graduation ceremony is a ...

, he returned to

from

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

in 1917 and founded ''Sahodara Sangham'' (The Brotherhood Association), a platform to launch his fight against the

Caste system Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...

. Under the aegis of this organization, he organized a ''Misra Bhojanan'', a feast where people of all castes sat and dined under one roof, at the house of Ayyappan's nephew, Raman Pillai, on May 30, 1917, a revolutionary venture during those days and the conservative

community opposed it. Around 200 people including members representing the

Pulaya The Pulayar (also Pulaya, Pulayas, Cherumar, Cheramar, and Cheraman) is a caste group mostly found in the southern part of India, forming one of the main social groups in modern-day Kerala, Karnataka and historically in Tamil Nadu. Tradition ...

caste, who were considered

untouchable Untouchable or The Untouchable may refer to: People * Untouchability, the practice of socially ostracizing a minority group of very low social status ** A word for the Dalits or Scheduled Caste of India, a group that experiences untouchability * ...

attended the feast and the effort earned him the moniker, ''Pulaya Ayyappan'', meant to be derogatory but Ayyappan accepted it as a decoration. The founding of the ''Sahodara Sangham'' also earned him another epithet, ''Sahodaran Ayyappan'', with which he came to be known thereafter. Narayana Guru supported the efforts of Sahodara Sangham through a message sent on May 15, 1921, and in order to propagate his ideals, Ayyappan started a journal, ''Sahodaran'', from

Mattancherry Mattancherry (), is a locality in the city of Kochi, India. It is about 9 km south-west from the city center. It is said that the name Mattancherry comes from "Ancherry Mattom", a ''Namboodiri illam'' which the foreign traders then pronounc ...

; the journal continued to be in print until 1956. IN 1929, when M. Ramavarma Thampan,

Mithavaadi Krishnan Changaramkumarath Krishnan Vakkeel was a community leader, banker, social reformer, and journalist from Kerala, India. He was a champion of implementing the revolutionary socialist reforms proposed by Sree Narayana Guru for the upliftment of th ...

C. V. Kunhiraman C. V. Kunhiraman (6 February 1871 – 10 April 1949) was an Indian social reformer, journalist and the founder of Kerala Kaumudi daily. A follower of Sree Narayana Guru, Kunhiraman was the author of a number of books covering the genres of ...

, and

M. C. Joseph Mookencheril Cherian Joseph, popularly known as ''Yukthivadi'' M. C. Joseph (യുക്തിവാദി എം സി ജോസഫ്‌), was an eminent rationalist from Kerala, India. He was one of the very significant figures of Kerala R ...

started the

Yukthivadi ''Yukthivadi'' (The Rationalist) was the first rationalist/atheist journal published in Malayalam. The contribution made by ''Yukthivadi'' to the renaissance of Kerala, India is significant. The launch of ''Yukthivadi'' marks the beginning of ...

(The Rationalist), he became the founder editor of the magazine. He modified the famous slogan of Narayana Guru, ''Oru Jaathi Oru Matham Oru Daivam Manushyanu'' (One Caste, One Religion, One God for Mankind) as ''Jati Venda, Matam Venda, Deivam Venda Manushyanu'' (No Caste, No Religion, No God for Mankind).

Political career

In 1928, Ayyappan successfully contested the election to the

Cochin Legislative Council The Cochin Legislative Council was a unicameral legislative body of the Cochin State that functioned from 1925 to 1948 before the merger of Cochin and Travancore to form the Travancore-Cochin state and the Travancore-Cochin Legislative Assembly ...

and he retained the seat for the next 21 years. He became a minister in the Cochin Legislative assembly in 1947 and when the state of Travancore and Kochi was united to form Travancore-Cochin state, he continued to serve as a minister, only to resign from the post when the government started dismissing lower level employees as an austerity measure. However, in the next elections in October 1949, the Prajamandalam Party secured majority to form a ministry under the leadership of E. Ikkanda Warrier, he joined the ministry along with

Panampilli Govinda Menon Panampilly Govinda Menon (1 October 1906 – 23 May 1970) was an Indian politician, freedom fighter, and lawyer. He was born in a village near Kathikkudam and completed graduation from '' St.Thomas College, Thrissur''. He started his legal pra ...

and C. A. Ouseph. He also served as a minister under

Paravoor T. K. Narayana Pillai Paravoor Thazhathuveettil Krishnan Kartha Narayana Pillai (25 March 1890 – 23 June 1971) was an Indian freedom fighter during the British Raj in India and was a member of the Indian National Congress (INC) which fought against the British ...

but resigned the post when the ministerial responsibilities interfered with his social life.

Literary career

Ayyappan published six books of poetry and an essay compilation, ''Sadhesheeyam'. Besides, he also wrote several articles and editorials which appeared in the publications he was associated with.

Memorials and honours

On February 14, 1996,

Shankar Dayal Sharma Shankar Dayal Sharma (; 19 August 1918 – 26 December 1999) was an Indian lawyer and politician from the state of Madhya Pradesh who served as the ninth President of India, from 1992 to 1997. Born in Bhopal, Sharma studied at Agra, Allahaba ...

, the then president of India, unveiled a statue of Ayyappan in Kochi. The Government of Kerala has set up Sahodaran Ayyappan Memorial at the house where Ayyappan was born which houses Sahodaran Ayyappan Smaraka Library and the Sahodaran Ayyappan museum. Three educational institutions in Kerala bear the name of Ayyappan, viz. Sahodaran Ayyappan Smaraka (SNDP) Yogam College,

Konni Konni may refer to: * Konni (dog), Russian President Vladimir Putin's dog (1999-2014) *Konni, Kerala, a town in Kerala state in India * Konni (Hausa state), a traditional Hausa state in south central Niger * Birni-N'Konni (shortened to Konni), a to ...

Pathanamthitta district Pathanamthitta District (), is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. The district headquarters is in the town of Pathanamthitta. There are four municipalities in Pathanamthitta: Adoor, Pandalam, Pathanamthitta and Thiruval ...

, Sahodaran Memorial High School, Cherai, and the Sahodaran Ayyappan Memorial College of Education, Poothotta. One of the main arterial roads in Kochi has been named after him as Sahodaran Ayyappan Road. An annual award, the ''Sahodaran Media Award'', has been instituted to recognize excellence in journalism.

Popular media

* A documentary film about Sahodaran Ayyappan, part of a series of films on prominent Malayalis, was narrated by

M. K. Sanu M. K. Sanu (born 27 October 1928) is a Malayali writer, critic, retired professor, biographer, journalist, orator, social activist, and human rights activist. He has authored over thirty-six books. He is a permanent member of the International B ...

, who also wrote a biography of him.

Gallery

സഹോദരൻ-അയ്യപ്പൻ-സ്മാരകം-കൊച്ചി.jpg, Statue of Ayyappan in Kochi MishraBhojanaSilpaMathil.jpg, Mural depicting Mishra Bhojanam Mrs.Aysha Ayyappan.jpg, Aisha Gopalakrishnan, Ayyappan's daughter YUKTHIVADI.JPG, Issue of Yukthivadi magazine dated April 4, 1936 Birthplace Of Sahodaran Ayyappan.jpeg, Birthplace Sahodaran Ayyappan Statue Stone.JPG, Statue stone Sahodaran Ayyappan Smaraka Library.jpeg, Sahodaran Ayyappan Smaraka Library

References

External links

*
Kerala.gov.in: Orma Film Festival 2004 - documentary on Ayyappan narrated by M. K. Sanu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayyappan, Sahodaran Narayana Guru Malayali politicians Politicians from Kochi Indian materialists Indian atheists 1889 births 1968 deaths Indian social reformers Journalists from Kerala Writers from Kochi 19th-century Indian people 20th-century Indian journalists Activists from Kerala 20th-century Indian scholars Scholars from Kochi Malabar Christian College alumni University College Thiruvananthapuram alumni