T. K. Madhavan (2 September 1885 – 27 April 1930) was an Indian

social reform A reform movement or reformism is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social or also a political system closer to the community's ideal. A reform movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary move ...

er, journalist and revolutionary, who was involved with the

Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Sree Narayana Trust, also known as the SN Trust, is an Indian educational organisation. The headquarters of Sree Narayana Trust is in Kollam city. It is named after Sree Narayana Guru and was formed by a former Chief Minister of Kerala, R. San ...

(SNDP) Yogam. He hailed 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 ...

and led the struggle against

untouchability Untouchability is a form of social institution that legitimises and enforces practices that are discriminatory, humiliating, exclusionary and exploitative against people belonging to certain social groups. Although comparable forms of discrimin ...

which was known as

Vaikom Satyagraha Vaikom Satyagraha, from 30 March 1924 to 23 November 1925, was a nonviolent agitation for access to the prohibited public environs of the Vaikom Temple in the Kingdom of Travancore. Kingdom of Travancore was known for its rigid and oppressive ca ...

Early life

Madhavan was born on 2 September 1885 at

Karthikappally Karthikappally is a village in Alappuzha district in the Indian state of Kerala.Haripad is the headquarter of Karthikappally Taluk. Taluk office is located at revenue tower Haripad. History Karthikappally was once a Buddhist center. Since ...

, as the son of Kesavan Channar of Alummoottil family and Ummini Amma of Komalezhathu family. Alummoottil family was one of the wealthiest and influential

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'' ...

families in the state of Travancore. His maternal uncle was Komalezhathu Kunjupillai

Chekavar Chekavar (Also known as ''Chekon'' or ''Chevakar'', ''Cekavar'') were a warrior surname in Malabar of Kerala. The Chekavar are a common title of the Hindu Thiyya community. Many Thiyya families today trace their roots to this Chekavar lineage. ...

, a member of the Sree Moolam Praja Sabha.

Career

In 1917, Madhavan took over the daily newspaper, Deshabhimani. He was involved in the Temple Entry Movement, which fought for the entry for all communities to the temples of Kerala. He fought for the right of temple entry for all. In 1918, Madhavan was elected to the Sree Moolam Praja Sabha, a legislative council of

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...

. In the same year he made his maiden speech at the Sree Moolam Assembly in lieu of his uncle Komalezhathu Kunjupillai Chekavar. He presented a resolution seeking permission of temple entry and right to worship to all people, irrespective of caste and community. He moved the resolution for the eradication of untouchability in the Kakkinada session of Indian National Congress in 1923. In 1924, Vaikom Sathyagraha started under the leadership of T.K. Madhavan,

K. Kelappan Koyapalli Kelappan (24 August 1889 – 7 October 1971) was an Indian politician, independence activist, educationist and journalist. During the Indian independence movement, he was the lead figure of Indian National Congress in Kerala and was p ...

, and K.P. Kesava Menon, to get the right of oppressed class of people to travel through the road in front of Vaikom Sree Mahadeva temple. Madhavan and Kesava Menon were arrested and imprisoned. Finally, the

Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...

of Travancore agreed to open the road to all class of people and the Vaikom Sathyagraha was a great success. However, he had to continue his struggle for the temple entry. In 1927, Madhavan was made the organizing secretary of the SNDP Yogam. T.K Madhavan formed a voluntary organization "Dharma Bhata Sangham" to strengthen the activities of SNDP Yogam. It was T.K. Madhavan who wrote the biography of Dr. Palpu.

Meeting with Gandhi

T.K. Madhavan's meeting with

Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

on 24 September 1921 at

Tirunelveli Tirunelveli (, ta, திருநெல்வேலி, translit=Tirunelveli) also known as Nellai ( ta, நெல்லை, translit=Nellai) and historically (during British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian state of Tami ...

was a turning point in the history of Kerala. Madhavan persuaded Gandhi to address the people of Kerala, regarding his stand against untouchability. He also persuaded Gandhi to visit

Vaikom Vaikom, , is a municipal town and a capital town of Vaikom Taluk, situated in the northwest of Kottayam district in the state of Kerala, India. The town is also noted for its role in the Indian independence movement for being the venue of Vaikom ...

and support the movement. Vaikom Satyagraha was a struggle of the backward class people of Kerala for establishing their right to walk through the temple roads of

, a small temple town in South Kerala. The centre of the movement was the Sree Mahadeva temple at Vaikom. Gandhi agreed to include the issue in the agenda of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

. Gandhi's visit to Vaikom made a significant impact and in November 1925, all including

s and other backward communities were allowed to walk on the temple roads.

Death

Madhavan died at his residence on 27 April 1930. A monument was raised in his honour at Chettikulangara. In 1964 T.K. Madhava Memorial College was founded at Nangiarkulangara.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Madhavan, T. K. Narayana Guru 1930 deaths 1885 births Malayali people Indian social reformers Activists from Kerala Dalit activists People from Alappuzha district 19th-century Indian journalists 20th-century Indian journalists Journalists from Kerala

Early life

Career

Meeting with Gandhi

Death

See Also (Social reformers of Kerala)

References