Titusji was one of the 78 marchers selected by

Mahatma 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- ...

to take part in the 1930 Dandi March, to break the salt law. He served as governing secretary for Gandhi's

Sabarmati Ashram Sabarmati Ashram (also known as Gandhi Ashram) is located in the Sabarmati suburb of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, adjoining the Ashram Road, on the banks of the River Sabarmati, from the town hall. This was one of the many residences of Mahatma Gandh ...

milk project near

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...

Gulzarilal Nanda Gulzarilal Nanda (4 July 1898 – 15 January 1998) was an Indian politician and economist who specialized in labour issues. He was the Interim Prime Minister of India for two 13-day tenures following the deaths of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964 and L ...

, who later became Prime Minister of India, was the secretary of another unit. Both of them were trusted friends of Gandhi. His given name was Titus Theverthundiyil, while "Titusji" was the honorific given to him by Mahatma Gandhi.

Gandhi's visit to Kerala

On 15 March 1925, Mahatma Gandhi visited Titusji’s house in

Maramon Maramon is a small town on the Pampa River, in Thiruvalla Sub-District & Taluk opposite to Kozhencherry in the state of Kerala, India. It is 16 km from the Thiruvalla Town headquarters, the town of Thiruvalla. Maramon Convention Mar ...

(Theverthundiyil) on his way to the famous Hindu temple in

Aranmula Aranmula is a temple town in the state of Kerala, India. It is known as the cultural capital of Pathanamthitta district, located at a distance of around 116 km from Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala, it is situated on the banks of the ...

near

Chengannur Chengannur (also spelled Chengannoor or Chenganur) is a Municipality in the Alappuzha district of Kerala State, India. It is located in the extreme eastern part of the Alappuzha district, on the banks of Pamba River. Chengannur is north of ...

. This was considered one of the greatest events in Central

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 and around

, thousands witnessed his visit.Thomas John Nalloor. www.kuwaitmarthoma.com/e-library

Early and later life

Titusji was born to a Marthoma Syrian Christian family. After Independence, Titusji settled in

Bhopal Bhopal (; ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes'' due to its various natural and artificial lakes. It i ...

. In 1970, he published the book "The Bharat of my Dreams". He was represented in the early 500 Rs note. He died on 8 August 1980, at the Kasthurba Hospital in

. Titusji donated half of the portion of his land to the Mar Thoma Syrian Church in Bhopal.

References

{{reflist 1905 births 1980 deaths Malayali people Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences alumni People from Pathanamthitta district Indian independence activists from Kerala Gandhians Saint Thomas Christians