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Dr. M. E. NAIDU AS A NATIONALIST

Krishna Moni
Ph.D Research Scholar, Department of History, S.T. Hindu College, Nagercoil.

Kanyakumari District is situated in the southern-most end of the Indian Peninsula. The area of Kanyakumari District consists of the modern taluks of Agasteeswaram, Thovalai, Kalkulam and Vilavancode.1 It is bounded by Mahendragiri Hills on the north and Tirunelveli District on the east, Kerala State on the west and confluence of the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal on the South-West, south and east respectively. Till 1956 the Kanyakumari district was a part of erstwhile Travancore State.2  The political activities of the people of the district, were mainly influenced and guided by the State people’s conference convened at the initiative of the Indian National Congress.  In 1919, a Committee was organized in the State to popularize the idea of Civil Obedience and the boycott of the British goods. This conference demanded the establishment of Responsible Government.3

In 1930, when Mahatma Gandhi undertook Salt Satyagraha, the leading patriots of the district such as Dr.M.E.Naidu, Sri. Therur Subramanya Pillai, A.C.Sundram Pillai and  M.Siva Thanu Pillai took active part in the movement.4 In 1942, the Indian National Congress started the Quit India Movement, demanding the British to go out of India immediately which echoed in Travancore State, and particularly in Kanyakumari District, where there was unrest and as a result the leaders were arrested and jailed.  The leaders who participated and courted arrest were Dr. M.E.Naidu, Siva Muthu Karuppa Pillai, Sivan Pillai, P.S.Mani and others.

Dr. M.E. Naidu, a nationalist, was born on August 30, 1880 in a respected Naidu family at Kottar.5 His father Meenakshi Naidu was for many years adorning the Darbar of Maharaja’s of Travancore as a palace-artist. M.E. Naidu had his early education in the Maharaja High School at Kottar and passed the Matriculation examination in the first division. He then pursued his higher education in the Scott Christian College, Nagercoil.6 He continued his further education in medicine and surgery at Madras, Edinburg,  Glassgow, Ireland and qualified himself as a doctor.

Then he went to Ceylon for accepting the offer of the government to serve there as a surgeon. It was here Dr.M.E. Naidu developed a love and sympathy for the common people, who were ignored and exploited by the British.7 Dr.M.E. Naidu soon left Ceylon and came to Kottar where he started a private hospital and deeply involved in the programmes evolved by Mahatma Gandhi and did his bit in spreading the ideals of Gandhi such as boycott of foreign cloth, prohibition, Harijan-upliftment and removal of untouchability.8   Dr. M.E.Naidu, was one among the stalwarts in every agitation and struggle that occured in this part of the country from that time onwards and courted arrest.  He was also a participant in the movements  connected  with  the  ideals  of  Gandhiji  like  the abolition of untouchability, common feasts of the people of all communities (Samapanthi Bojanam), prohibition and the like that had taken place in and around Nagercoil. In one such feast, Dr. Naidu is mentioned to have participated together with P.S.Mani and Muthukaruppa Pillai.9  When he returned home, the women of his house-hold, condemned him and forced him to enter the house only after taking a purifying bath.

But, his father did not condemn it on the ground that he might not have done anything sinful under the leadership of Dr. Naidu.10 It is a significant factor in the life of Dr.M.E. Naidu to enroll himself in the National Movement to fight for the freedom of the nation.  In order to understand his role in the movement, one has to assess the vigour with which he established contact with the leaders of the Travancore State Congress like Pattom A. Thanu Pillai, C. Narayana Pillai and Ponnara Sridhar, during his sojourn in Trivandrum.  Dr.M.E. Naidu’s contact with the Congress Movement began even during his school days.11  In the beginning of the second quarter of the twentieth century, the Congress Movement in South Travancore flourished under the leadership of the stalwarts like P.S.Mani, Siva Muthu Karuppa Pillai and others. They were mainly attracted by the constructive programmes of Gandhiji.12 Campaigns against untouchability, prohibition, propagation of Kadhi and the like were common activities of those leaders. Travancore witnessed two major Satyagrahas, known as the Suchindrum Satyagraha and the Vaikkam Satyagraha.  Both of them were aimed at the eradication of untouchability.  In those days certain communities were not permitted to walk through the streets in the precincts of Hindu temples.13

The traditional orthodoxy behind the practice was opposed by the Congress under the leadership of Gandhiji. Dr. Naidu’s name is connected with the Suchindrum Satyagraha.  Apart from such activities, to gain entry to such places for the communities considered as  untouchables.14 The depressed classes were not only prohibited to enter the Suchindram Temple but also to use the roads round it. They were debarred from walking through streets where the caste Hindus lived. Bamboo screens (Teru-maraccan) were put up at the entrance to all the main streets, proclaiming the prohibition of entry to the forbidden classes.15 They were not allowed to go in procession or drive a carriage or go with open umbrellas in streets. The road leading from the eastern side of the Suchindram village to Kakkad covering a distance of about a furlong and a half was maintained out of public funds for public benefit. Even then it was not accessible to the Pariahs of Kakkad on account of its proximity to the temple. The Harijans of Kakkad were not even permitted to drive their bullock-carts through this road.16  If they wanted to do so, they had to leave their carts in the hands of the caste Hindu drivers for driving them on a payment of four cash. Not with standing this, they were subjected to various petty annoyance such as throwing of stones and insulting remarks by the Sudras. One Yesu Ratnam, a Salvationist was assaulted at Suchindram by the Sudras for having passed along a path intended only for caste Hindus.17 An English man and his wife who were going along the Kakkad road were seriously assaulted by the inhabitants of Suchindram.

The people of this locality were looking up to the government and the caste Hindus for a long time to remove the nefarious custom and liberate them from the tyranny of orthodox opinion, but it was all in vain. It is on account of this intolerable situation that the Nadars, Ilavas and other depressed classes resorted to Satyagraha at Suchindram roads.18 The leaders found that any amount of representation and appeals would not move the government and a few caste Hindus. So they began to assert their birth-right by offering Satyagraha. During this time the Satyagraha at Vaikkam created a stir all over the State. One of the highlights of this satyagraha was the Savarna Hindu Jatha from Vaikkam to Trivandrum under the supreme command of Mannath Padmanabha Pillai. A similar procession of about eighty caste Hindus including Brahmins, Vellalas and Nairs marched in military order from Kottar to Trivandrum under the leadership of Dr.M.E.Naidu.19 Both of them met at Trivandrum and a memorial was submitted to the Regent Sethu Laksmi Bai on 12 November 1924. It was announced later by the Maharani that the approach roads adjacent to the Vaikkam Temple were normally opened to all Hindus, irrespective of caste.

But, this concession was not extended to the avarnas in the case of other temples in Travancore. Hence movements for getting the approach roads opened to the avarnas were organized in such centres as Ambalapula, Tiruvarpu and Suchindram.20At a special meeting held at M.E.Naidu’s residence at Kottar on 19.1.1926, it was resolved to begin the temple-road entry Satyagraha at Suchindrum on 19.2.1926. A Working committee with M.Subramoniya Pillai as President was formed for this purpose. M.E.Naidu, H. Perumal Panikar, P.C.Thanumalaya Perumal and Gandhidas were elected Secretary, Treasurer, Publicity Officer and Captain respectively.21 With the display of huge posters, distribution of leaf-lets and holding of meetings, M.E.Naidu forced the urgency of the reform on the attention of every individual. The agitation gradually enlisted the sympathy of a few caste Hindus also, but the majority of the latter continued to be hostile to the movement. Even then the agitation gathered momentum.22 On 11th February 1926, a party of fifteen volunteers headed by Govindaraja Naidu, brother of M.E.Naidu arrived at Suchindram. He went to the northern road with a flag and said to the anti-satyagrahis that his party came prepared to enter the streets by force and requested them to intimate the matter to their leaders too.23

Hence the caste Hindus, at Suchindram rang the bell of Perambalam and gave warning to the villagers. At twelve noon, the Satyagraha captain Muthuswamy and Chinnathampi of Kakkad pushed their way up against the anti-satyagrahis. In the tussle that followed their clothes were torn. Captain Muthuswamy and Chinnathampi removed their Khadhar coats and caps and were ready to fight.24 The police stood opposite to them and prevented their further progress. There was thus a dead-lock for sometime. This created a stir in the village. The news spread like wildfire and there was a large influx of volunteers from Kakkamur, Parakkai, Marungur, Thamaraikulam, Osaravilai, Eraviputhur and Therur. They took their position behind the satyagrahis. The anti-satyagrahis were on their alert to oppose satyagrahis from forcible entry into the streets.25  Captain Muthuswamy tried to go forward with Chinnathampi  Samban through the bamboo barricade with the pillar of the prohibition board, towards the open ground left on both sides of the said road, where also they were attacked by the caste Hindus.Then Muthuswamy went towards one Chellam Pillai, who was an anti-satyagrahi and knocked him on the belly with his head.26  Chellam Pillai and Parakkai P.Arumugam Pillai and others pushed Muthuswamy and Chinnathampi away and struck them on their back. The parties were warned  by the police against unlawful action. At 6 p.m the parties left the place and the crowd also dispersed.27

As a result of the Vaikkam Settlement in 1926, the government agreed to open the roads at Suchindram to untouchables within a month after stopping the satyagraha. But the promise was not kept on account of the opposition from the orthodox Hindus.28 The sympathy of the government was on the side of the anti-satyagrahis. Though the satyagraha was stopped, the roads continued to remain closed and the appeals made at various public meetings fell on deaf ears. It was therefore decided on 12 May 1930 to resume the satyagraha movement at Suchindram.29 Among the participants there were some enlightened caste Hindus. Mr.Gandhi Raman Pillai of Eraviputhur, who already participated in the first satyagraha was the leader of the campaign. He was arrested along with other satyagrahis while he tried to cross the streets for a year. On appeal, the High Court acquitted the accused and directed that the streets of Suchindram should be acessible to all irrespective of caste or creed, as a matter of right.30 After the release of satyagrahis, they walked along the streets concerned without obstruction for nearly a week. But, Mr. Pitchu Iyengar, the District Superintendent of Police, brought down a force of Reserve Police to prevent the untouchables from entering the streets during the festival period.31 Besides, the satyagrahis were not allowed to hold public meetings.

The meeting conducted under the leadership of Messers. M.E.Naidu, M.Sivathanu Pillai, and Sheik Thampi Pavalar on the front of the Municipal Office, Nagercoil was dispersed by the Reserve Police brought from Trivandrum. Alarm and terror spread in every direction. The outbreak was too serious at Erachakulam. Narikkulamcheri and Elangadai. At Narikkulamcheri near Cape Comorin the depressed classes were not allowed to draw water from the well and some of them were seriously assaulted.32 A Bhajan party of Elangadai within Nagercoil town was obstructed by Christians. The agitation lasted for a number of days and then it fizzled out. The formation of  the  State   Congress   was    the   natural    culmination   of   the  socio-political movements in the State beginning from the Vaikkam and Suchindram satyagrahas. The urge to eradicate untouchability and to secure temple entry, the so called ‘lower castes’ tried to organise several movements like the Civil Rights League of 1919, formed by T.K. Madhavan.33 Encouraged by the Malabar Congress leaders in general and K. Kelappan Nair in particular, and actively supported by the Congress leaders of Madras like E.V. Ramaswamy a satyagraha was launched on 30th March 1924, in front of the temple at Vaikkam in Travancore.34  Though the satyagraha failed to achieve its goal in full, it was a success in as for as opening of all roads except those on the eastern side of the temple.

The partial success of the movement resulted in social awakening in the State and in 1926 a similar satyagraha was launched in Suchindram demanding the right of entry to the famous temple there for the Harijans.35  It was led by Dr. M.E. Naidu and continued for a month, when it was withdrawn on the assurance of the Government.  Again the agitation was resumed in 1930 under the leadership of A.Gandhiraman Pillai, as no settlement was reached with the Government.  Agitations of these types succeeded in securing the Maharaja’s ‘Temple Entry Proclamation’ on 12th November, 1936. The Temple Entry Proclamation considerably checked certain evils of society.36 As a result of the proclamation, the Harijans and other backward classes enjoyed full liberty not only to enter the temples, but also to take bath in any public tank or to walk in any street as they liked. Mahadev Desai writes that he “saw the Nadar boys and girls, about thirty of them wasting, talking laughing and plunging into the beautiful tank of the temple right on the margin of the sea” at Cape Comorin immediately after the Parayas and the Pulayas were allowed to stand along with the caste Hindus before the sanctum sanctorum, craning their necks and striking their cheek with their hands in token of prayer and repentance in the Hindu temple.37

References

  1. M.Gopalakrishnan, Kanniyakumari District Gazetteers, Madras,1995, p.3.
  2. V.S.Abraham, Kanyakumari District Special Record, Viramangalam, 1988, p.5.
  3. P.S. Moni, Tiru – Tamilariyakkam (Tamil), Nagercoil, 1956, p.82.
  4. D.Daniel, Struggle for Responsible Government in Travancore 1938-47, p.45.
  5. Ajay Kumar, The Integration Movement in South Travancore (1946-1986), Trivandrum, 1978, p. 122.
  6. R.Velayudha Perumal, Tiruvithancore Tamilariyakka Arampakala Unmaikal (Tamil), Nagercoil, 1981, p.56.
  7. P.S. Moni, Op.cit., p. 57.
  8. V.S.Abraham, Op.cit., p.78.
  9. Prithiv Rajan, M.E. Naidu – A Study, unpublished M.Phil., Dissertation, submitted to M.S.University, Tirunelveli, 2002, p.43.
  10. D.Daniel, Op.cit., p. 152.
  11. Ibid., p.166.
  12. P.S.Raghavan, The History of the Freedom Movement in Kerala, Vol. 1, Trivandrum, 1970, p.78.
  13. Ibid., p.106.
  14. Prithiv Rajan, Op.cit., p.52.
  15. P.S. Moni, Op.cit., p. 66.
  16. K.K.Pillai, Early History of Nanchil Nadu, University of Madras, 1943, p.162
  17. A.K. Perumal, Kanyakumari Mavatta Varalaru (Tamil),Nagercoil, 1995, p.37
  18. S. Ramaswamy, Kanyakumari District Directory, Nagercoil, 1987, p.46.
  19. P.S. Moni, Op.cit., p. 160.
  20. P.S.Raghavan, Op.cit., p.71.
  21. Prithiv Rajan, Op.cit., p.67.
  22. D.Daniel, Op.cit., p. 123.
  23. Ibid., p.126.
  24. P.S. Moni, Op.cit., p. 172.
  25. A. Padmanabha Iyer, Modern Travancore, Trivandrum, 1971, p.134
  26. Prithiv Rajan, Op.cit., p.72.
  27. Ibid., p.76.
  28. P.Ramachandran, M.E.Naidu and Suchindram Satyagraha, Nagercoil, 1979, p.24.
  29. Ibid., p.26.
  30. Prithiv Rajan, Op.cit., p.76.
  31. P.Ramachandran,Op.cit., p.34.
  32. S. Padmanabhan, Aaivu Kalanjiam (Tamil), Nagercoil, 2001,p.42.
  33. P.S.Raghavan, Op.cit., p.102.
  34. V.Anaimuthu, Periyar E.V.Ra. Chinthanaikal (Tamil), Vol. I, Tiruchi, 1974, p.56.
  35. P.Ramachandran,Op.cit., p.44.
  36. P.S.Raghavan, Op.cit., p.113.
  37. P.Ramachandran, Op.cit., p.52.