TK Madhavan was a social reformer, journalist, and revolutionary who was involved with the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP). Madhavan was born on September 2, 1885. He led the struggle against untouchability which was known as Vaikom Satyagraha.
Carrying the namesake of the backwater town in Kottayam district where it was staged between the years of 1924-25, the Vaikom Satyagraha could be termed as one of the best examples for citing how independence from our regressive social practices was important to fight the greater war against the colonisers.
TK Madhavan also being the editor of Deshabhimani, a Malayalam newspaper, was the original architect behind the Vaikom Satyagraha. He courageously presented a resolution seeking permission of temple entry and right to worship to all people irrespective of caste and community at Sree Moolam Praja Sabha, the legislative council of Travancore in 1918.
On the occasion of his birth anniversary, here is everything you need to know about TK Madhavan:
- T K Madhavan took part in the Temple Entry Movement, which fought for the entry of suppressed and low-caste communities to the temples of Kerala.
- In 1918 Madhavan was elected to the Sree Moolam Praja Sabha, a legislative council of Travancore. In the same year, he made his maiden speech at the Sree Moolam Assembly instead of his uncle Komalezhathu Kunjupillai Chekavar.
- He presented a resolution seeking permission of temple entry and the right to worship to all people irrespective of caste and community. The resolution was presented in the Kakkinada session of the Indian National Congress in 1923.
- In 1924, Vaikom Sathyagraha was started under the leadership of Madhavan, K. Kelappan, and K.P.Kesava Menon to get the right of an oppressed class of people to travel through the road in front of Vaikom Mahadeva temple. T K Madhavan and Kesava Menon were arrested and imprisoned.
- T.K Madhavan formed a voluntary organization “Dharma Bhata Sangham” to strengthen the activities of SNDP Yogam. He met Mahatma Gandhi at Tirunelveli and persuaded him to visit Vaikom.
- Vaikom Satyagraha was a struggle for establishing the right for backward class people to walk through the temple roads of Vaikom, a small temple town in the northwest of Kottayam. Gandhiji agreed to include the issue in the agenda of the Indian National Congress.
- 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.
