A. Nesamony
Encyclopedia
A. Nesamony sometimes known as Marshal Nesamony, was a political leader from Kanyakumari district
in Tamil Nadu
, India. He was the second son of Kesavan Appavu Nadar, born on 12 June 1895 at Nesarpuram (Palliyadi) in Vilavancode
Taluk, Kanyakumari district. He graduated from Maharaja's College in Thiruvananthapuram
, and studied at law college in Thiruvananthapuram. He began practising in 1921. He was among those involved with the merger of four Taluks from Southern Travancore
to Tamil Nadu
.
. While studying at C.M.S. College, he was elected as students' leader, which provided him with an opportunity to attend the Congress Conference at Calcutta. Influenced by Mahatma Gandhi at that time, he chose to wear only Khadi
cotton dresses throughout his life. He graduated with a BA degree from Maharaja's College, Trivandrum, after which he began teaching, spending a year at Kurnool Bishop Heeber High school. He later became headmaster at Salvation Army Middle School in Trivandrum. Simultaneously he pursued his law studies at Trivandrum Law College. He married in September 1914.
elected from Tamil Nadu
. He was elected to the Lok Sabha
from Nagercoil constituency
as an Indian National Congress
candidate in 1951, 1962 and 1967 elections.
He was also a Member of the Legislative Assembly. He was elected to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly as an Indian National Congress candidate from Killiyur constituency
in 1957 election.
. The jenmi
system protected the socioeconomic and political status of the upper castes only, while the lower castes, especially the Nadars, were exploited in many ways. Events such as the Upper Cloth Controversy and the Temple Entry Proclamation
were reactions to this.
and the SNDP.
The agitation intensified after Indian independence. A campaign was launched under the auspices of a political movement called the Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress (TTNC), to fight against the social ills that existed in the former state of Travancore. The TTNC later converted into a political party in order to contest elections. It culminated in the formation of Kanyakumari district and its subsequent merger with Tamil Nadu on 1 November 1956 during the linguistic reorganisation of states
. Nesamony and P. Thanulinga Nadar
were instrumental in the merger of the district with Tamil Nadu. As a result of this, Nesamony was known as Kumari Thanthai and Liberator of Kerala Tamils. as well as Marshal.
Immediately thereafter, the TTNC merged with the Indian National Congress
and became fully integrated with the national mainstream.
. This caused a by-election in his Nagercoil
constituency in 1969, which was won by Kamaraj.
There have been various tributes paid to his memory since that time. These include:
Kanyakumari District
Kanyakumari District ) is a district of Tamil Nadu state, India and is the southernmost land area of mainland India.The district is the second most urbanised district in Tamilnadu, next only to Chennai and ahead of Coimbatore. It also has the highest literacy and education levels in the...
in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India. He was the second son of Kesavan Appavu Nadar, born on 12 June 1895 at Nesarpuram (Palliyadi) in Vilavancode
Vilavancode
Vilavancode is a panchayat town in Kanyakumari district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Politics:Vilavancode assembly constituency is part of Kanyakumari Lok Sabha constituency....
Taluk, Kanyakumari district. He graduated from Maharaja's College in Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
, and studied at law college in Thiruvananthapuram. He began practising in 1921. He was among those involved with the merger of four Taluks from Southern Travancore
Southern Travancore
The Southern Travancore, Kerala, consists of a part of Kollam district, Thiruvananthapuram district, and Kanyakumari district that is now in the state of Tamil Nadu...
to Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
.
Early life
He was educated at Scott Christian High School and then at C.M.S. College in TirunelveliTirunelveli
Tirunelveli , also known as Nellai , and historically as Tinnevelly, is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Tirunelveli District and the sixth biggest city in Tamil Nadu...
. While studying at C.M.S. College, he was elected as students' leader, which provided him with an opportunity to attend the Congress Conference at Calcutta. Influenced by Mahatma Gandhi at that time, he chose to wear only Khadi
Khadi
The term khādī or khaddar means cotton. khādī is Indian handspun and hand-woven cloth. The raw materials may be cotton, silk, or wool, which are spun into threads on a spinning wheel called a charkha. It is a versatile fabric, cool in the summer and warm in the winter...
cotton dresses throughout his life. He graduated with a BA degree from Maharaja's College, Trivandrum, after which he began teaching, spending a year at Kurnool Bishop Heeber High school. He later became headmaster at Salvation Army Middle School in Trivandrum. Simultaneously he pursued his law studies at Trivandrum Law College. He married in September 1914.
Legal practice
Nesamony registered as a lawyer at Nagercoil Sessions Court in 1921. He became a criminal lawyer at Nagercoil Bar. He was elected as the president of Nagercoil Lawyers' Association in 1943. In the same year he was also elected as the chairman of Nagercoil Municipal Council.Public life
- 1943-1947: Chairman of NagercoilNagercoilNagercoil is the 12th largest city in the southernmost Indian state of Tamil Nadu and a municipality and administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District...
Municipality - December 1944: Founded Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress (TTNC) movement
- 1945-1947: Member of Travancore Legislative (Thirumoolam) Assembly and nominated member to the Senate of the Travancore University
- October 1947: Launched TTNC as a political party
- 1948-1952: Member of TravancoreTravancoreKingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
-Cochin Constituent Assembly & leader of TTNC parliamentary party in assembly - 1955-1956: President of TTNC
Political career
He was a Member of ParliamentParliament of India
The Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body in India. Founded in 1919, the Parliament alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all political bodies in India. The Parliament of India comprises the President and the two Houses, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha...
elected from Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. He was elected to the Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
from Nagercoil constituency
Nagercoil (Lok Sabha constituency)
Nagercoil was a Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu, India. K. Kamaraj Nadar, the first elected Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu was elected twice to the Lok Sabha from here.- Kamarajar by-election victory :...
as an Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
candidate in 1951, 1962 and 1967 elections.
He was also a Member of the Legislative Assembly. He was elected to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly as an Indian National Congress candidate from Killiyur constituency
Killiyur (State Assembly Constituency)
Killiyur is an assembly constituency located in Nagercoil Lok Sabha Constituency in Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu.- Travancore - Cochin assembly :- Madras State assembly:- Tamil Nadu assembly :- References :...
in 1957 election.
Background
Feudalism prevailed in the erstwhile state of TravancoreTravancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
. The jenmi
Jenmi
Jenmi is the term used to refer to the landlords of the Nair and Namboothiris castes from Kerala. In the past the majority, if not all the land was owned by these Jenmimar , and it was not unusual for an aristocratic family to own up to of land...
system protected the socioeconomic and political status of the upper castes only, while the lower castes, especially the Nadars, were exploited in many ways. Events such as the Upper Cloth Controversy and the Temple Entry Proclamation
Temple Entry Proclamation
The Temple Entry Proclamation issued by Maharaja Shri Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma and his Dewan Sir C. P. Ramaswami Iyer in 1936 abolished the ban on low-caste people or avarnas from entering Hindu Temples in the state of Travancore .The edict is as follows:Today, the Temple Entry...
were reactions to this.
Events
A consequence of the social oppression and political repression was an ongoing campaign for recognition by the affected groups during the later nineteenth- and early twentieth-centuries. This was evidenced by, for example. the creation of the Nair Service SocietyNair Service Society
The Nair Service Society is an organization created for the uplift and welfare of the Nair community. It was established under the leadership of Mannathu Padmanabhan...
and the SNDP.
The agitation intensified after Indian independence. A campaign was launched under the auspices of a political movement called the Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress (TTNC), to fight against the social ills that existed in the former state of Travancore. The TTNC later converted into a political party in order to contest elections. It culminated in the formation of Kanyakumari district and its subsequent merger with Tamil Nadu on 1 November 1956 during the linguistic reorganisation of states
States Reorganisation Act
The States Reorganisation Act of 1956 was a major reform of the boundaries and governance of India's states and territories. The act reorganised the boundaries of India's states along linguistic lines, and amended the Indian Constitution to replace the three types of states, known as Parts A, B,...
. Nesamony and P. Thanulinga Nadar
P. Thanulinga Nadar
Paramarthalinga Thanulinga Nadar , also known simply as Thanulingam, was an Indian politician, freedom-fighter and a right-wing activist. He served as a Member of the Indian Parliament from the Indian National Congress...
were instrumental in the merger of the district with Tamil Nadu. As a result of this, Nesamony was known as Kumari Thanthai and Liberator of Kerala Tamils. as well as Marshal.
Immediately thereafter, the TTNC merged with the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
and became fully integrated with the national mainstream.
Death and legacy
Nesamony died on 1 June 1968 while serving as a member in the Lok SabhaLok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
. This caused a by-election in his Nagercoil
Nagercoil (Lok Sabha constituency)
Nagercoil was a Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu, India. K. Kamaraj Nadar, the first elected Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu was elected twice to the Lok Sabha from here.- Kamarajar by-election victory :...
constituency in 1969, which was won by Kamaraj.
There have been various tributes paid to his memory since that time. These include:
- the establishment of Nesamony Memorial Christian CollegeNesamony Memorial Christian CollegeNesamony Memorial Christian College is an institution of arts and science in Marthandam, the second busiest town of the district of Kanyakumari, India. The college was run by Kanyakumari Diocese of the Church of South India...
at MarthandamMarthandamMartandam is a major trade centre in Kuzhithurai municipality across National Highway in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, India, at the border with Kerala. Originally called Thoduvetty, it was a portion of Kanyakumari district which was added to the state of Tamil Nadu on November 1, 1956... - the erection of a statue Anna bus-stand in the heart of Nagercoil, together with a memorial building
- the creation of a satellite township called Nesamony NagarNesamony NagarNesamony Nagar is a place in Nagercoil in Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, India....
on the outskirts of Nagercoil, where the headquarters of the former Nesamony Transport Corporation (a Tamil Nadu government undertaking) existed - the naming of the bridge built across the Kuzhithurai river as Nesamony Paalam
- his birthplace in Palliyadi was named Nesarpuram.
- a park near ThingalnagarThingalnagarThingalnagar is a panchayat town in Kanniyakumari district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-Demographics: India census, Thingalnagar had a population of 12,554. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Thingalnagar has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national...
-Monday Market Bus-stand in Kanyakumari district was named Nesamony Poonga - the central government published commemorative postal envelopes in recognition of the centenary of his birth in 1995.