VAIKOM SATYAGRAHA - HISTORY

News: Remembering Vaikom satyagraha, a 100 years later

 

What's in the news?

       Vaikom, a temple town in the princely state of Travancore, saw the start of a non-violent agitation on March 30, 1924 — the first among temple entry movements that would soon sweep across the country.

       The satyagraha foregrounded social reform amidst the growing nationalist movement, bringing Gandhian methods of protest to the state of Travancore.

 

Key takeaways:

       Vaikom Satyagraha that lasted for 604 days (20 months) from March 30, 1924 to November 23, 1925 marked the dawn of temple entry movements across India.

 

Vaikom Satyagraha:

Cause:

       The people of the oppressed classes, especially the Ezhavas, were prohibited from walking on the four roads surrounding the Vaikom Mahadeva temple.

 

Originators:

       Spearheaded by Congress leader T.K. Madhavan, who himself was an Ezhava, an agitation was launched against this social injustice.

       In 1923, Madhavan presented the issue as a resolution at the Kakinada meet of the All-India Congress Committee. Subsequently, it was taken up by the Congress Untouchability Committee formed by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee in January 1924.

 

Leaders:

       Madhavan, K.P. Kesava Menon who was the then secretary of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee and Congress leader and educationist K. Kelappan (also known as Kerala Gandhi) are considered the pioneers of the Vaikom Satyagraha movement.

 

Movement:

       Around 7.30 am on March 30, 1924, the Satyagrahis walked in procession towards the forbidden public roads.

       They were stopped 50 yards away from the place where a board (first put up in 1905) cautioning the oppressed communities against walking on the roads, was placed.

       Dressed in khadi and wearing khadi caps, three young men namely Govinda Panikkar, a Nair, Bahuleyan, an Ezhava and Kunjappu, a Pulaya, marched ahead, defying the prohibitionary orders. The police who asked about their castes, stopped them when they answered. In protest, the three men sat on the road and were arrested.

       Then, every day, three volunteers from three different communities were sent to walk on the prohibited roads. Within a week, the leaders of the movement were all arrested.

 

Invitation to ‘Periyar’:

       George Joseph, a Congress man hailing from Kerala and an advocate who was then practicing in Madurai, briefly led the agitation when the pioneers were behind bars.

       He wrote to ‘Periyar’ E.V. Ramasamy who was then the Tamil Nadu Pradesh Congress Committee president, requested him to be at the helm of the campaign.

       Mahatma Gandhi and C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) provided guidance.

       Periyar reached Vaikom on April 13, 1924 after temporarily handing over party responsibilities to Rajaji.

       From the day of his arrival, Periyar was at the forefront of the struggle till its conclusion. Mobilising volunteers and garnering public support, he visited villages in and around Vaikom, Thiruvananthapuram and Nagercoil and delivered witty yet fiery speeches. Owing to enthusiastic response, he was banished from Kottayam and Kollam.

       He was soon called ‘Vaikom Veerar’ (hero of Vaikom), a term first used by Thiru. Vi. Kalyanasundaram, a Tamil journalist, wrote Athiyaman.

 

Role of women:

       The participation of women, especially those from the families of Satyagrahi leaders including Periyar’s wife Nagammai and sister Kannammal, empowered womenfolk to play an unprecedented role in the fight.

 

Support from Akalis:

       The non-violent movement gained widespread attention, with the Akalis (Sikhs) from Punjab extending support by opening a community kitchen (langar) for the volunteers. However, it was soon closed down following a directive from Mahatma Gandhi who wanted the agitation to be a “Hindu affair”.

 

Solidarity from Caste Hindus:

       In a show of solidarity for the social reform, a large group of caste Hindus, in November 1924, marched from Travancore till the royal palace at Thiruvananthapuram, as advised by Gandhi.

       They handed over a memorandum with 25,000 signatures of caste Hindus to Queen Sethulakshmi Bai (Maharani Regent) of Travancore, demanding to open the approach roads to Vaikom temple for all castes.

 

 

Arrival of Gandhi:

       Gandhi, who arrived at Vaikom in March 1925, held a series of discussions with leaders of various caste groups and met Maharani Regent at her Varkala camp.

       The Vaikom Satyagraha was officially withdrawn on November 30, 1925 after consultations between Gandhi and W.H. Pitt, the then police commissioner of Travancore. A compromise was reached following the release of all prisoners and grant of access to three of the four roads.

 

Temple Entry Proclamation:

       In November 1936, almost a decade after the conclusion of the Satyagraha, the historic Temple Entry Proclamation was signed by the Maharaja of Travancore which removed the age-old ban on the entry of marginalised castes into the temples of Travancore.