Mannathu Padmanabha Pillai Biography 
Mannathu Padmanabha Pillai, shortly known as Mannathu Padmanabhan was a freedom fighter and social reformer from Kerala. He is recognised as the founder of the Nair Service Society, which claims to represent the Nair community of Kerala. Now numerous institutions are working under NSS including schools and colleges. He was a visionary reformer who organised the Nair community under NSS. Schools are also present under NSS in memory of Mannathu Padmanabhan titled – Mannam Memorial. He was the first president of Travancore Devaswom Board, Board under which temples of Travancore function.
Padmanathan was born in Perunna village in Changanacherry, Travancore of British India on 2 January 1878. His parents were Eswaran Namboothiri of Nilavana Illam and Mannathu Parvathy Amma. Now Changanacherry belongs to Kottayam district. After his schooling, he began his career as a school teacher in a Government primary school in the year 1893. In 1905 he started practising law, in the Magistrates Courts.
Nair Service Society, shortly known as NSS was organized by Mannam in the year 1914, October 31 with the help of a few friends. His main ambition was to uplift the status of the Nair community. For that, he gave up his career and became full time secretary of this society. He revived Karayogams giving them new dimensions. The old concept of village societies was completely changed. NSS persuaded the Travancore Government to enact the Nair Regulation in the year 1924-1925. In Nair community, full preference was given to maternal family. NSS demanded the split of old joint family system and to divide paternal and maternal property among all the children. Earlier ‘Sambandhams’ were common in Kerala society where only elder son of the Brahmin family was allowed to marry from their community while the rest used to create a relationship with Nair ladies of the society. Kids born in this wed lock have no rights to access their father’s property.
Though he belonged to upper caste Nair family, he participated in many social movements related to inequality. He participated in Vaikom Satyagraha, demanding the public roads near the temple at Vaikom be opened to low caste Hindus. He also took part in Guruvayoor temple-entry and anti-untouchability agitation. He became a member of the Indian National Congress in 1947 and rose against Sir C. P. Ramaswamy Iyer’s administration. In 1949 Padmanabhan became a member of the Travancore Legislative Assembly.
Published: N/A
Updated: October 25, 2013
