Swadeshabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai

Swadeshabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai Biography

Swadeshabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai was a writer, journalist, Newspaper editor, and political activist of old Travancore during kings’ reign. He was the editor of the newspaper Swadeshabhimani (The Patriot) and that’s the reason why he is most popularly known as Swadeshabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai. He was arrested and exiled from Travancore in 1910 as he raised his powerful pen against Diwan of Travancore, P. Rajagopalachari, the Government and the Maharaja of Travancore. It even resulted in the confiscation of the newspaper and press. He is also known for Vrithantha Pathra Pravarthanam (1912), the first book on journalism in the Malayalam language and the Malayalam translation of biography of Karl Marx (1912), the first translation to an Indian language.

K.Ramakrishna Pillai was born on 25 May 1878 as the youngest son of Narasimhan Potti (Priest of a temple) and Chakkiamma at Neyyattinkara of old Travancore state. He was born in Athiyanoor, Arangamugal of Neyyattinkara. Ramakrishna Pillai was born in the family to whom Marthanda Varma gifted land and built famous Shree Krishna temple, Neyyattinkara for saving his life from Ettuveettil Pillakal. Ramakrishna was born in this family over a century later.

Ramakrishna Pillai as a young boy lived with his maternal uncle, Advocate Keshava Pillai. He did his primary education in Neyyattinkara English medium school from 1887 onwards. Then he joined Royal school, Thiruvananthapuram in 1892. He completed his matriculation studies at the age of 14.

Though he was a shy and silent guy at school, during college days he became attracted to journalism. He used to read almost every newspaper published from Travancore, Malabar and Kochi states and started writing as well. He passed in the F.A. exam in 1898. But his passion in newspapers made it a difficult task to complete later studies too. He was to join BSc in Madras University. But during that time, he and a few newspaper enthusiasts felt the need of a Malayalam newspaper from Travancore. It resulted in Kerala Darpanum and Vanjivibhujhika in 1900. He took the editorship of Kerala Darpanum newspaper as well and completed B.A. (Malayalam ) degree with first rank. He wrote strongly against the age-old malpractices and ill customs of those days.

He later changed from one newspaper to another and eventually got settled with family in Kollam. Swadeshabhimani's pen moved against corruption of the state and injustice in the society and he even criticized Shree Moolam Thirunal, ruler of Travancore that finally resulted in his exile and sealing of his newspaper. Ramakrishna Pillai wrote over 20 books in his lifetime and all of them are really valuable.  

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Updated: September 06, 2013