K. Kelappan

K. Kelappan (24 August 1889 – 7 October 1971) was a founding member and president of Nair Service Society, a reformer, an Indian freedom fighter, educationist and journalist. He is also known as Kerala Gandhi. Post independence he held various seats in Gandhian organizations.

Early life

Kelappan was born in the small village of Muchukunnu in Calicut, Kerala.^[1]

He studied in Calicut and Madras and graduated from the University of Madras before starting his career as a teacher at St. Berchmans High School, Changanassery. Kelappan was the founding President of the Nair Service Society and later became the principal of a school run by the society.^[1]

As reformer

He fought for social reforms on one hand and the British on the other. He fought relentlessly against untoucahbility and caste-based discrimination.^[2] Along with K. Kumar, he became the earliest in Kerala to remove the suffix to his name that implied caste-status.^[3] He was called Kerala Gandhi.^[1]

Role post independence

After independence he left the Congress Party and joined the Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party and was elected to Parliament from the Ponnani Lok Sabha seat in 1952. At the end of his term, he left active politics and became a Sarvodaya worker and was actively associated with Bhoodan Movement in Kerala.^[4]

Kelappan helped in starting Mathrubhoomi and was its editor for a number of years. He worked for unification of Kerala into a new linguistic state.

References