Dr. Padmanabhan Palpu, LMS, DPH (Cantab) FRIPH (London) is one of the immortals of the Indian Renaissance. He was by profession a bacteriologist - a fighter of germs. Circumstances made him a social revolutionary - a fighter of manmade social evils. Towards this end he waged a long, heroic and self-less battle, with his mighty pen. It was mainly against the official and priestly sections of the contemporary society. In the face of all their organized opposition and ill-treatment, he stood apart as an apostle of liberty and unfailing champion of the oppressed classes.
Dr. P. Palpu was born on November 2nd 1863 at Petta, a part of Trivandrum, in Kerala State. He started his pioneering efforts as early as 1890s, when his later spiritual guide and philosopher Sree Narayana Guru was doing penance in the forests of Aruvippuram and Maruthwamalai hills, in the South of Kerala. It is well known that the social renaissance that changed not only the history of Kerala, but that of the whole of India, really started with the achievements of Dr. Palpu. Sarojini Naidu once rightly described him as one of the immortals of the great Indian revolutionaries.
The caste-ridden and taboo-bound Kerala society of the early decades of this century, was in the words of Swami Vivekananda worse than a lunatic asylum. The ruling and the priestly classes were exploiting the masses in many ways for their self-perpetuation. The lower classes were condemned as ‘untouchables’ and denied the most fundamental of human rights as freedom of action, travel, worship and above all equal opportunities in education and employment. Pained by this bleak social situation, Palpu set himself to the noble task of liberating the masses from the caste tyrannies and the associated evils. For this, he first acquainted himself with the working of the philanthropic institutions such as Brahma Samajam and Aryasamajam. Incidentally he also came into personal contact with great men of India like Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranatha Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi. With the experience gained from these institutions and men, he started submitting memorandums and making representations on behalf of the suffering millions of Kerala. The Malayali Memorial of which he was one of the sponsors and first of the signatories, is a unique example. Palpu also made representations to the Travancore Government, inviting its attention to the grievances of the Thiyya-Ezhava community, to which he belonged. When his representations to the Travancore Government did not bring desired result, he turned to the Indian National Congress, the Government of Madras and the British Government. The cumulative effect of all this was that he finally secured for the untouchables in Kerala entry into the public service and admission for their children to Government schools. Though he partially succeeded in his attempts at social reform, he simultaneously suffered several set-backs in his official life.
When Palpu realized that he could not achieve much by representations, he turned to mass agitation. He began to rally under a common banner, all socially backward people. He founded an ‘Ezhava Sabha’ to begin with, but it did not attract many people. It was at this time that he heard about the Aruvippuram temple founded by Sree Narayana Guru. The Guru had also registered a society for the administration of the temple. Palpu approached the Guru with a request to enhance the scope of the working of the society. At first the Guru turned down his proposal. But later he felt that the honest efforts of Palpu to organize and strengthen the depressed classes deserved encouragement. The Aruvippuram society was, therefore converted to S.N.D.P Yogam in 1903. It was registered as joint-stock company with the poet Kumaran Asan as its first Secretary. Gradually the Yogam became one of the greatest social organizations of Kerala. About the Yogam Palpu once made a good humored remark typical of him ‘This Yogam would one day become a huge tree. People may cut off its branches, but I am sure, the more they cut, the more it will grow’. The prophecy has come true today.
The spiritual leadership necessary for the Yogam was abundantly available from Sree Narayana Guru. But Palpu knew that the uplift of the society was possible only if their lot was improved materially also. So he alerted the attention of the people to the need for reviving their interest in agriculture and industry which had long been neglected. For this he arranged an agriculture and industrial exhibition in Quilon, which was first of its kind in the whole of the country. He also organized industrial and health exhibitions at other places. These pioneering efforts really heralded a new era of prosperity for the oppressed classes. Pleading for promotions of industries he wrote in 1891. “India is now aspiring for Home Rule and a speedy revival of its indigenous trade and industries. Any venture which has for its objective the building of an industry or business and the distribution of its profit among the people of India, has to have appeal to all patriotic Indians including all captains of large industries’.
As a social reformer Dr. Palpu was a firm believer in the principle of Dharma. This symbolized such factor as absolute truth, self-less love and benevolent service. All his philanthropic efforts as the right-hand man of Sree Narayana Guru were geared to this noble goal. ‘The Dharma Vs organized perfidy, Priestly and Official’ is an open declaration of the faith of this social reformer. The following quatrain which sums up his attitude to Dharma is said to have been used by the Guru as his message:
Dharma knows only one caste
And it tends only one religion
That Dharma is our only God
Let all men abide by it.
To uphold Dharma Palpu was ready to make any sacrifice. The extent of this sacrifice is amply evident in the Will he has left for posterity. It is a noble record of the ideals he preached and practiced. He dedicates in it all his material and non material acquisitions including that of his children for the uplift of the masses. A part of it runs as follows: ‘We are all public servants and must live for the welfare of the society. To uplift it a good financial reserve is essential. I therefore set apart all my material assets and possible future earnings, all wealth that is due to my wife and children and their earnings for the benefit of the society at large.’
