Sri.Mannathu
Padmanabhan
Sri.Mannathu Padmanabhan
the peerless leader of the Nair Community, the
immortal founder of the Nair Service Society
and the great social reformer was born in the
closing decades of the 19th century
in perunnai, a village in changanacherry taluk
of the erstwhile state of Travancore as the
son of middle-class parents. Abject poverty
misery and deprivation marked the early years
of his life. After school education he became
a teacher and then a pleader .Before long he
found himself drawn in to the vortex of political
and social movements. The plight of the Nair
Community that was witnessing it’s own
decadence and disintegration, precipitated by
extravaganza, superstitious veneration for antiquated
and anachronistic customs and tradition, filled
him with anguish. He marshalled his oratorial
skill and organizational ability to motivate,
inspire and mobilize the Community that was
lost in a long and deep slumber .The Nair Service
Society which he conceived, nursed and nurtured,
epitomized the hopes and aspirations of the
community which had been waiting for a saviour.
Mannam’s
personal life was inextricably intertwined with
the history of the N.S.S.He travelled extensively
through the state, met the people ,organizedthem
and won their love and regard with the help
of his disarming simplicity, single-minded devotion,
will and determination.
