K. Kelappan on stamp – Biography and Life History

Kelappan was a social reformer and a prominent freedom fighter from Kerala, best known as a founding member and president of Nair Service Society (NSS). Fondly called Kerala Gandhi, he was a social worker, educationist and journalist as well. He played a dominant role in the unification of three princely states of Malayalam speaking people to form Kerala. He decorated many top positions of Gandhian organizations of Kerala like Kerala Sarvodaya Sangh, Kerala Gandhi Samarak Nidhi, Kerala Sarvodaya Mandal and Gandhi Peace Foundation, post-independence. He built up a base of Khadi and village industries in Kerala, as a part of Gandhian movement. He is better known as a leader of famous Vaikom Satyagraha and Guruvayur Satyagraha and Gandhiji visited these places to support the movement aimed at opening Kerala temples to all sectors of Hindus of Kerala, irrespective of different classes and castes.

Kelappan was born in Muchukunnu, Kozhikode district in 1889. He did his schooling from his hometown and finished education from Chennai, then known as Madras. He started his career as a school teacher at St. Berchmans High School, Changanassery. He was one of the prominent founding members of NSS, an organization belonging to Nair Hindu community of Kerala. As a social reformer, he was also addressed as social reformer. Though he reached Mumbai to study Bachelor of Law, he discontinued his studies to participate in Non-cooperation movement led by Gandhiji. He was chosen as the first Satyagrahi of Kerala and led salt Satyagraha of Kerala in Payannur and Kozhikode provinces. He also participated in Quit India Movement and Swadeshi movement and has been jailed several times for his fight against British.

He conducted fasting as a part of Vaikom Satyagraha and Guruvayur Satyagraha. Gandhi’s historic visit to Kerala in 1932 was a part of this movement and Kelappan ended fast at Guruvayur on Gandhi’s request. Though he was associated with congress party till independence, he joined Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party and has been elected to Lok Sabha from Ponanni in 1952. He has also helped in the setup of Mathrubhumi newspaper and has remained as its editor for many years.

In his honour India Post released a Commemorative stamp in 1990