Mahatma Gandhi visited Kerala for first time on 18th August 1920

Mahatma Gandhi visited Kerala for first time on 18th August 1920

Mahatama Gandhi made his first visit to Kerala a century ago on August 18. In 1920, as a mission of campaign to support for Non Co-operation Movement against Britisher’s Rowlatt Act. It was at Kozhikode, where the European colonization took roots in India. His Kerala visit was also to support Khilafat Movement by addressing 20000 crowds assembled in Kozhikode beach. He encouraged the assembled crowd to adopt the non-violation methods . Gandhiji also remembered the goals of Swadeshi Movement by the usage of only Indian made products.

In his first ever visit to Kerala, Gandhi reached Kozhikode from Trichy by train and then went to the coastal town of Malabar on August 18, 1920. He had a series of meetings with Hindu and Muslim leaders and discussed the importance of the Khilafat movement, besides fighting the British and throwing them out of the country. Gandhi addressed a mega rally of 20,000 people at Vellayil beach in Kozhikode on the evening of the same day. K. Madhavan Nair who later became the first KPCC president, translated the Mahatma’s speech.