Nettur P. Damodaran

Sh. Nettur P Damodaran (14 May 1913, Tellicherry, India - 11 Oct 1978, New Delhi, India) was a member of the 1st Lok Sabha (1952) from the constituency of Tellicherry, which was part of the erstwhile Madras state. He represented the now defunct Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party.[1]. He was elected into the Lok Sabha with a thumping victory with 42.61% of the electorate voting in his favour, thanks to his relentless efforts towards the Indian freedom struggle from the Malabar region.[2] Nettur P, as he was popularly known had established his own image as a good Parliamentarian, journalist, philanthropist, reformer and writer. He graduated in Physics from Madras Christian College and it was here that his public life started when he was elected as the first Student Union Chairman of the College council in the late 1930s. Shri. Nettur P Damodaran had for a brief period worked as a journalist, first in Free Press Journal and later for Mathrubhumi in Bombay. He was a recipient of "Thamrapathra" from Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in recognition of the sacrifices made during the independence struggle.

Literary works

Sh. Nettur P Damodaran also had a penchant for writing. In his heydays, he traveled extensively within India and penned down travelogues describing the local culture, people and practices. Some of his published works include :

(1) 'Naramdayude Nattil’ ( In the land of the Narmada river ) - a travelogue covering the course of the Narmada river. (2) 'Adivasikalute Keralam' (The Tribals of Kerala) - an authoritative work on the Tribals of Kerala (3) ‘Anubhavachurulukal' ( Curls of experience) - autobiographical sketches encompassing the freedom struggle and early years of freedom[3]

'Anubhavachurulukal' was republished in 2007 by Samayam Publications, Kannur.[4]

Reform Activities

Shri. Nettur P worked selflessly towards the upliftment of the backward classes of Kerala. He was Chairman of what came to be known as the 'Nettur Commission', formed to assess comprehensively the conditions that define backwardness of Social classes in Kerala. A report of the commission's findings was submitted to the Kerala Government which was subsequently published in 1970.[5][6] In 1978, he was tipped to be a member of the now famous Mandal Commission which was not to be because of his sudden and untimely demise due to a heart attack in New Delhi.

Cultural Activism

Shri. Nettur P played a pivotal role in popularising and promoting various art forms of the Malabar region. This primarily included 'Kalari Payattu', an ancient martial art of Kerala , 'Theyyam' ,a form of dance and 'Thira'. He was instrumental in organising various shows particularly in Northern India. He was encouraged further by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru after witnessing a private performance. Shri Nettur P had organised various Kalari performances for Shri C .V.N Nair, a Kalaripayattu maestro from Thalassery.[7]