A. Nesamony

A. Nesamony, sometimes known as Marshal Nesamony, was a political leader from Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu, India. He was the second son of Kesavan Appavu Nadar, born on 12 June 1895 at Nesarpuram, Palliyadi in Vilavancode Taluk, Kanyakumari district. He graduated from Maharaja's College in Thiruvananthapuram and studied law in Thiruvananthapuram. He had one son and six daughters. at Nagercoil Bar. He was elected as the president of Nagercoil Lawyers' Association in 1943. Many young advocates irrespective of caste or religion wished to become his juniors. They gained much from him and later contributed to society as lawyers and politicians. A few among them were Chidambaranathan Nadar, Ponnappan Nadar, Gopalakrishnan, Fakrudeen Adam, and Razak. The TTNC president Sam Nathaniel was also his junior.

Public life 1941-1942: Advocate; Member, Travancore Bar Council 1948- 1952: Member of Travancore - Cochin Legislative Assembly 1934 - 1942: South District Pastorate Council

He was also a Member of the Legislative Assembly. He was elected to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly as an Indian National Congress candidate from Killiyur constituency in 1957 election.

Kanyakumari district merger with Tamil Nadu

Background Feudalism prevailed in the erstwhile state of Travancore. The jenmi system protected the socioeconomic and political status of the upper castes only, while the lower castes were exploited in many ways. Events such as the Upper Cloth Controversy and the Temple Entry Proclamation were reactions to this.

Events

A consequence of the social oppression and political repression was an ongoing campaign for recognition by the affected groups during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. For example, this was evidenced by the creation of the Nair Service Society and the SNDP.

The agitation intensified after Indian independence. A campaign was launched under the political movement called the Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress (TTNC) to fight against the social ills that existed in the former state of Travancore. The TTNC later converted into a political party in order to contest elections. Suffered imprisonment at the hands of the P.S.P Government of the TC State during the agitation for the Merger of Travancore Tamil Area with the Madras State

Immediately thereafter, the TTNC merged with the Indian National Congress and became fully integrated with the national mainstream. Nesamany worked for the return of Kanyakumari to Tamil Nadu. He was known as a champion, of the Tamil language and Tamilians. He was a good public worker.

Founder, Nagercoil Municipal Destitute Home Printed and Published Tamil Weekly "Thingal" while serving as a member in the Lok Sabha. This caused a by-election in his Nagercoil constituency in 1969, which was won by Kamaraj.

Nesamony fought for the rights of minorities and their establishment. He has been held in high esteem. He was a man who saw the realisation of the dream of the people of Kanyakumari District, namely, the merger of Kanyakumari District with Tamil Nadu.

There have been various tributes paid to his memory since that time. These include: The establishment of Nesamony Memorial Christian College at Marthandam The erection of a statue near Anna bus-stand in the heart of Nagercoil, together with a memorial building The creation of a satellite township called Nesamony Nagar on the outskirts of Nagercoil, where the headquarters of the former Nesamony Transport Corporation (a Tamil Nadu government undertaking) existed The naming of the bridge built across the Kuzhithurai river as Nesamony Paalam His birthplace in Palliyadi was named Nesarpuram. A park near Thingalnagar-Monday Market Bus-stand in Kanyakumari district was named Nesamony Poonga The central government published commemorative postal envelopes in recognition of the centenary of his birth in 1995. Tamil Nadu government opened a memorial on 27 February 2014 at Nagercoil