Nettur P. Damodaran

Nettur P. Damodaran (14 May 1913 – 11 October 1978) was an Indian politician who was a member of the 1st Lok Sabha from the constituency of Tellicherry, which was part of the erstwhile Madras state. He represented the now defunct Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party. He was elected to the Lok Sabha with 42.61% of the electorate voting in his favour. 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 elected Student Union Chairman of the College council in 1935.

Damodaran was conferred with the honorary Thamrapathra on the Silver Jubilee of Indian independence by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in recognition of his work towards the independence struggle.

Early years and the freedom struggle Damodaran was born to K. P. Kunhikannan and Smt. Thalu in a small hamlet called Nettur in the present day Tellicherry municipality. He did his early schooling from Mannayad school and Middle school, Illicoon in Nettur which was established by the legendary visionary and philanthropist Hermann Gundert. He later on attended Basel Evangelical Mission Parsi High School (BEMP), Tellicherry and Brennen College respectively. After graduating in Physics from Madras Christian College, he joined the Indian freedom movement from the Malabar region. He played a pivotal role in the Quit India Movement during 1942 from Tellicherry, He resigned from his official position in 1952 to embark on Parliamentary career by contesting the first general election of independent India from Tellicherry constituency, and winning with a thumping majority. During his tenure in the Lok Sabha (1956), he was part of a Parliamentary delegation to China when Prime Minister Zhou Enlai was in power.

Literary works Damodaran traveled extensively within India and wrote travelogues describing the local culture, people and practices. Some of his published works include:

Narmadayude Nattil (In the land of Narmada) – a travelogue covering the course of the Narmada River. Adivasikalute Keralam (The Tribals of Kerala) – an authoritative work on the Tribals of Kerala Anubhavachurulukal (Reels of experience: Publisher: DC Books, Kottayam; 1987 ) – Autobiographical sketches encompassing the freedom struggle and early years of freedom

Anubhavachurulukal was republished in 2007 by Samayam Publications, Kannur.

Social reform Damodaran worked towards the uplift of socially and economically backward classes of Kerala. He was chairman of what came to be known as the Nettur Commission, formed by the government of Kerala to assess comprehensively the conditions that define backwardness of social classes in Kerala.

Liberation of Mahé Even after India attained independence from Britain, France continued to hold onto Puducherry, Mahé, Yanam, Karaikal and Chandannagar. Damodaran played a role in expediting Mahé's liberation from French rule by working in concert with Mahé liberation leaders such as I. K. Kumaran and C.E. Bharathan, and highlighting the various issues related to the struggle in parliament. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru personally saw to it that the concerns raised by Damodaran and the remedies put forward by him in Parliament were addressed appropriately, helping realising the liberation of Mahe in a bloodless manner. He was actively involved in shaping and giving political lead in the formative years of independent Mahé.

Cultural activism Damodaran liked art and took various steps to popularise and promote local art forms of the Malabar region. This primarily included Kalari Payattu, an ancient martial art; Theyyam, a form of dance; and Thira, a religious ritual of northern Kerala. He was instrumental in organising various Kalari performances for the troupe of C .V.N Nair, a kalaripayattu maestro from Thalassery in Northern India and even in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). He was encouraged further by Nehru after witnessing a private performance in New Delhi. Indian circus, of which Tellicherry was the citadel, was another area of his interest and involvement. At the time of his death, he was the Secretary of the Circus Federation of India, New Delhi.