Ayyankali Jayanthi: Remembering Dalit leader who brought social justice to Kerala's Travancore

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 28: Ayyankali Jayanthi 2019 commemorates the birthday of Ayyankali, an important social reformer in Travancore, British India. It is celebrated across Kerala. Ayyankali Jayanthi is a regional Indian public holiday in Kerala on August 28th.

The day commemorates the birth of a wonderful social reformer in Kerala who turned into born in this day in 1863. Born on August 28th, 1963 in a small village in the princely nation of Travancore, now within the south of the modern-day nation of Kerala, Ayyankali efforts influenced many changes that improved the social wellbeing of those people, who are today often referred to as Dalits.

Growing up illiterate and seeing that many Pulayars had been efficaciously rural slaves, he resolved to do what he should to get rid of boundaries of the caste system.

Ayyankali became a stated protestor for Pulayar rights gaining rights for the network by way of highlighting the injustices of the caste gadget.

Ayyankali sought to enhance get admission to to schooling, and because of the protests led through Ayyankali, in 1907 a decree turned into issued to confess students from the untouchable network to government schools. When a school was burned down because a Puluyar female had attempted to enrol, Ayyankali organised a strike by way of the rural workers within the location.

yyankali later became a member of the assembly of Travancore, known as the Sree Moolam Popular Assembly (SMPA) or Praja Sabha. However, Ayyankali died on 18 June 1941.

Meanwhile, it will be a holiday for banks in Kerala for Ayyankali Jayanthi.

Contribution and influence in society

Mahatma Gandhi called Ayyankali as 'Pulaya king'. Indira Gandhi described him as 'India's greatest son' . The historian P. Sanal Mohan has described Ayyankali as "the most important Dalit leader of modern Kerala". The anniversary of Ayyankali's birth has been celebrated by his descendants and by special interest groups.