Who is Mahatma Ayyankali: The Dalit leader whom PM Modi praised today
New Delhi, Aug 28: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday paid tribute to social reformer Mahatma Ayyankali on his 157th birth anniversary sharing PM's 5 years old speech on Ayyankali Jayanti on social media.
"India
remains
indebted
to
greats
like
Mahatma
Ayyankali.
His
work
towards
social
reform
and
empowering
the
downtrodden
will
always
inspire.
Remembering
him
on
his
Jayanti."
The
Prime
Minister
said
that
India
would
remain
indebted
to
Ayyankali.
"A few years ago, had attended a program to mark his Jayanti. Here is my speech..., " the PM said in a tweet.
Ayyankali Jayanthi 2020 commemorates the birthday of Ayyankali, an social reformer in Travancore, British India. The day is celebrated across Kerala.
Who is Mahatma Ayyankali
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Born on August 28th, 1963 in a small village in the princely state of Travancore, now within the south of the modern-day nation of Kerala, Ayyankali efforts influenced many changes that improved social wellbeing of those people, who are today referred to as Dalits.
Ayyankali was the first of eight children born to Ayyan and Mala, who were members of the Pulayar community of untouchable people.
Growing up illiterate and seeing that many Pulayars had been efficaciously rural slaves, Ayyankali resolved to do what he should to get rid of boundaries of the caste system.
Ayyankali became a stated protestor for Pulayar rights. 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 enroll, Ayyankali organised a strike by way of the rural workers within the location.
Ayyankali led to large scale changes in the social outlook of the southern Indian state of Kerala.
The
messiah
of
the
Pulaya
community
of
Kerala,
describes
Ayyankali
as
a
'Raja'.
Mahatma
Gandhi
called
Ayyankali
as
'Pulaya
king'.
Indira
Gandhi
described
him
as
'India's
greatest
son'.
Ayyankali, who has been described as "the most important Dalit leader of modern Kerala" passed away in 1941.