The Subaltern Voice in Sree Moolam Praja Sabha

Abstract

Sree Moolam Thirunaal Rama Varma, the ruling Maharaja of the Indian state of Travancore, instituted Sree Moolam Praja Sabha, also known as Sree Moolam Popular Assembly on 1 October 1904. The representatives of Sree Moolam Praja Sabha were selected from every section of society to address their grievances. Sree Moolam Sabha mainly consisted of landlords, merchants and their representatives.

Those days, then existing social customs prevented the lower-caste people or the subaltern communities from participating in the Sree Moolam Praja Sabha. In the initial phase, there were representatives from each religion and caste, except the subaltern groups. Later, the Diwan attempted to include Dalits and other minority communities in the process of policy formulation as well as providing them with an essential role in their community development. Mahakavi Kumaran Asan, one of the triumvirate poets of modern Kerala was the nominated member of Sree Moolam Sabha, and he was one of the disciples of Sree Narayana Guru.

Ayyankali was nominated to Sree Moolam Popular Assembly in 1912 because of his popularity among subaltern communities in the Thiruvithamkoore Kingdom. He had a record of being a nominated member in a legislative assembly for a consequtive period of 27 years, from 1912 to 1939, even before Independence. Ayyankali was the first Dalit representative who was nominatedto India’s first state (legislative) assembly, especially during the pre-independence period.