M.C. Madurai Pillai
இந்தப் பக்கத்தை தமிழில் வாசிக்க: எம்.சி.மதுரைப் பிள்ளை
M.C. Maduraipillai (1880 - 1935) was a patron of the early Dalit movements and a supporter of the Justice Party.
Birth, Education
M.C. Maduraipillai was born in 1880.
(Please delete name repetition in the Tamil version.)
During his visit to Srirangam to worship Ranganatha on Ekadasi day in the Tamil month of Margazhi 1899, Madurai Pillai stayed for a few days listening to the speeches of a Vaishnava saint named Arulmari Thiruvenkada Varayogi Swami. He intended to make him his guru. But when the servants of the Varayogi Swami refused, he tried to go on a fast. Knowing this, Varayogi Swami named Madurai Pillai Madurakavi Ramanuja Dasar and persuaded him to abandon the fast. Then Madurai Pillai requested the Swami to visit Kolar. The Swami also agreed.
M.C. Madurai Pillai started the construction of Sri Namperumal Sanctuary in 1900 at Andersonpet Thangavayal. The Sanctuary had a Bajan Hall, a flower garden, a well, and a monastery for Vaishnava monks. Discourses and discussions took place in it; free food was provided. The sanctuary was completed in 1905. In September 1919, with an aim to give free education to the Dalit children, Madurai Pillai established a school called Sreenamperumal. The school started with thirty students with Devanesan as its first headmaster. It was later upgraded to a middle school in 1924. In 1926 it operated with 320 students and nine teachers. Madurai Pillai also built a Ramanuja Koodam in Sriperumbudur.
Social Service
M.C. Madurai Pillai funded the work done by Reverend John Ratnam, who ran an educational institution for the Dalit people in Tenampettai. Madurai Pillai was the primary donor of the Adi Dravida Mahajana Sangam. He worked with its main volunteers Purasai Gramatheru Sadagopan, Ladders Gate Madurai Vasagam, and George Town Mahimaidas Pathar. Madurai Pillai was tied to the politics of the oppressed centered in Chennai. When the Simon Commission came in February 1929, the oppressed class organizations of Chennai province met the commission under the name of Chennai Provincial Federation of the Downtrodden. Madurai Pillai was instrumental in coordinating this effort and bore witness to the commission. He encouraged Irattaimalai Srinivasan to attend the second Round Table Conference in London in 1932. During the Poona Pact, Madurai Pillai took a pro-Ambedkar stance. A riot broke out in Puliyanthope in 1921, following a strike at the Buckingham Carnatic factory. A.P Vallinayagam notes that he was helpful to all sections of the people affected by the riots.
M.C. Madurai Pillai served as an elected Member of the Chennai Municipality. Madurai Pillai, a member of the Saidapet Taluk Board, later became a member of the Chengalpattu district board and the Department of Education. He served as the Honorary Magistrate of Chennai City. He was awarded the Rao sahib by the British government. In 1925, he became a member of the Chennai Provincial Legislative Council.
Death
M.C. Madurai Pillai died in 1935.
Note
This article is written based on Stalin Rajangam’s essay.
References
- ஸ்டாலின் ராஜாங்கம் எம்.சி.மதுரைப் பிள்ளை
- https://www.tamilhindu.com/2010/04/the-other-face-of-justice-party-02/
