Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar

• 01 Nov 2021

Why in News

Recently, the Prime Minister has paid homage to Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar on 114^th Thevar Jayanthi (Guru Pooja).

• It is celebrated on 30^th October every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of Pasumpon Muthuramalingam Thevar.

Key Points

• Born:
  
  • He was born on 30^th October 1908 in Pasumpon in Ramanathapuram district in Tamil Nadu.
• About:
  • He was a freedom-fighter-cum-spiritual leader. He is seen as a deity among the Mukulathor community, a cluster community comprising the Kallar, Maravar and Ahambadiar. 
    
    • People of the Mukulathor community still make offerings as is done for deities in temples to the statue on his Jeyanthi and Guru Pooja celebrations.
  • He did not accept the traditional Hinduism because it supported ‘Varnashrama’. He always fought against the evils of Hindu religion.
    
    • He openly condemned religious superstitions and narrow mindedness.
• Connection with Subhash Chandra Bose:
  
  • Being a socialist and a colleague of Subhash Chandra Bose, he served as the national deputy chairman of All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) from 1952.
    
    • He was elected three times to the national parliamentary constituency of AIFB.
• Temple Entry Movement:
  
  • The Temple Entry Authorisation and Indemnity Act was passed by the government of C. Rajagopalachari in 1939.
    
    • It removed restrictions prohibiting Dalits from entering Hindu temples.
  • He supported this reform and in July 1939 he helped the activist A. Vaidyanatha Iyer taking Dalits to Meenakshi Temple in Madurai.
• Criminal Tribes Act:
  
  • The Criminal Tribes Act (CTA), enacted by the British in 1920, against the Mukulathor community, against which Thevar protested by mobilising the people and launching protests that was a major milestone in his career.
    
    • CTA criminalized entire communities by designating them as habitual criminals.
  • He was instrumental in getting the act repealed after continuous efforts in 1946.
• Death:
  
  • He died on 30^th October in 1963 due to illness.

All India Forward Bloc

• It was formed in May 1939 by Subhash Chandra Bose. It was a left-wing nationalist political party in India which emerged as a faction within the India Congress in 1939.
  
  • First All India Conference of Forward bloc was held in Nagpur in June 1940. And it passed a resolution titled 'All Power to the Indian People', urging militant action for struggle against British colonial rule.
• The prime objective of the Forward Bloc was to bring all radical elements of the Congress party together. So that it could spread the meaning of complete independence of India with adherence to the application of principles of equality and social justice.
• It was declared banned on 23 June 1942. Even when it was declared illegal, it played a revolutionary role to crown the struggle of the people with success and glory.
  
  • The party re-established itself as an independent political party after the independence of India.

Source: PIB