Dakshayani Velayudhan: Only Dalit woman in Constituent Assembly

DakshayaniVelayudhan comes from the family in Kerala, which was heavily influenced by the caste system in the preindependence era. The Constituent Assembly had nine women as its members and Dakshayani was the only Scheduled Caste of them.

Kerala, the land of natural Beauty and battered as the land of purity and charity and lies in the southern part of India. It has its own particularities. The Namboodiries (the upper caste Brahmins, the Nairs (Sudras) and Pulayas, being the three of the many castes. They were a source of fascination for the natives as well as the foreign Anthropologists because of the strange customs and tradition.

The three independent states ruled by the kings of Travancore, Cochin and Malabar were united together to form Kerala, on the basis of language spoken by the people. The social customs and practices of Kerala, prior to independence, were so strong and influenced with communal and caste dissensions that Swami Vivekanda was constrained to remark abhorrence that Malabar was verified in lunatic Asylum. He visited Kerala in 1892 and came in close contact with the practice of untouchability and traditional slavery. The conditions of the untouchables were very pitiable prior to the time of MahathmaAyyankali. The first best social reformer of the scheduled caste of Travancore, most of the untouchables were considered to be inferior in race. They were agricultural instruments in the hands of Landlords. They were not permitted to wear clean clothes or ornaments, they were not permitted to walk on public roads, not permitted to take water from common ponds, not permitted to enter in Temple, Tea shops or Barber shops.

This was the cultural and communal scenario at the birth time of Dakshayani. The pulayar were sold and bought in the market like cattle and Bonded slavery was also in practice at that time. Pulaya Babies was not permitted to name as Dakshayani in Durga or Daughter of Daksha. Their names were Aghaki, Chirutha, Kali, Kurumba, Thalari etc. They were not allowed to cover the bodies above the waist. They wore a number of bead strings around the neck and used shells. brass bangles were worn by them.

In the Cochin state, the social and cultural status of the Pulayas were somewhat better than that of Travancore. The social reformers like Pandit K.P.Karuppan, Chanchan MLC, K.P. Vallon MLC have done very good work for the social uplift of the pulayas. K.P Vallon, MLC and Chanchan have encouraged the Pulaya community to start Bhajan Madh in every BASTIS and in turn have encouraged the entry of Pulaya boys and girls to go to schools.

The formation of Willington Island by dredging soil and mud from the Vembanadu lake has provided more employment to the Pulayan of Vypin Island. Hundreds of Pulayans were engaged as “Thoomba men ” to level the dried mud and soil, and sickle men to cut and remove the bushes on the ground.

Childhood of Smt. DakshayaniVelayudhan

DakshayaniVelayudhan was born on July 4, 1912 at the Bolgatty village of Mulavukad panchayat. Bolgatty faces to the Cochin city.

Dakshayani was the daughter of Sri. KallachammuriKunjan and his wife was Smt. Maani (ThayyitharaMaaniyamma from Elamkunnapuzha of Vypin Island). The house name of Dakshayani was Kallachammuri. Her maiden name was KallachammuriKunjhanDakshayani (K.K.Dakshayani).

Dakshayani’s schooling was in Mulavukadu, Little flower High school, Chathiyath. Graduation was done in Maharajas college which was under the MadrasUniversity in 1935, and she completed her teachers Training course from the Madras University, three years later.

Her studies were supported by a scholarship from the Govt. of Cochin State. From 1935 to 1945 she worked as a teacher at Govt. schools in Trichur and Trippunithura. her husband was R. Velayudhan, the stepfather of sri. K.R.Narayanan (EX president of India). Mr. R. Velayudhan was a scheduled caste leader and later he became the Member of Parliament. Their wedding was held at Sevagram in Wardha, with Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi as witnesses.

The couple had five children: 1. Dr.Reghu (Doctor for Indira Gandhi), 2. Prahladan 3. Dhruvan 4. Bhagirath (Secretary general, the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) 5. Meera.

Outstanding Honours on DakshayaniVelayudhan

 1. She was the first woman from the Pulaya community (Scheduled caste women) graduate in India – A science graduate, 2. Member of CochinThe couple had five children: 1. Dr.Reghu (Doctor for Indira Gandhi), 2. Prahladan 3. Dhruvan 4. Bhagirath (Secretary general, the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) 5. Meera Outstanding Honours on DakshayaniVelayudhan 1. She was the first woman from the Pulaya community (Scheduled caste women) graduate in India – A science graduate, 2. Member of Cochin Legislation Council (MLC) 1945. 3. She is one amongthe nine female members of the constituent Assembly of India. She was the first, and only scheduled caste woman to be elected to the constituent Assembly from 1946-1952. She has attended the provisional parliament of India, and she took special interest in the matters of education, especially that of the scheduled castes.

Although a staunch Gandhian, Dakshayani sided with Dr.B.R.Ambedkar on many issues relating to the Scheduled Castes, during constituent Assembly debate. She agreed with Dr. Ambedkar, giving up the Demand of separate electorate, arguing for greater “moral safe guards” and the immediate removal of their social disabilities. On November 8, 1948, duringthe discussion “Article 11, which aimed to prohibit discrimination on the basis of caste”, the vice president of the constituent Assembly permitted her to talk on more time saying that she is a lady member of the community. DakshayaniVelayudhan called for implementation of the Non- Discrimination provisions through public education, which shall send a great public signal.

The working of the constitution, she said, will depend on how people conduct themselves in the future, not on the actual execution of the law. Being the only SC woman in the Assembly, she made key interventions on issues of untouchability, forced labor, reservation and separate electorate for Dalits. Her belief was that “constituent Assembly not only frames a constitution, but also gives people a new framework of life.

She strongly opposed untouchability, but as long as it was practiced, the word Harijan would remain irrelevant. She refused to view that Dalits as minorities, and believed that Harijans are Indians, and they have to live in India as Indians. DakshayaniVelayudhan placed the struggle of her community, ahead of her gender unmistakably evident from her impassioned speech at the constituent Assembly. She never talked as a Pulaya Woman, and hoped to see “No barriers based on caste or community” In the Indian Republic.

She was vociferous in her support for Article 17 of the constitution of India that abolishes untouchability and forbids its practice in any form. She asked too many questions in the assembly, as told by Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Sarojini Naidu. Her political, social and personal realm was to do that by independent thought and opinions. She never converted to Christianity as her mother and elder siblings did.

By- P.P. Vava- Author is member of National Commission for SafaiKarmacharis. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.