Sahodaran Ayyappan

Kumbalathuparambu Ayyappan (August 21, 1889 – March 6, 1968), better identified as Sahodaran Ayyappan , was a social reformer, thinker, rationalist, journalist, and politician from Kerala, India. A vocal follower of Sree Narayana Guru, he was associated with a number of events related to the Kerala reformation movement and was the organizer of Misra Bhojanam in Cherai in 1917. He founded Sahodara Sangam, and the journal Sahodaran and was the founder editor of the magazine Yukthivadi. Biography K. Ayyappan was born on August 21, 1889, in Cherai, Vypin Island, in Ernakulam district of the present day south Indian state of Kerala in an aristrocatic Ezhava family of ayurvedic physicians to Kumabalathuparambil Kochavu Vaidyar and Unnooli, as the youngest of their nine children. His father died when he was a child and was brought up under the guidance of his elder brother, Achuthan Vaidyar. His early education was in the traditional way and he learnt Sanskrit from local teachers such as Mattapilla Kannu Asan and Kochupilla Asan after which he started the formal education at a local school started by Nediyara Achan Bava. Subsequently, he studied at schools in Pallippuram and North Paravur before passing the pre-degree course from Malabar Christian College to join Maharaja's College, Thiruvananthapuram, the present-day University College for his under graduate studies. In between, there was a short break in studies due to health issues. During this period, he had the opportunity to interact with Narayana Guru and it was Guru who arranged for Ayyappan's stay in Thiruvananthapuram with the noted poet, Kumaran Asan. After completing his graduate studies in 1916, he returned to his native place to start his career started as a teacher at Rama Varma Union High School, Cherai but he could not carry his social and political life along with the teaching career and he quit the job. Later, he studied law but that was a futile attempt as he failed in the FL examination. Ayyappan was married to Parvathy and the couple had a daughter, Aisha and a son, Sugathan. He died on March 6, 1968, at the age of 78,following a cardiac arrest.