P. Jeevanandham - Early Life

Early Life

P Jeevanandham was born in the village of Boothapandi, in the then princely state of Travancore (which is now in Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu) into an orthodox middle-class family on August 21, 1907.

The orthodox and religious background of his family exposed Jeevanandham to literature, devotional songs and the arts, early on in his life. He grew up in an era when caste-based rigidity was widely prevalent, and from early on in his life he resented the very idea of untouchability and could not tolerate his Dalit friends being denied entry into temples and public places and being humiliated. Even as a schoolboy he became averse to Varnasrama Dharma, a Hindu religious code that stratifies society on caste lines and facilitates the practice of untouchability. The national movement and Gandhi’s call to wear khadi and his stand against untouchability influenced him to join the movement. He began wearing only khadi from then on.

Jeevanandham took his Dalit friends into the streets and public places were,usually, entry was denied to them, which earned him the displeasure of his family and his orthodox caste members in his village. His father disapproved his behaviour and asked him to stop all things which were against their caste traditions. Jeevanandham said he would rather leave his home rather than following discriminatory practices and eventually did so.