The Madras Legislature Congress Party had published a Directory of the Madras Legislature in the year 1950. The Directory begins with a simple "Foreword" from the incumbent Chief Minister P.S.Kumaraswamy Raja and contains a lot of vital information spread over 14 chapters in 181 pages. It begins with a smiling portrait of Mahatma Gandhi and ends with a quote attributed to him. The publication has been printed by Ravai & Sons, Madras and the cost of printing the same has been raised through advertisements from the Kerala Soap Institute, Simpson & Co Ltd, The Madras Handloom Weavers Provincial Co Operative Society Ltd (CO OPTEX), Neel Kaal Inks - a product that was used by Gandhi, Mysore Café (Official caterers of the Madras Legislature), Gannon, Dunkerley & Co (Madras) Ltd and Parry's.
Thankfully a copy of this informative directory has been preserved by J. Balamurugan (Entrepreneur & Mentor), the grandson of the Member of the Legislature during those formative years, S.K.Sami Gounder of Sami Vilas Ginning Factory, Nambiyur and he has been featured in page 94. S.K.Sami Gounder was an important personage in the Congress Party and had been a freedom fighter who was incarcerated on two occasions. The contents of the directory have a List of Ministers in the Central Government, List of Governors and Rajapramukhs of the Unions, Details of Personnel of the Government of Madras, List of the Office Bearers of the Congress Legislature Party, Who is Who in the Legislature, New Members (Assembly), List of the Members of Parliament from the Madras Presidency, Details of the Members of the Legislature with addresses, Madras Legislature Congress Party Rules, Short History of Madras State and some important events, List of bills passed between 1946 and 1950 along with a Short Note on the work of the Madras Government. The work is enriched with a large number of photographs which help us to gain a better insight into the formative years of the young republic.
A nice picture of His Excellency Commodore Maharaja Raol Shri Sir Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji, KCSI., Maharaja of Bhavnagar and Governor of Madras adds to the aesthetics of the book. It appears that P.S.Kumarswamy Raja ran a crisp administration with just 12 ministers among whom M.Bhaktavatsalam was to later become a Chief Minister and N.Sanjiva Reddi was to later become the President of India. Further, The Congress Legislature party has had 22 office bearers and the Chief Whip was M.Bapineedu (Government Whip in Consultation with the Party Whips). The most interesting part of the directory pertains to the photographs and sketches of the Members of the Legislature. The details include the religion, community, educational qualification, social profile, party affiliation, involvement in the freedom movement, business and professional details, associations with organisations and important personages over the years. T.S.Avinashilingam Chettiar of Coimbatore is found on page 35 and the brief note on him states that he had been on a pilgrimage to the Himalayas and was also responsible for presenting Rs.26000 to Gandhiji during his S.India tour in the year 1934.
The note on the later day Chief Minister K.Kamaraj states that he belonged to a leading Nadar family and that he was a member of the All India Congress Committee while also serving as a Member of the Constituent Assembly. We also get to know that another MLA Raja V Sarvagna Kumara Krishna Yachendra Bahadur Varu the Pancha Hazari Munsabhdar of Venkatagiri had been to England twice in connection with the Round Table Conference and the Joint Parliamentary Committee in 1931 and 1933. Page no 63 discloses that R.Kuppuswami of the Kamma Naidu Community represented the Textile Workers Non Union Labour Constituency of Malabar and Coimbatore. A number of women had been legislators and the reader is bound to be impressed while looking at the smiling portait of the energetic V.Lakshmi Ammal, wife of Dr.T.C.Sankara Iyer of Kallidaikurichi who had worked ceaselessly for 20 years for the upliftment of women. While one R.S.Manickkam represented the Sattur General Rural Scheduled Class Constituency, 1880 born V.S.Mohammad Ibrahim who took part in the Home Rule Movement represented the Tiruchirapalli Mohammedan Rural Constituency. A few important legislators include Raja M.A.Muthiah of Chettinad, T.Prakasam who was the Premier earlier, Swami A.S.Sahajananda who happened to be a celebrated Sanskrit and Tamil Scholar, Dr.P.Subbarayan a former Chief Minister, H.O.Fowler Principal Stanes High School - Coimbatore who represented the Anglo Indian Community, Jabamoney Masilamoney (who underwent imprisonment for participating in the Satyagraha movement) representing the an Urban Christian Constituency, M.V.Hydross from the Palghat Mohammaden Constituency and Kidambi Varadachari - a freedom fighter who had done good work in connection with prohibition. The list of Parliamentarians tells us that R.K.Shanmukham Chetty stayed at the Imperial Hotel in New Delhi and T.A.Ramalingam Chettiar stayed at No 3, Windsor Place. J.Shivashanmugham Pillai was the Speaker in the house of 212 legislators. There were a total of 54 MLC's and the President of the Council happened to be R.B.Ramakrishnaraju. Another later day Chief Minister O.P.Reddiar was in fact a member of the Council.
The Rules of the Madras Legislature Congress Party make an interesting read and we get to know that each of the legislators had to pay a subscription of Rs.50 per year. The membership was open for Non Congress legislators too but they had sign the Congress Pledge and subscribe to the party policy in the Legislature! All the Presidents and Secretaries of the Provincial Committees were included but did not have voting rights. As per the rules every member had to wear Khadi as his or her ordinary wear.
The general details let us know that there existed 25 districts in the Madras Presidency which had a population of about 50 million and that all the South Indian languages were widely spoken. We also get to understand that the Council had 35 seats under the general category, 7 for Mohammedans, 3 for Indian Christians, about 8 to 10 to be nominated by the Governor. The legislature had a membership of 212 of which only 146 belonged to the general category (including 30 for Scheduled Castes) and 28 were reserved for Mohammedans, 2 for Anglo Indians, 8 for Christians, 6 for representatives of Commerce & Industry, 6 for landholders, 1 for the University, 6 for labour, 8 for women, 1 for the backward tribes and 2 for nominated members during the period of transition. The publication lists a total of 151 bills passed by the Legislature between 1946 and 1950 including the Madras Betting Tax (Amendment) Bill, Madras Animal & Bird Sacrifices (Abolition) Bill etc.,
The Chapter "Four Years In Harness" talks about the challenges and expectations while enumerating the details of the work done by the Government of the day. It talks about the preparedness of the Congress when it came to a switch over from agitation to administration and from oppression to office. The high light had been rural welfare, irrigation schemes which included the Five Year Tank Improvement Scheme, Lower Bhavani Project, Upper Pennar Project, Malampuzha Project and the Mettur Canal scheme. Separation of the Judiciary from the Executive and Zamindari Abolition have been given a lot of importance. Education, Labour Welfare, Women's Welfare, Literary Patronage and Dalit Welfare have been spoken about in detail. The Government has given a lot of importance to prohibition which was brought in on October 2 nd 1948 (Gandhi Jayanthi). The financial loss suffered due to prohibition was pegged at Rs.17 Crores those days and jobs had been made available at Co Operative Societies for ex tappers and ex addicts. Adult education seems to have the order of the day with rural electrification giving it good company.
The only colour feature in the hard bound directory happens to be the National Tri Colour on the wrapper. The Directory represents the challenges, demands, expectations and aspirations of both - the people and their representatives. The open nature of debate and frankness without rancour is very much visible! It shows the kind of knowledge, sacrifice and diversity that was present in the legislature of those times. A good reading of this publication is bound to enrich our vision of the kind of participative democracy required for our future.
Thankfully a copy of this informative directory has been preserved by J. Balamurugan (Entrepreneur & Mentor), the grandson of the Member of the Legislature during those formative years, S.K.Sami Gounder of Sami Vilas Ginning Factory, Nambiyur and he has been featured in page 94. S.K.Sami Gounder was an important personage in the Congress Party and had been a freedom fighter who was incarcerated on two occasions. The contents of the directory have a List of Ministers in the Central Government, List of Governors and Rajapramukhs of the Unions, Details of Personnel of the Government of Madras, List of the Office Bearers of the Congress Legislature Party, Who is Who in the Legislature, New Members (Assembly), List of the Members of Parliament from the Madras Presidency, Details of the Members of the Legislature with addresses, Madras Legislature Congress Party Rules, Short History of Madras State and some important events, List of bills passed between 1946 and 1950 along with a Short Note on the work of the Madras Government. The work is enriched with a large number of photographs which help us to gain a better insight into the formative years of the young republic.
A nice picture of His Excellency Commodore Maharaja Raol Shri Sir Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji, KCSI., Maharaja of Bhavnagar and Governor of Madras adds to the aesthetics of the book. It appears that P.S.Kumarswamy Raja ran a crisp administration with just 12 ministers among whom M.Bhaktavatsalam was to later become a Chief Minister and N.Sanjiva Reddi was to later become the President of India. Further, The Congress Legislature party has had 22 office bearers and the Chief Whip was M.Bapineedu (Government Whip in Consultation with the Party Whips). The most interesting part of the directory pertains to the photographs and sketches of the Members of the Legislature. The details include the religion, community, educational qualification, social profile, party affiliation, involvement in the freedom movement, business and professional details, associations with organisations and important personages over the years. T.S.Avinashilingam Chettiar of Coimbatore is found on page 35 and the brief note on him states that he had been on a pilgrimage to the Himalayas and was also responsible for presenting Rs.26000 to Gandhiji during his S.India tour in the year 1934.
The note on the later day Chief Minister K.Kamaraj states that he belonged to a leading Nadar family and that he was a member of the All India Congress Committee while also serving as a Member of the Constituent Assembly. We also get to know that another MLA Raja V Sarvagna Kumara Krishna Yachendra Bahadur Varu the Pancha Hazari Munsabhdar of Venkatagiri had been to England twice in connection with the Round Table Conference and the Joint Parliamentary Committee in 1931 and 1933. Page no 63 discloses that R.Kuppuswami of the Kamma Naidu Community represented the Textile Workers Non Union Labour Constituency of Malabar and Coimbatore. A number of women had been legislators and the reader is bound to be impressed while looking at the smiling portait of the energetic V.Lakshmi Ammal, wife of Dr.T.C.Sankara Iyer of Kallidaikurichi who had worked ceaselessly for 20 years for the upliftment of women. While one R.S.Manickkam represented the Sattur General Rural Scheduled Class Constituency, 1880 born V.S.Mohammad Ibrahim who took part in the Home Rule Movement represented the Tiruchirapalli Mohammedan Rural Constituency. A few important legislators include Raja M.A.Muthiah of Chettinad, T.Prakasam who was the Premier earlier, Swami A.S.Sahajananda who happened to be a celebrated Sanskrit and Tamil Scholar, Dr.P.Subbarayan a former Chief Minister, H.O.Fowler Principal Stanes High School - Coimbatore who represented the Anglo Indian Community, Jabamoney Masilamoney (who underwent imprisonment for participating in the Satyagraha movement) representing the an Urban Christian Constituency, M.V.Hydross from the Palghat Mohammaden Constituency and Kidambi Varadachari - a freedom fighter who had done good work in connection with prohibition. The list of Parliamentarians tells us that R.K.Shanmukham Chetty stayed at the Imperial Hotel in New Delhi and T.A.Ramalingam Chettiar stayed at No 3, Windsor Place. J.Shivashanmugham Pillai was the Speaker in the house of 212 legislators. There were a total of 54 MLC's and the President of the Council happened to be R.B.Ramakrishnaraju. Another later day Chief Minister O.P.Reddiar was in fact a member of the Council.
The Rules of the Madras Legislature Congress Party make an interesting read and we get to know that each of the legislators had to pay a subscription of Rs.50 per year. The membership was open for Non Congress legislators too but they had sign the Congress Pledge and subscribe to the party policy in the Legislature! All the Presidents and Secretaries of the Provincial Committees were included but did not have voting rights. As per the rules every member had to wear Khadi as his or her ordinary wear.
The general details let us know that there existed 25 districts in the Madras Presidency which had a population of about 50 million and that all the South Indian languages were widely spoken. We also get to understand that the Council had 35 seats under the general category, 7 for Mohammedans, 3 for Indian Christians, about 8 to 10 to be nominated by the Governor. The legislature had a membership of 212 of which only 146 belonged to the general category (including 30 for Scheduled Castes) and 28 were reserved for Mohammedans, 2 for Anglo Indians, 8 for Christians, 6 for representatives of Commerce & Industry, 6 for landholders, 1 for the University, 6 for labour, 8 for women, 1 for the backward tribes and 2 for nominated members during the period of transition. The publication lists a total of 151 bills passed by the Legislature between 1946 and 1950 including the Madras Betting Tax (Amendment) Bill, Madras Animal & Bird Sacrifices (Abolition) Bill etc.,
The Chapter "Four Years In Harness" talks about the challenges and expectations while enumerating the details of the work done by the Government of the day. It talks about the preparedness of the Congress when it came to a switch over from agitation to administration and from oppression to office. The high light had been rural welfare, irrigation schemes which included the Five Year Tank Improvement Scheme, Lower Bhavani Project, Upper Pennar Project, Malampuzha Project and the Mettur Canal scheme. Separation of the Judiciary from the Executive and Zamindari Abolition have been given a lot of importance. Education, Labour Welfare, Women's Welfare, Literary Patronage and Dalit Welfare have been spoken about in detail. The Government has given a lot of importance to prohibition which was brought in on October 2 nd 1948 (Gandhi Jayanthi). The financial loss suffered due to prohibition was pegged at Rs.17 Crores those days and jobs had been made available at Co Operative Societies for ex tappers and ex addicts. Adult education seems to have the order of the day with rural electrification giving it good company.
The only colour feature in the hard bound directory happens to be the National Tri Colour on the wrapper. The Directory represents the challenges, demands, expectations and aspirations of both - the people and their representatives. The open nature of debate and frankness without rancour is very much visible! It shows the kind of knowledge, sacrifice and diversity that was present in the legislature of those times. A good reading of this publication is bound to enrich our vision of the kind of participative democracy required for our future.