Rama Subbaiah

Karaikudi Rama Subbaiah (14 November 1908 - 21 May 1997) was an Indian politician and a forerunner of the Dravidian movement.

Subbaiah was born on 14 November 1908 in a Nattukottai Nagarathar family in Arimalam (in Pudukkottai district).

Despite his family's religiousness, he was attracted by the rationalist thoughts of "Periyar" E.V. Ramasamy, to whom he got introduced during 1924–25.

Subbaiah joined the Self-Respect Movement in 1930 and was instrumental in developing the movement in Karaikudi region.

He became a close confidant of Tamil poet Bharathidasan, who had joined the Self-Respect movement the same time as he did.

Others who were close to Subbaiah's family included Kunjitham Gurusamy, Pattukkottai Alagiri, N. D. Sundaravadivelu, Moovalur Ramamirtham and Poovalur Ponnambalanar.

In the 1930s Subbaiah successfully conducted "Adi Dravidar Welfare Conference".

He also gained the friendship of communist icons like M. Singaravelu, P. Jeevanandham and P. Ramamurthi.

Subbaiah married Visalatchi, who was also a member of the Self Respect Movement since 1930.

They had seven children.

In 1932, amidst much opposition, Subbaiah conducted "Ramanathapuram district's "Self-Respect Movement Conference" in Karaikudi.

Owing to his interest in socialist ideals, Subbaiah named his eldest child (b. 17 January 1934) after Lenin.

The boy died of fever when he was just four or five years old.

In 1935, Singaravelu suggested that Subbaiah name his house as "சமதர்ம விலாஸ்" (translit. "camatarma vilās"; meaning "Socialist Villa"), and even provided a marble plaque with the name etched on it.

From that point, some of Subbaiah's friends called him as "Samadharmam Subbaiah".

During the 1937-40 Anti-Hindi agitation, Subbaiah mobilized hundreds of people into participating, though he himself did not partake (Periyar advised him not to get arrested but to strengthen the agitations as an outside participant).

On 27 December 1938, the Self-Respect movement held the Madras Province's fourth "Tamils Conference", during which 28 people got elected as members of the organisation's state working committee.

Subbaiah was one of them, along with two others from Ramanathapuram - namely M. Kasi Viswanatham and W. P. A. Soundarapandian.

Subbaiah stayed with the Self-Respect movement as it metamorphosed into the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) on 27 August 1944.

The DK held its first state conference (called "Blackshirt Conference") in Madurai during 11–12 May 1946.

On 12 May, some miscreants set fire to the conference pandal set up in the sandy banks of Vaigai River, as part of a few other violent incidents (which the DK later claimed happened at the behest of A. Vaidyanatha Iyer ).

Following the chaos, Subbaiah, K. Anbazhagan and a few other participants fled Madurai.

After crossing Manamadurai and Thirukoshtiyur, they reached Karaikudi.

On 14 May, Subbaiah arranged a meeting in a village near Karaikudi.

There too, some unidentified people pelted stones.

Subbaiah left the DK in 1949 along with C.N. Annadurai as the latter had differences with Periyar.

Subbaiah joined Annadurai's new party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

He then gained the friendship of M. Karunanidhi, then a second rung leader in the party.

Karunanidhi introduced poet Kannadasan to Subbaiah.

Subbaiah also played an important role in drawing many youth to the DMK in the Karaikudi region.

Those mentored by him include R. M. Veerappan (later founder of MGR Kazhagam) and poet Sami Palaniappan (Tamil lyricist Palani Bharathi's father).

In 1953, Subbaiah became involved in the protests against the Rajagopalachari government's Modified Scheme of Elementary education, a short-lived initiative that gained notoriety as the "Kula kalvi thittam (Hereditary/Caste Education Scheme)".

Around the same time, he led the second batch of protesters against the renaming of Kallakudi as Dalmiapuram, the first and third batch being led by Karunanidhi and Kannadasan respectively.

He was arrested and sentenced to three months of imprisonment at Tiruchirappalli Central Prison.

Karunanidhi was among his prison-mates.

After release, Subbaiah became a member of the DMK's general council.

In the 1957 Madras Assembly election, he unsuccessfully contested against M. A. Muthiah Chettiar (of the INC) in Karaikudi constituency.

He served as a member of the erstwhile Tamil Nadu Legislative Council from 1972 to 1978.

On 20 April 1972, Subbaiah was appointed by Karunanidhi (then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu) as a member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Council (MLC).

He served in that position till 19 April 1978.