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{{short description|Indian politician}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{sources|date=December 2011}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2011}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Dakshayani Velayudhan
|name = Dakshayani Velayudhan
| office =
|image =
| office = Members of the [[Constituent Assembly of India|Constituent Assembly]]
| termstart =
| termstart = November 1946
| termend =
| termend = 25 January 1950
|father=Kunjan
|father=Kunjan
|birth_date = 4 July 1912
|birth_date = 4 July 1912
|birth_place = bolghatty
|birth_place = [[Mulavukad]], [[Ernakulam]], [[Kerala]]
|death_date = 20 July 1978
|death_date = {{death-date and age|20 July 1978|4 July 1912}}
|education = Teachers' training course, [[Madras University]]
|Education=Maharajas college,eranakulam,kochi
|spouse = R.Velayudhan
|spouse = [[R. Velayudhan]]
|Daughter=Meera Velayudhan
|children = Dr. Reghu, Prahladan, Dhruvan, Bhagirath and Meera Velayudhan
|occupation = social reformer,worked as an L2 teacher
|occupation = Social reformer, worked as an L2 teacher
}}
}}


'''Dakshayani Velayudhan''' (4 July 1912 – 20 July 1978) was an [[Indian people|Indian]] [[Member of Parliament|parliament]]arian and leader of the [[Depressed class|Depressed Classes]]. Belonging to the [[Pulayar|Pulaya community]], she was among the first generation of people to be educated from the community. She holds several distinctions including becoming the first woman from her community to wear an [[Upper cloth controversy|upper cloth]], the first Scheduled Caste woman graduate in India, a science graduate, a member of the [[Cochin Legislative Council]] and of being one of nine female members of the [[Constituent Assembly of India]].<ref name="books.google">{{cite book|last=Kshirsagar|first=R K|title=Dalit Movement in India and Its Leaders, 1857-1956|year=1994|publisher=MD Publications|location=New Delhi|page=363|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wx218EFVU8MC&pg=PA363&lpg=PA363&dq=dakshayani+velayudhan#v=onepage&q=dakshayani%20velayudhan&f=false|isbn=9788185880433}}</ref><ref name="readperiodicals">{{cite web|title=India: Meera Velayudhan: New Challenges, but Dreams Persist..|url=http://www.readperiodicals.com/201206/2696560501.html|publisher=Women's Feature Service|accessdate=1 March 2013}}</ref>But it is not correct to mention that she was the first woman from her community to wear an upper cloth.Her elder sister and her mother Thayyithara Maani may be given this credit prior to her. Mother Maani lived lived up to the post independent period in India and died in 1959.
'''Dakshayani Velayudhan''' (4 July 1912 – 20 July 1978) was an Indian politician and leader of the [[Depressed class|oppressed classes]]. Belonging to the [[Pulayar|Pulayar community]], she was among the first generation of<ref>{{Cite web |title=Constitution of India |url=https://www.constitutionofindia.net/constituent_assembly_members/dakshayani_velayudhan |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.constitutionofindia.net}}</ref> people to be educated from the community. She holds several distinctions including becoming the first woman from her community to wear an [[Upper cloth controversy|upper cloth]], the first Scheduled Caste woman graduate in India, a science graduate, a member of the [[Cochin Legislative Council]] and of being one of nine female members of the [[Constituent Assembly of India]].<ref name="books.google">{{cite book|last=Kshirsagar|first=R K|title=Dalit Movement in India and Its Leaders, 1857-1956|year=1994|publisher=MD Publications|location=New Delhi|page=363|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wx218EFVU8MC&q=dakshayani+velayudhan&pg=PA363|isbn=9788185880433}}</ref><ref name="readperiodicals">{{cite web|title=India: Meera Velayudhan: New Challenges, but Dreams Persist..|url=http://www.readperiodicals.com/201206/2696560501.html|publisher=Women's Feature Service|accessdate=1 March 2013}}</ref> But it is not correct to mention that she was one of the first women from her community to wear an upper cloth. Her elder sister and her mother Thayyithara Maani may be given this credit prior to her.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Constitution of India |url=https://www.constitutionofindia.net/constituent_assembly_members/dakshayani_velayudhan |access-date=2022-04-25 |website=www.constitutionofindia.net}}</ref> Mother Maani lived up to the post independent period in India and died in 1959.


Honouring Dakshayani Velayudhan, the first and only Dalit woman MLA, the [[Kerala government]] has constituted the ‘[[Dakshayani Velayudhan Award]]’ which will be given to women who contributed in empowering other women in the state. The budget earmarked Rs 2 crore for the award.<ref>[http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2019/feb/01/kerala-government-allocates-rs-2-crore-for-dakshayani-velayudhan-award--1932754.html Dakshayani Velayudhan Award]</ref> This was announced by the Kerala Finance Minister Dr. [[Thomas Isaac]] during the presentation of Kerala Budget 2019 in the Legislative Assembly on 31st January 2019.<ref>[https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/kerala-budget-2019-highlights/article26137213.ece Kerala Budget 2019: Highlights]</ref>
Honouring Dakshayani Velayudhan, the first and only Dalit woman MLA, the [[Kerala government]] has constituted the ‘[[Dakshayani Velayudhan Award]]’ which will be given to women who contributed in empowering other women in the state. The budget earmarked Rs 2 crore for the award.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2019/feb/01/kerala-government-allocates-rs-2-crore-for-dakshayani-velayudhan-award--1932754.html |title=Dakshayani Velayudhan Award |access-date=1 February 2019 |archive-date=26 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926070026/https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2019/feb/01/kerala-government-allocates-rs-2-crore-for-dakshayani-velayudhan-award--1932754.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> This was announced by the Kerala Finance Minister Dr. [[Thomas Isaac]] during the presentation of Kerala Budget 2019 in the Legislative Assembly on 31 January 2019.<ref>[https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/kerala-budget-2019-highlights/article26137213.ece Kerala Budget 2019: Highlights]</ref>


== Early life and education ==
== Early life and education ==
Dakshayani was born in the [[Mulavukad]] village of the [[Kanayannur]] [[taluka]] of [[Ernakulam district]] in 1912. She completed her B.A. in 1935 and went on to complete her teachers' training course from the [[Madras University]] three years later. Her studies were supported by scholarships from the government of the [[Cochin State]]. From 1935 to 1945 she worked as a teacher at the Government High Schools in [[Trichur]] and [[Tripunithura]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Kshirsagar|first=R K|title=Dalit Movement in India and Its Leaders, 1857-1956|year=1994|publisher=MD Publications|location=New Delhi|page=362|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wx218EFVU8MC&pg=PA363&lpg=PA363&dq=dakshayani+velayudhan#v=onepage&q=dakshayani%20velayudhan&f=false|isbn=9788185880433}}</ref>
Dakshayani was born in the [[Mulavukad]] village of the [[Kanayannur]] [[taluka]] of [[Ernakulam district]] in 1912. She completed her B.A. in 1935 and went on to complete her teachers' training course from the [[Madras University]] three years later. Her studies were supported by scholarships from the government of the [[Cochin State]]. From 1935 to 1945, she worked as a teacher at the Government High Schools in [[Trichur]] and [[Tripunithura]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Kshirsagar|first=R K|title=Dalit Movement in India and Its Leaders, 1857-1956|year=1994|publisher=MD Publications|location=New Delhi|page=362|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wx218EFVU8MC&q=dakshayani+velayudhan&pg=PA363|isbn=9788185880433}}</ref>


== Family ==
== Family ==
Dakshayani belonged to the Pulaya community, just like her contemporary social worker KPVallon K. P. Vallon.<ref name="books.google"/>She married R. Velayudhan a Scheduled Caste leader and later [[Member of Parliament (India)|Member of Parliament]].<ref>{{cite web |title=First Lok Sabha State wise Details: Travancore-Cochin |url=https://loksabha.nic.in/members/statedetailar.aspx?state_name=Travancore-Cochin&lsno=1 |publisher=Lok Sabha, India |accessdate=31 January 2019}}</ref> Their wedding was held at [[Sevagram]] in [[Wardha]] with [[Mahatma Gandhi|Gandhi]] and [[Kasturba Gandhi|Kasturba]] as witnesses and a [[leper]] standing in as the priest. The couple had five children Dr. Reghu (previously doctor for Smt. Indira Gandhi), Prahladan, Dhruvan, Bhagirath [Secretary General, The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)] and Meera. She was also related to [[K R Narayanan]] who later became the [[President of India]].<ref name="books.google" /><ref name="readperiodicals" />
Dakshayani was the daughter of Kallachammuri Kunjhan and his wife Maani (Thayyithara Maaniyamma from Elankunnappuzha of Vypin island). As the house-name of Dakshayani was Kallachammuri, her maiden name was Kallachammuri Kunjhan Dakshayani (KKDakshayani ). She belonged to the Pulaya community, just like her contemporary social worker Vallon K. P. Vallon.<ref name="books.google"/> Her younger brother K. K. Madhavan<ref>{{Cite web |title=Members - Kerala Legislature |url=http://www.niyamasabha.org/codes/members/m382.htm |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.niyamasabha.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-03-11 |title=Women in Constituent Assembly: Dakshayani Velayudhan - Academike |url=https://www.lawctopus.com/academike/women-in-cad-ii/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=www.lawctopus.com |language=en-US}}</ref> was also active in politics and was elected to the Rajya sabha in 1976. She married [[R. Velayudhan]] a Scheduled Caste leader and later [[Member of Parliament (India)|Member of Parliament]].<ref>{{cite web |title=First Lok Sabha State wise Details: Travancore-Cochin |url=https://loksabha.nic.in/members/statedetailar.aspx?state_name=Travancore-Cochin&lsno=1 |publisher=Lok Sabha, India |accessdate=31 January 2019}}</ref> Their wedding was held at [[Sevagram]] in [[Wardha]] with [[Mahatma Gandhi|Gandhi]] and [[Kasturba Gandhi|Kasturba]] as witnesses and a [[leper]] standing in as the priest. The couple had five children Dr. Reghu (previously doctor for Smt. Indira Gandhi), Prahladan, Dhruvan, Bhagirath [Secretary General, The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)] and Meera. She was also related to [[K R Narayanan]] who later became the [[President of India]].<ref name="books.google" /><ref name="readperiodicals" />


== Parliamentary career ==
== Parliamentary career ==
In 1945 Dakshayani was nominated to the Cochin Legislative Council by the government of the State.
In 1945, Dakshayani was nominated to the Cochin Legislative Council by the government of the State.{{citation needed|date= September 2022}}


=== Participation in the Constituent Assembly ===
=== Participation in the Constituent Assembly ===
Velayudhan was elected to the Constituent Assembly of India by the Council in 1946. She was the first and only Scheduled Caste woman to be elected to the constituent assembly. From 1946-1952 she served as a member of the Constituent Assembly and the [[Parliament of India|Provisional Parliament of India.]] In Parliament she took special interest in the matters of education especially that of the [[Scheduled Castes]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Kumar|first=Ravindra|title=Selected Works Of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad : Volume 7|year=1992|publisher=Atlantic Publishers|location=New Delhi|pages=49–51|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3apnRVmSIiYC&pg=PA50&lpg=PA50&dq=dakshayani+velayudhan#v=onepage&q=dakshayani%20velayudhan&f=false}}</ref>
Velayudhan was elected to the Constituent Assembly of India by the Council in 1946. She was the first and only Scheduled Caste woman to be elected to the constituent assembly. From 1946-1952 she served as a member of the Constituent Assembly and the [[Parliament of India|Provisional Parliament of India.]] In Parliament she took special interest in the matters of education especially that of the [[Scheduled Castes]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Kumar|first=Ravindra|title=Selected Works Of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad : Volume 7|year=1992|publisher=Atlantic Publishers|location=New Delhi|pages=49–51|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3apnRVmSIiYC&q=dakshayani+velayudhan&pg=PA50}}</ref>


==== Interventions in the Constituent Assembly ====
==== Interventions in the Constituent Assembly ====
Although a staunch [[Gandhian]], Dakshayani sided with [[B R Ambedkar]] on many issues relating to the Scheduled Castes during the Constituent Assembly debates. She agreed with Ambedkar giving up the demand for [[separate electorate]]s arguing instead for 'moral safeguards' and the immediate removal of their social disabilities.<ref>{{cite book|last=Malik|first=Malti|title=History of India - Main Aspects and Themes|year=2009|publisher=Saraswati House|location=New Delhi|page=350|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-GWw7GXAZQQC&pg=PA350&lpg=PA350&dq=dakshayani+velayudhan#v=onepage&q&f=false|isbn=9788173354984}}</ref>
Although a staunch [[Gandhian]], Dakshayani sided with [[B R Ambedkar]] on many issues relating to the Scheduled Castes during the Constituent Assembly debates. She agreed with Ambedkar giving up the demand for [[separate electorate]]s arguing instead for 'moral safeguards' and the immediate removal of their social disabilities.<ref>{{cite book|last=Malik|first=Malti|title=History of India - Main Aspects and Themes|year=2009|publisher=Saraswati House|location=New Delhi|page=350|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-GWw7GXAZQQC&q=dakshayani+velayudhan&pg=PA350|isbn=9788173354984}}</ref>


On 8 November 1948, after Dr [[B. R. Ambedkar|BR Ambedkar]] introduced the draft Constitution for discussion, she expressed her appreciation for the draft while calling for greater decentralisation. She also suggested that the final draft of the Constitution should be adopted following a ratification through a general election.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/debates/vol7p4a.htm|title = Constituent Assembly of India Debates|last = Lok Sabha Secretariat|date = 8 November 1948|website =|publisher =|access-date = 18 April 2016}}</ref>
On 8 November 1948, after Dr [[B. R. Ambedkar]] introduced the draft Constitution for discussion, she expressed her appreciation for the draft while calling for greater decentralisation. She also suggested that the final draft of the Constitution should be adopted following a ratification through a general election.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/debates/vol7p4a.htm|title = Constituent Assembly of India Debates|last = Lok Sabha Secretariat|date = 8 November 1948|website =|publisher =|access-date = 18 April 2016}}</ref>


She intervened again on 29 November 1948, during discussions on draft Article 11, which aimed at prohibiting discrimination on the basis of caste, and was permitted to exceed the time limit by the Vice President of the Constituent Assembly who said, "It is only because you are a lady I am allowing you."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url = http://164.100.47.132/LssNew/constituent/vol7p15.html|title = Constituent Assembly of India Debates|last = Lok Sabha Secretariat|date = 29 November 1948|website = |publisher = |access-date = 18 April 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111103143751/http://164.100.47.132/LssNew/constituent/vol7p15.html|archive-date = 3 November 2011|url-status = dead}}</ref> Velayudhan called for implementation of non-discrimination provisions through public education and pointed out that it would send a great public signal if the Constituent Assembly were to endorse a resolution condemning caste discrimination. "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."<ref name=":0" />
She intervened again on 29 November 1948, during discussions on draft Article 11, which aimed at prohibiting discrimination on the basis of caste, and was permitted to exceed the time limit by the Vice President of the Constituent Assembly who said, "It is only because you are a lady I am allowing you."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url = http://164.100.47.132/LssNew/constituent/vol7p15.html|title = Constituent Assembly of India Debates|last = Lok Sabha Secretariat|date = 29 November 1948|website = |publisher = |access-date = 18 April 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111103143751/http://164.100.47.132/LssNew/constituent/vol7p15.html|archive-date = 3 November 2011|url-status = dead}}</ref> Velayudhan called for implementation of non-discrimination provisions through public education and pointed out that it would send a great public signal if the Constituent Assembly were to endorse a resolution condemning caste discrimination. "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."<ref name=":0" />


She also contested the general elections of 1971 from the [[Adoor (Lok Sabha constituency)|Adoor Lok Sabha constituency]] but ended up fourth in a fray of five candidates.<ref>{{cite web|title=Result Of Adoor (Kerala) in 1971|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/politics/electionstats/constituency/1971/s11/16.html|publisher=IBN Politics|accessdate=1 March 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Lok Sabha Election 1971 - Kerala|url=http://www.empoweringindia.org/new/pconstituency.aspx?eid=769&cid=16|accessdate=1 March 2013}}</ref>
She also contested the general elections of 1971 from the [[Adoor (Lok Sabha constituency)|Adoor Lok Sabha constituency]] but ended up fourth in a fray of five candidates.<ref>{{cite web|title=Result Of Adoor (Kerala) in 1971|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/politics/electionstats/constituency/1971/s11/16.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411032914/http://ibnlive.in.com/politics/electionstats/constituency/1971/s11/16.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 April 2013|publisher=IBN Politics|accessdate=1 March 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Lok Sabha Election 1971 - Kerala|url=http://www.empoweringindia.org/new/pconstituency.aspx?eid=769&cid=16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029191328/http://www.empoweringindia.org/new/pconstituency.aspx?eid=769&cid=16|url-status=usurped|archive-date=29 October 2013|accessdate=1 March 2013}}</ref>


== Later life and death ==
== Later life and death ==
Dakshayani was president of the Depressed Classes Youths Fine arts Club and the Managing Editor of ''The Common Man'' in [[Madras]] from 1946-49. She later became the founder president of the Mahila Jagriti Parishad. Dakshayani died after a short illness in July 1978. She was 66.<ref>{{cite book|last=Paswan|first=Sanjay|title=Encyclopaedia of Dalits in India: Leaders, Volume 4|year=2004|publisher=Kalpaz Publications|location=New Delhi|page=285|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_DMUdof3ZQMC&pg=PA285&lpg=PA285&dq=dakshayani+velayudhan#v=onepage&q=dakshayani%20velayudhan&f=false|isbn=9788178350332}}</ref>
Dakshayani was president of the Depressed Classes Youths Fine arts Club and the Managing Editor of ''The Common Man'' in [[Madras]] from 1946-49. She later became the founder president of the Mahila Jagriti Parishad. Dakshayani died after a short illness in July 1978. She was 66.<ref>{{cite book|last=Paswan|first=Sanjay|title=Encyclopaedia of Dalits in India: Leaders, Volume 4|year=2004|publisher=Kalpaz Publications|location=New Delhi|page=285|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_DMUdof3ZQMC&q=dakshayani+velayudhan&pg=PA285|isbn=9788178350332}}</ref>


== References ==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Dakshayani velayudhan-A Biographical sketch}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
* [https://archive.is/20130411013053/https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/R4PrBnrd0_EPoQ6vw7WI49MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0 KR Narayanan, Dakshayani Velayudhan and the Governor of Andhra Pradesh Sri Prakasha ]
* [https://archive.today/20130411013053/https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/R4PrBnrd0_EPoQ6vw7WI49MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0 KR Narayanan, Dakshayani Velayudhan and the Governor of Andhra Pradesh Sri Prakasha ]
* [http://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/publication_electronic/Selected%20Women%20Speech_Final.pdf A selection of speeches of the women members of the Constituent Assembly of India]
* [http://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/publication_electronic/Selected%20Women%20Speech_Final.pdf A selection of speeches of the women members of the Constituent Assembly of India]


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[[Category:Members of the Constituent Assembly of India]]
[[Category:Members of the Constituent Assembly of India]]
[[Category:1978 deaths]]
[[Category:1978 deaths]]
[[Category:Dalit politicians]]
[[Category:Dalit women]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian politicians]]
[[Category:Women in Kerala politics]]
[[Category:Women in Kerala politics]]
[[Category:Women of the Kingdom of Cochin]]
[[Category:Women from the Kingdom of Cochin]]
[[Category:People of the Kingdom of Cochin]]
[[Category:People from the Kingdom of Cochin]]

Latest revision as of 04:57, 5 November 2024

Dakshayani Velayudhan
Members of the Constituent Assembly
In office
November 1946 – 25 January 1950
Personal details
Born4 July 1912
Mulavukad, Ernakulam, Kerala
Died20 July 1978 (1978-07-21) (aged 66)
SpouseR. Velayudhan
ChildrenDr. Reghu, Prahladan, Dhruvan, Bhagirath and Meera Velayudhan
Parent
  • Kunjan (father)
EducationTeachers' training course, Madras University
OccupationSocial reformer, worked as an L2 teacher

Dakshayani Velayudhan (4 July 1912 – 20 July 1978) was an Indian politician and leader of the oppressed classes. Belonging to the Pulayar community, she was among the first generation of[1] people to be educated from the community. She holds several distinctions including becoming the first woman from her community to wear an upper cloth, the first Scheduled Caste woman graduate in India, a science graduate, a member of the Cochin Legislative Council and of being one of nine female members of the Constituent Assembly of India.[2][3] But it is not correct to mention that she was one of the first women from her community to wear an upper cloth. Her elder sister and her mother Thayyithara Maani may be given this credit prior to her.[4] Mother Maani lived up to the post independent period in India and died in 1959.

Honouring Dakshayani Velayudhan, the first and only Dalit woman MLA, the Kerala government has constituted the ‘Dakshayani Velayudhan Award’ which will be given to women who contributed in empowering other women in the state. The budget earmarked Rs 2 crore for the award.[5] This was announced by the Kerala Finance Minister Dr. Thomas Isaac during the presentation of Kerala Budget 2019 in the Legislative Assembly on 31 January 2019.[6]

Early life and education

[edit]

Dakshayani was born in the Mulavukad village of the Kanayannur taluka of Ernakulam district in 1912. She completed her B.A. in 1935 and went on to complete her teachers' training course from the Madras University three years later. Her studies were supported by scholarships from the government of the Cochin State. From 1935 to 1945, she worked as a teacher at the Government High Schools in Trichur and Tripunithura.[7]

Family

[edit]

Dakshayani was the daughter of Kallachammuri Kunjhan and his wife Maani (Thayyithara Maaniyamma from Elankunnappuzha of Vypin island). As the house-name of Dakshayani was Kallachammuri, her maiden name was Kallachammuri Kunjhan Dakshayani (KKDakshayani ). She belonged to the Pulaya community, just like her contemporary social worker Vallon K. P. Vallon.[2] Her younger brother K. K. Madhavan[8][9] was also active in politics and was elected to the Rajya sabha in 1976. She married R. Velayudhan a Scheduled Caste leader and later Member of Parliament.[10] Their wedding was held at Sevagram in Wardha with Gandhi and Kasturba as witnesses and a leper standing in as the priest. The couple had five children Dr. Reghu (previously doctor for Smt. Indira Gandhi), Prahladan, Dhruvan, Bhagirath [Secretary General, The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)] and Meera. She was also related to K R Narayanan who later became the President of India.[2][3]

Parliamentary career

[edit]

In 1945, Dakshayani was nominated to the Cochin Legislative Council by the government of the State.[citation needed]

Participation in the Constituent Assembly

[edit]

Velayudhan was elected to the Constituent Assembly of India by the Council in 1946. She was the first and only Scheduled Caste woman to be elected to the constituent assembly. From 1946-1952 she served as a member of the Constituent Assembly and the Provisional Parliament of India. In Parliament she took special interest in the matters of education especially that of the Scheduled Castes.[11]

Interventions in the Constituent Assembly

[edit]

Although a staunch Gandhian, Dakshayani sided with B R Ambedkar on many issues relating to the Scheduled Castes during the Constituent Assembly debates. She agreed with Ambedkar giving up the demand for separate electorates arguing instead for 'moral safeguards' and the immediate removal of their social disabilities.[12]

On 8 November 1948, after Dr B. R. Ambedkar introduced the draft Constitution for discussion, she expressed her appreciation for the draft while calling for greater decentralisation. She also suggested that the final draft of the Constitution should be adopted following a ratification through a general election.[13]

She intervened again on 29 November 1948, during discussions on draft Article 11, which aimed at prohibiting discrimination on the basis of caste, and was permitted to exceed the time limit by the Vice President of the Constituent Assembly who said, "It is only because you are a lady I am allowing you."[14] Velayudhan called for implementation of non-discrimination provisions through public education and pointed out that it would send a great public signal if the Constituent Assembly were to endorse a resolution condemning caste discrimination. "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."[14]

She also contested the general elections of 1971 from the Adoor Lok Sabha constituency but ended up fourth in a fray of five candidates.[15][16]

Later life and death

[edit]

Dakshayani was president of the Depressed Classes Youths Fine arts Club and the Managing Editor of The Common Man in Madras from 1946-49. She later became the founder president of the Mahila Jagriti Parishad. Dakshayani died after a short illness in July 1978. She was 66.[17]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Constitution of India". www.constitutionofindia.net. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Kshirsagar, R K (1994). Dalit Movement in India and Its Leaders, 1857-1956. New Delhi: MD Publications. p. 363. ISBN 9788185880433.
  3. ^ a b "India: Meera Velayudhan: New Challenges, but Dreams Persist." Women's Feature Service. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  4. ^ "Constitution of India". www.constitutionofindia.net. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Dakshayani Velayudhan Award". Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  6. ^ Kerala Budget 2019: Highlights
  7. ^ Kshirsagar, R K (1994). Dalit Movement in India and Its Leaders, 1857-1956. New Delhi: MD Publications. p. 362. ISBN 9788185880433.
  8. ^ "Members - Kerala Legislature". www.niyamasabha.org. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  9. ^ "Women in Constituent Assembly: Dakshayani Velayudhan - Academike". www.lawctopus.com. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  10. ^ "First Lok Sabha State wise Details: Travancore-Cochin". Lok Sabha, India. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  11. ^ Kumar, Ravindra (1992). Selected Works Of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad : Volume 7. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers. pp. 49–51.
  12. ^ Malik, Malti (2009). History of India - Main Aspects and Themes. New Delhi: Saraswati House. p. 350. ISBN 9788173354984.
  13. ^ Lok Sabha Secretariat (8 November 1948). "Constituent Assembly of India Debates". Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  14. ^ a b Lok Sabha Secretariat (29 November 1948). "Constituent Assembly of India Debates". Archived from the original on 3 November 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  15. ^ "Result Of Adoor (Kerala) in 1971". IBN Politics. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  16. ^ "Lok Sabha Election 1971 - Kerala". Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  17. ^ Paswan, Sanjay (2004). Encyclopaedia of Dalits in India: Leaders, Volume 4. New Delhi: Kalpaz Publications. p. 285. ISBN 9788178350332.
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