Sardar P. M. Audikesavalu Naicker | |
|---|---|
| Member of Provisional Parliament of India | |
| In office 1950–1952 | |
| Deputy Mayor of Madras | |
| In office 1939–1940 | |
| Leader | S. Satyamurti |
| Member of Madras Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 1937–1939 | |
| Constituency | North Madras |
| Municipal Councillor | |
| In office 1936–1946 | |
| Constituency | Korukkupet |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 September 1898 Korukkupet, Madras (now Chennai) |
| Died | 9 September 1964 (aged 66) |
Sardar P. M. Audikesavalu Naicker (9 September 1898 – 9 September 1964) was an Indian freedom fighter, and legislator active in the Madras Presidency during the Indian independence movement.
Early life[edit | edit source]
P. M. Audikesavalu Naicker was born on 9 September 1898 in Korukkupet, Madras (now Chennai).[1] His grandfather, Krishnaswamy Naicker, was a shell lime merchant who had migrated from Pondicherry to Madras due to unrest under French colonial rule.[2] The family established itself in Korukkupet, where Audikesavalu grew up as the third of five sons.[3] Naicker received his early education locally and later attended Madras Christian College.[4]
Labour movement[edit | edit source]
Naicker's involvement in the labour movement began in 1916[5] when he founded and became the president of the Madras & Southern Mahratta Railway Young Men's Trade Union.[6][7] He also organized and led several other unions, including the Massey & Company Employees’ Union and the Madras Kerosene Oil Workers’ Union.[7] In 1917, he led a strike by the North Madras Workers’ Union, which is considered one of the earliest recorded strikes in Madras.[7][8]
Naicker was also involved with major trade unions such as the Madras Labour Union (established in 1918),[9] considered one of the earliest trade unions in India, and other unions in industries such as tramways, public works, and manufacturing.[7][8]
Role in the Indian independence movement[edit | edit source]
From 1920 to 1925, he served as Secretary of the Madras District Congress Committee, working to expand the Congress Party's influence in the Madras and Chingleput districts.[2][10]
He participated in the 1928 protests against the Simon Commission and was injured during a police crackdown.[10] During the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Salt Satyagraha in the 1930s, Naicker faced imprisonment for his involvement in satyagraha demonstrations.[10] His leadership and courage during these events earned him the honorary title "Sardar," reportedly bestowed by Gandhi.[10]
In 1933, he was the president of the North Madras Harijan Welfare Association when M. P. Sivagnanam was its secretary.[3] Naicker was also jailed during the Quit India Movement in 1942 and for opposing India's participation in World War II.[10]
Legislative career[edit | edit source]
Naicker served as a Municipal Councillor for Korukkupet from 1936 to 1939 and again from 1940 to 1946.[10] He also held the position of Deputy Mayor of Madras from 1939 to 1940.[11] He represented North Madras in the Madras Legislative Assembly from 1937 to 1939.[10]
In post-independence India, Naicker was nominated to the Provisional Indian Parliament (1950–1952) and contributed to the drafting of the Indian Constitution as a member of the Drafting Committee.[12]
Death[edit | edit source]
He died on 9 September 1964.[1]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Sardar P.M. Audikesavalu Naicker". ChakraFoundation.Org. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Sardar P.M. Audikesavalu Naicker". Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "SARDAR P. M. AUDIKESAVALU NAICKER". Vanniyar. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
- ↑ Parliament of India Who's who. Manager of Publications, Government of India Press. 1950. pp. 75–76.
- ↑ Gupta, Partha Sarathi (1997). Towards Freedom: Documents on the Movement for Independence in India, 1943-1944. Oxford University Press. p. 3502. ISBN 978-0-19-563868-4.
- ↑ The Who's who in Madras: ... A Pictorial Who's who of Distinguished Personages, Princes, Zemindars and Noblemen in the Madras Presidency. Pearl Press. 1940. p. 18.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 W. M., Jai Prasad. "P.M. AUDIKESAVALU NAICKER'S ROLE IN THE TAMIL NADU LABOUR MOVEMENT" (PDF). Tamil Nadu History Congress Proceedings.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Madras Miscellany: Discussing the Tamil diaspora". The Hindu. 17 January 2016. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
- ↑ Kolappan, B. (19 August 2024). "Madras Labour Union's fiercest battle". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 "Madras Miscellany: Detailing two pathbreakers". The Hindu. 4 June 2016. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
- ↑ Naidu, R. Janardhanam; Ramalingam, K.; Subbiah, V. (1974). Bharani's Madras Handbook. Sree Krishna Printers. p. 12.
- ↑ Kashyap, Subhash C. (1994). History of the Parliament of India: Laying the foundations and building the infra-structure : the golden Nehru era of parliamentary democracy from the provisional parliament to the Second Lok Sabha, 1950-1962. Under the auspices of Centre for Policy Research, Shipra. p. 59. ISBN 978-81-85402-53-6.