Chennai: Iyothee Thass Pandithar The man who gave Tamils a new identity Santha Iyothee Thass in the last decade of the 19th Century was a writer, journalist and social reformer, Tamil and Buddhist Scholar. He edited and published ‘Tamizhan’, a journal devoted to social reform for eight years. He opposed Brahminism Vedic rituals and untouchability. He championed communal representation, women’s rights, self-respect, rationalism etc. Subramania Bharathiyar, V.O. Chimdambaram Pillai, Singaravelach Chettiar, Pandit U.V. Saminatha Iyer, Thiru.V. Kalyanasundara Mudaliar, Pandithurai Thevar, Mahavidwan Raghava Iyengar who lived during the same period in the Madras Presidency were honored for their scholarship and devotion. Iyothee Thass' contributions in various fields did not receive due recognition because he belonged to the Paraiyan caste. The neglect Iyothee Thass suffered was worse than physical violence. The higher-caste intellectuals in Tamil Nadu were adopting in practicing this variety of concealed violence. I are presenting before you the history of Tamil Nadu 100 years ago which was ignored by these castes intellectuals of Tamil Nadu. European merchants came to India in the latter half of the 17th century. They began as Traders but in course of time conquered and ruled large parts of the country including Madras State. During 1870’s, Englishmen came to India in large numbers to construct roads and bridges. Railway lines were laid and new departments like post and telegraph, police, military, etc. were created. They lived in colonies with their families and they required the services of interpreters, gardeners, servants, cooks and watchmen. Because the post required physical labor, people belonging to the dominant castes did not offer their services. Englishmen ate beef and that was an important reason why people from the dominant castes kept away from such services. The depressed classes of Tamil Nadu, the sons of the soil who were ignored by the caste ridden society were selected to do these jobs. The men who lived in the slums in and around Madras were selected to lay railway lines, run postal services and construct buildings. This resulted in the growth of big slums in Egmore, Chetput, Teynampet, etc. The depressed classes who lived in these slums organized associations like Panchamar Maha Jana Sabhas to forge unity among them and improve their living conditions. They demanded facilities for education for their children and employment for themselves. They also requested the Govt. to allot lands to the depressed classes for cultivation. The British Government accepted their demands and either directly or through Christian Missionaries implemented them. When Sir Thomas Munro was Governor of Madras, Mr. George Harrington was appointed under him as the Head of the State Construction Department. Thiru. Kandappan served under him. He was a Tamil Scholar and also Siddha Physician. He possessed a palm-leaf copy of the great Tamil work, Thirukkural. He understood its importance as a classic of world literature and so he carefully preserved the copy. Kandappan’s son Kandasamy who lived in the Thousand Lights area in Madras was also a Siddha Physician. His wife gave birth to a male child on 20.05.1845 and the child was named Kathavarayan. He was also initiated into the hereditary profession Siddha Medicine. Later he joined Iyothee Thass Pandit’s Village School. He developed great respect for his teacher and adopted his name. When English officials used to go to Nilgiris Hills during summer, George Harrington took his Butler Kandappan and his family members with him to Ooty. Iyothee Thass married Dhanalakshmi, sister of Rettamalai Srinivasan, who was his relative. Iyothee Thass started Advaita Philosophy during his stay at Ooty and formed the Advaithanandha Sabha to propogate Advaita Philosophy. Col. H.S.Olcott, President of the International Theosophical society had started 5 free schools for A TO Z INDIA ● OCTOBER 2021 ● PAGE 15