Malabar History journal

Biography

He was born in 1897 as the son of Narayanan Somayajippad and Savithri Adithirippad, in the Mozhilunnath mana of Cherpulassery village, now in the district of Palakkad. He was well versed in Vedic literature and the theatrical performances of Bhasa and Kalidasa.

After 1918, he became active as a reformer and politician. He came to India from South Africa and became part of the National movement and got influenced by Gandhi and other leaders of the Indian independence movement like Lokmanya Balagangadhar Tilak. He was the president of Congress in Cherpulasseri constituency.

He was arrested during the Khilafat struggles of Malabar with false accusations that he was one of the kingpins of the rebellion. In fact, he was the leader of native National Congress Committee and Khilafat Committee and a true follower of Mahatma Gandhi. Brahmadattan was arrested on 21 September, 1921 and subjected to hardships in jail. His body was carried by tying him on the back of a horse to Shoranur through Vaniyamkulam by British people. But he was courageous enough to face those hardships. The British government sentenced him to life imprisonment and sent him to Bellari along with other war prisoners. He filed an appeal against the verdict in the high court and Yujin Grans was the famous lawyer who appeared for him. In 1922 September 1, Madras high court found him not guilty and ordered his release.

After his release, he continued his activities as a reformer and Congress activist. He
also got expelled from his community due to his participation in the rebellion. He was the president of Pattambi Panchayat board for twelve years and held higher positions in Congress and Yogakshema sabha.

His autobiography titled ‘Khilafat Smaranakal’ which was published in the year 1965
was edited and translated into English by Dr. K K N Kurup in 2012. The book gives a clear picture of the nature and character of the Khilafat movement in Malabar, from the point of view of a Namputhiri Congress leader. He denies the allegation that the rebellion originated from communal conflicts, but it broke out as a result of police atrocities. He also asserts that the Malabar rebellion is a part of the freedom movement of India. He says that, “1921 struggle shouldn’t be designated as ‘Mappila Rebellion’ or ‘Malabar Rebellion’. It is better to be called as Khilafat Revolution. What happened here was not a rebellion, but an internal revolution” . He passed away on 26th July, 1964. He was married to Savitri Antharjanam and he had seven children.

References

Hussain Randathani, Brahmadattan Namputhiri: A Brahmin who wrote on Malabar Khilafat Struggle. Read PDF.

Mozhikunnathu Brahmadattan Namputhirippadu, Khilafat Smaranakal. Kozhikode: Mathrubhumi Books, 2010.