Summary SNDP Movement

The upper non-Brahmana castes failed to get access to these opportunities. The Sri Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) movement, among the Ezhavas of Kerala, is an example of conflict between the depressed classes and the upper non-Brahmana castes. The Ezhavas were a caste of toddy-tappers in Kerala. They were like the Nadars of Tamil Nadu and the Idigas of Karnataka. The Ezhavas were the largest single caste group consti­tuting 26 per cent of the total population of Kerala. In a developing country like India, movements led by the backward classes speak of their low status, disadvantages, discriminations and deprivations which they suffered for a long time at the hands of the ruling classes and communities. The SNDP movement is an example of a ‘regional’ movement. It pertains to the Ezhavas of Kerala who were untouchables. The ideology of the movement was formulated by Sri Narayana Guru Swamy. He formed a programme of action known as the ‘SNDP Yogam’. The Yogam took up several issues, including the right of admission to public schools, recruitment to government employment, entry into temples, on roads and political represen­tation. Most of these objectives were realised. The movement, as a whole, brought about transformative structural changes which included upward social mobility, a shift in the traditional distri­bution of power, and a federation of ‘backward castes’ into a large conglomeration. Caste reforms and mobility movements were launched in almost all parts of India during the British period.