The years immediately after the Second World War’s end in 1945 marked a period of events and excitement not only at the macro level but also among the Scheduled Castes (SC) of Tamil Nadu. With the prospects of the country gaining freedom becoming bright, representatives of the SC community were intensely involved in the exchange of views on various issues that would affect a new nation, including those relating to the community’s welfare and future.
At the all-India level, the Congress, one of the principal political players, had its share of leaders from the community and this included Jagjivan Ram. In Tamil Nadu, there were leaders such as V.I. Munuswami Pillai, J. Sivashanmugam Pillai and P. Kakkan. The other side of the political spectrum was led by B.R. Ambedkar, who had founded the Scheduled Castes Federation (SCF) in 1942. In the State, the SCF’s face was N. Sivaraj who had occupied the post of Chennai Mayor.
