Nadars...A Brief History

Nadars are one of the earliest inhabitants of India. 

The title Nadar is believed to be derived from the Nelamaikkarars, the aristocrats and highest of the old Shanar community. The title Nadar was exclusively used by the Nelamaikkarars. Nadars claim that the original name of the community was Shantror or Shandrar (which means noble one) which, in course of time, was corrupted to Shanar. However, there are very little evidences to support the claims of the Nadars.

The Nadars were a community mostly engaged in the palmyra industry, including the production of toddy, in the early 19th century. A few subsects of the Nadar community were traditionally wealthy landlords and money lenders. Majority of the Nadars lived south of Thamiraparani river. Nadars living in south of Thamirabarani River till the tip of Cape Comorin constituted 80 to 90% of the population and had various living conditions. While majority of the Nadar population,of Southern Tirunelveli, consisted of landless and poor laborers (Nadar climbers), a small endogamous group of aristocratic Nadars called Nelamaikkarars or Nadans owned vast tracts of land. Historical records and accounts indicate they possibly worked as tax collectors under the Pandyas. These Nadans or lords of the land either held their position directly under Nayak ruler in the region of Tiruchendur or as petty lords under the poligars. They commanded high respect in these regions from the rest of the population. Nadar climbers, the minority Vellalars and Brahmins showed deference to these Nadans. Nadan men rode horses and their women rode in covered palanquins. The position held by these Nadans was unchallenged by their dependent climbers. In these regions the Nadars were the most dominant caste and their interaction with other communities was minimal. However these Nadars were separated by various subcastes and lacked integrity.

Presumably the Nadars of Southern Travancore migrated to Travancore from Tirunelveli in the 16th century after the invasion of Tirunelveli by the Raja of Travancore. Like their Tirunelveli counterparts, the Nadars of Travancore were mostly palmrya climbers. However a significant number of Nadars in Travancore were subtenants to Nair landlords or Vellalar landlords. These Nadar tenants called themselves Nadans and a score of these Nadans also directly had control over the lands. The Nadans enjoyed special privileges under the Raja and claimed that they were superior to the climbers. The climbers of Travancore fared a little better than their Tirunelveli counterparts, but, however, suffered severe social disabilities ,unlike their Tirunelveli counterparts, under the rigid caste hierarchy of Travancore. As Swami Vivekananda stated, Kerala was like a mad asylum of castes. The Nadar climber women were not allowed to cover their bosoms, as most of the non- Brahmin women of Kerala, to punctuate their low status. However the aristocratic Nadan women, their counterparts, had the rights to cover their bosom. Uneasy with their social status, a large number of Nadar climbers embraced Christianity and became upwardly mobile.

Some Nadar traders migrated from the south of Thamiraparani river to northern Tirunelveli and Virudhunagar and gradually began to settle down in these regions. In course of time, these Nadars(later known as Northern Nadars) became commercially skilled and therefore became upwardly mobile in the late 19th century. Mercantilism played crucial roles in facilitating their upward mobility. Part of this change in the Nadar community resulted in some of them converting to Christianity , both Catholicism and Protestantism. However, a majority of almost 90% remained Hindus. The British rule then in the southern districts introduced new frontiers of trade and commerce.The Nadars took this opportunity and made it their greatest advantage. They established sophisticated pettais (fortified compounds) and Urvinmurais (Local Nadar association) to ensure safety for their goods. The member of Uravinmurai, the muraikkarar, would contribute a portion of his income to the association as common good funds or mahimai (means to glorify oneself) to use the facilities of the pettais in order to improve the association and also in turn aid the Nadar community.[ As the wealth of the Northern Nadars increased, they gradually began to adopt the customs of the North Indian Kshtriyas in order to improve their social status as well. This process is known as Sanskritisation. Many tried to disassociate themselves from their Nadar climber counterparts and the term Shanar(the term generally used to call a Tamil palmrya climber). The title 'Nadan' , a title which was before only used by the aristocratic Nelamaikkarars, was universally adopted by the Northern Nadars.

The local Nadar associations of the six towns was not adequate enough to back up the widely spread Nadars. Many Nadars began to migrate to other parts of Madras Presidency. This situation demanded a new Nadar association which would support the Nadars faraway from the six towns of Ramanad. This expansion,however, would not be possible until the rise of Rao Bahadur T.Rattinasami Nadar, a wealthy Nadar of Poraiyar, Thanjavur district. He was politically ambitious and sought to become a member of the legislative assembly , representing the Nadar community. As there was no organization to represent the whole Nadar community, Rattinasami Nadar invited prominent leaders of the Nadar community for a plenary session in February 1910. Rattinasami Nadar's uncle, V. Ponnusami Nadar, was elected to become the first president of the association, Nadar Mahajana Sagham. The association was open to any Nadar male of any subcaste or religion. The general purpose of the association was to uplift the entire Nadar community. The conferences initially held were dominated by the Northern Nadars.

The Sagham then in order to aid the depressed climbers, sought to abolish the tax levied on palmrya trees. After the establishment of the Prohibition(of toddy) act in the Northern districts of Madras Presidency, the Nadar Mahajana Sagham along with its sister association,Dakshina Mara Nadar Sagham of Tirunelveli, sought to remove it to aid the depressed climbers. The British advisor government in turn suspended the act. However, the prohibition act was reintroduced after the independence. Under the rules of the act, the climbers could only tap between 4 am to 2pm and sell sweet toddy between 6am and 2pm. These procedures can also only be practiced by climbers who have license. The rigid government rules pressurized the depressed climbers. The two prominent Nadars saghams constantly pressurized the government and eventually the enforcement of these regulations gradually eased. By mid 1950's, the government assigned cooperative societies to promote jaggery production

The Nadar community did not completely rely on the Backward Class Commission for educational advancement. The Nadars realized the importantance of education more than any other community.In 1885, the Northern Nadars established the Kshatriya Vidhyasala High School in Virudhunagar by using the mahimai funds from the Nadar uravinmurai. Education was also the primary concern of the Nadar Mahajana Sagham ever since its inception. In 1921, the Sagham began to provide scholarship loans to the needy students of the community. By 1964, loans were offered to more than 3000 students. These loans were awarded to qualified Nadar students and were supposed to be repaid. Some students were also assisted to study abroad. The Sagham also aided villages, faraway from educational institutions, to establish their own schools. These expenses represented the largest expenditure of the Nadar Mahajana Sagham. The Nadar bank along with other cooperative societies gave 5 percent of their profit to the scholarship fund. The Nadar Mahajana Sagham also established a college, Senthilkumara Nadar College, in 1947.

In villages where the Nadar climbers numbered very few, they were oppressed by the majority caste of the region. The Nadar Mahajana Sagham backed these oppressed Nadars with the strength and influence of the larger community. The oppressed Nadar could ask the Sagham to intervene into issues which involves members of other communities. In turn the Sagham would investigate the issue and confirm that it is true. Then ,if necessary, the Sagham would ask the police to intervene or take the issue to the court. The Sagham however would not back the oppressed Nadar claimant financially to contest the case, but would rather see that claimant's case is properly heard by the court. After the independence, the Sagham was very well aware of the secular caste less society and used its advantages. The Sagham also cooperated with the government to establish a caste less society and urged the Nadars to allow other communities to use their schools, tanks, temples and wells. Even the name of the Nadar bank was changed to Tamil Nadu Mercantile Bank. These activities earned the Nadar community respect and recognition.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Nadar Mahajan Sangam supported the non-Brahmin movement and Jutsice party. W. P. A. Soundrapandian Nadar as the president of Nadar Mahajana Sangam led the effort to ally the community with Periyar E. V. Ramasamy's Self-respect movement. The Nadars joined the Justice party in its attack against Brahmins on cultural and religious front. Nadars also practiced self-respect marriages during the non-Brahmin movement. The Northern Nadars would continue to give their support to the justice party until the rise of Kamaraj Nadar. The Nadar freedom fighter, Kamaraj, was even stoned by the Nadars , when he tried to speak on behalf of the Congress in Kamudi, and branded as a traitor of the Nadar community for supporting the Congress.

Today, the Nadars are recognized as an "advanced" community - a status reversal accomplished over the past century through caste horizontal mobilization of caste solidarity, challenge to servile traditional ascription through ritual transformations, effective utilization of modern opportunity through education and commerce, and skilful communal exploitation of the political arena.