Swami Sahajananda (Chidambaram MLA)
Swami Sahajananda was an Indian politician and former Member of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu. He was elected to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly as an Indian National Congress candidate from Chidambaram constituency in 1952, and 1957 elections. G. Vagheesam Pillai from Congress party was the second winner in both elections.[1][2]
He was a member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Council between 1926 and 1932 and again between 1936 and 1947. After Independence, he was elected to the Assembly from the Chidambaram constituency and continued as a member till his death in 1959. Though a strong votary of Annamalai University, he criticised the institution on the floor of the Council when it spent more on teaching languages and subjects other than Tamil. He wondered whether a music department was necessary when people did not have food to eat.
Early life of Swami :
Born as Munusami in Pudupakkam near Arani in 1890, he was rechristened Sigamani in a Christian missionary school in Tindivanam. “He quit school when there was an attempt to convert him and other students to Christianity. He was forced to repay the money the school had spent on his food,”
Sahajananda’s family migrated to Kolar in search of a livelihood and he was attracted to spiritualism there. He established contact with many spiritual leaders, and one of them, Karapadi Swami in Vyasarpadi, advised him to work for the welfare of Sambavars ( Paraiyars) in Chidambaram. It was he who named him Sahajananda.
He established a mutt and a trust in the name of Nandanar, a medieval Paraiyar devotee and one of the 63 Saivite saints, in Chidambaram in 1916. Twenty-five students were admitted to his school.
“He advocated education for Scheduled Caste girls. Mahatma Gandhi visited the school in 1926 and again in 1934. He mobilised funds for the family of freedom fighter V.O. Chidambaram Pillai,”
He travelled to Singapore and Malaysia to give lectures on Saiva Siddantha. When there was opposition to Hindi, he spoke in support of teaching the language. He wanted Parayars to learn more languages, arguing that it would liberate them. In his institution, he taught Sanskrit to all students,”