Unsung Heroes Detail

Immanuvel Devendrar was born on 9 October 1924in Sellur, Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu. He took part in the Quit India movement at the age of 18 and was imprisoned for three months.  In 1945, he enlisted in the British Indian Army and, upon his discharge, he returned to his native Ramanathapuram district to work for the Indian National Congress (INC). Devendrar worked to improve the education, rights, and representation of the Pallars, of which he was a member. He tried to mobilize them to demand equality. The INC saw him as a useful opposition to Pasumpon Mutharamalingam Thevar, who had defected from the party to join the Forward Bloc. The party thought that he might be a worthy future member of the Legislative Assembly and groomed him for that end. It was for this reason that he converted to the Hindu religion and took the name Immanuel Sekaran. He passed away on 11 September 1957.