Speech By The President Of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee On The Occasion Of Inauguration Of Mannam International Centre

I am happy to inaugurate the Mannam International Centre being established here in New Delhi by the Nair Service Society (NSS).

The founder of NSS, Mannath Padmanabhan, was a visionary and social reformer who was awarded the Bharat Kesari and Padma Bhushan. He fought against social evils and strove for the economic upliftment of the people of Kerala. He participated in the Vaikom Satyagraha in Kerala which led to streets around the Vaikom temple being opened to the socially under-privileged sections of the Hindu society as well as the Guruvayoor Sathyagraha which led to entry of underprivileged classes into temples.

Shri Padmanabhan worked with rare zeal and single-minded devotion for the transformation of the downtrodden in society. He believed that caste should not be a dividing factor amongst human beings. A strong believer in the concept of equality of human beings and in Mahatma Gandhi's methods of non-violence and Satyagraha, Mannam put his organisational and oratorical skills to best use to awaken the people of Kerala, especially the Nair community out of the decadence in which they had fallen.

Mannath Padmanabhan established and nurtured the Nair Service Society which has taken the lead in establishing numerous education institutions, medical establishments and industrial units across the state of Kerala. The Karayogams that Mannam established were a pioneer of modern day self help groups.

I am glad to know the NSS has completed 98 years of existence and that the Delhi NSS has been in existence for over three decades.

I understand the newly established Mannam International Centre will provide care for senior citizens, health care to the under privileged, temporary shelter to the needy who visit the capital and space for community functions. It will have a 24 hour helpline and a centre for research on the life and work of Mannam.

I wish the Centre all success and congratulate NSS Delhi on its initiative to create such an institution to serve the needs of the under privileged. The NSS has a long tradition of being an organization which serves the needs of all communities. I am sure the Mannam International Centre will continue this glorious tradition and make its facilities available to all those in need.

Jai Hind.