Malayapuram Singaravelu Chettiar

Malayapuram Singaravelu Chettiar , also known as M. Singaravelu and Singaravelar, was a pioneer in more than one field in India. In 1918, he founded the first trade union in India. OnMay 1923 he organised the first ever celebration of May Day in the country. Singaravelar was a major leader of the Indian independence movement, initially under the leadership of Gandhi, but later, joining the budding communist movement. In 1925, he became one of the founding fathers of the Communist Party of India and chaired its inaugural convention in Kanpur. Though the British Government arrested him along with other leaders on charges of conspiring to wage war against the Crown, he was set free, soon after, on account of his failing health. Singaravelar was also a pathbreaking social reformer who in his early life took to Buddhism, seeing it as a weapon against the evil of untouchability, which was particularly severe in the 19thcentury India. He was also in the forefront of Self respect movement,

Singaravelu Chettiar was born in a wealthy family, the third son of Venkatachalam Chetty and Valliammai in Madras . He matriculated in 1881 and then, from Madras Christian College, he passed F.A. in 1884. Singaravelar took his bachelors degree from the Presidency College under the Madras University. He joined the Madras Law College and got his B.L. degree in 1907. Thereafter Singaravelar practised law at the Madras High Court.

Source: Wikipedia