R. Sankara Narayanan Thampi

Sankara Narayana Thampi was born on 30 September 1911 at Pallana village in the Alleppey district of Kerala to Rama Varma Raja of Ennakad palace, Mavelikkara and Thankamma Kettillamma from Pandavath, pallana.

Thampi graduated from The University College, Trivandrum and took a bachelor's degree in Law from the Trivandrum Law College. He established practise as a lawyer at his father's place in Mavelikkara. During his barrister years he got involved in the freedom struggle and took an active part in the Harijan Upliftment Movement.

In 1938, S Thampi became an active member of the All Travancore Youth League and got elected in its Working Committee. He joined the State Congress in the same year.

In August, 1938 he was arrested on charges of participation in the Youth League activities and was sentenced to six months imprisonment. In association with the Malabar Socialist Party he organised various anti-war activities during the Second World War.

He was elected Vice President of All Travancore Coir Factory Worker's Union and was fined Rs.1000 and imprisoned for two years for allegedly making provocative speeches at Punnapra which resulted in mass rebellion.

Disillusioned by the Congress, Thampi joined the Communist Party of India in 1947 just like other prominent leaders like E.M.S. Namboodiripad. He became part of the Executive Council and was the District Secretary of the party in Kayamkulam.

Thampi was elected in the Third Travancore Assembly (1944–47) from the Karunagappalli-Karthikappalli constituency. He was also a member of the Travancore-Cochin Legislative Assembly from 1954-1956 from the Mavelikkara constituency.

He was chosen as the First Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly in the EMS Cabinet on 27 April 1957 and was Speaker till the dissolution of the first Kerala Legislative Assembly on 31 July 1959.

As speaker, Thampi was known for his brevity and preciseness of his rulings. He set the standards of unbiased equivocal sharp and decisive parliamentary political procedures. Even today his "Rulings from the Chair" are quoted regularly. During the initial turmoil in the nascent Assembly, Thampi handled the situation with charismatic ease.

Thampi was a social worker all throughout his life. He always worked for the protection of civil rights and their protection. After withdrawing from politics, he became the Chairman of the State Service Rules Revision Committee.

He was married to P. L. Thankamma and they had three sons and two daughters.

He died on 2 November 1989.

• Biography at niyamasabha.org