Nair Service Society

The Nair Service Society, a synonym for selfless service and social commitment was founded by the late Sri.Mannathu Padmanabhan on 31 - 10 - 1914. It came into being at a crucial stage in the history of the Nair community which was facing a crisis brought about by disunity and blind adherence to outmoded customs, beliefs and practices. They had a glorious past .but ignorance, accumulated over centuries, reinforced by inadequate education, proved disastrous for the community. Their predilection for celebrations and penchant for ceremonial occasions fuelled by a strong affinity towards profligacy and extravaganza, contributed to their decline and downfall. Gradual loss of land holdings, underemployment and unemployment due to lack of modern education completed the process of disintegration.


Sri.Mannathu Padmanabhan

Founder Leader

Sri.Mannathu Padmanabhan the peerless leader of the Nair Community, the immortal founder of the Nair Service Society and the great social reformer was born in the closing decades of the 19th century in perunnai, a village in changanacherry taluk of the erstwhile state of Travancore as the son of middle-class parents. Abject poverty misery and deprivation marked the early years of his life. After school education he became a teacher and then a pleader .Before long he found himself drawn in to the vortex of political and social movements. The plight of the Nair Community that was witnessing it’s own decadence and disintegration, precipitated by extravaganza, superstitious veneration for antiquated and anachronistic customs and tradition, filled him with anguish. He marshalled his oratorial skill and organizational ability to motivate, inspire and mobilize the Community that was lost in a long and deep slumber .The Nair Service Society which he conceived, nursed and nurtured, epitomized the hopes and aspirations of the community which had been waiting for a saviour.