Mannathu Padmanathan was born on 2nd January, 1878 in Perunna village in Central Travancore, part of today's Kerala State. Initialy he worked as a primary school teacher, later pasing a social test which allowed him to practise as a lawyer in the Lower Criminal Courts. His association with Kannan Mohan, a school teacher in Changanacherry, led him to his life's major work which was rebuild to the Nair community. On 31st October, 1914 the Nair Service Society was born with 'Mannam' as he was affectionately called, as its Secretary. manam revived and reshaped the old concept of village societies, the Karayogams, which practically set the tenor of family and village life. He himself maned the Central office at Peruna. Today 4241 Karayogams are spread over Kerala with different tiers of the organisation leading up to the apex body of the NSS Head Office.

In 1924-25 the NSS persuaded the Travancore Government to enact the Nair Regulation which broke up the materiarchal joint family providing for paternal and maternal property to divided mong all the children. Mannam fought for social equality, the first phase of being the Vaikom styagraha, demanding the punblic roads near the temple at Vaikom be opened to low caste Hindus. He supported the admission of low caste Hindus into tempes was the Chairman of the Guruvayur Satyagraha, paving the way for the tempel entry proclamation. In 1950 he set up the Hindu Mandalam to draw togather Hindus. rousing them to support the National Movement. He suffered imprisonment for his support. As the first president of Travancore Devaswom Board he revitalised many temples which had almost ceased to function. Starting with a single room school, the NSS today runs 120 schols and 2 colleges imparting academic, professional and technical education, thus institutionalising his work. The NSS has worked to accuire land and rehabilitate 500 families from the Travancore area where the pressure on the alnd is acute.

In industry it has set up the Mannam Sugar Mills in 1964. It has organised several cooperative societies and the NSS Medical Mission, the later with seven hospitals to three of which an Auxilliary Nursing and Midwifery Training School is attached. In 1960 a gift of Rs. 51/2 lakhs which he received was used to craete a fund, called Mannam Nidhi, which is utilised to help provide free medical service to the poor and scholarships to the desrving.

He received the Padma Bhushan award in 1966. Mnnathu Padmanabhan died on 25th February, 1970.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India