Strength through Organization
Before Sree Narayana Guru came on the scene, on the social front, enthusiastic young Ezhavas like Dr. Palpu were trying for the upliftment and recognition of their community. During his discussions with Swami Vivekananda at Mysore about the social situation in Kerala, Swami Vivekananda advised him that any reformation movement must have a spiritual leader at its helm, for its success.
Sree Narayana Guru was rising in the social horizon of Kerala as the undisputed spiritual leader of the downtrodden people. Dr. Palpu went down to Aruvippuram to meet him and have discussions with him. They found that their ideas were converging to one point: the emancipation of the downtrodden. The result was that the Temple Association of Aruvippuram was converted into Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (The Society for the Implementation of Sree Narayana Dharma). It was registered as a joint-stock company in January 1903, with Sree Narayana Guru as life-time President, Dr. Palpu as Vice-President and Kumaran Asan as General Secretary.
A periodical, 'Vivekodayam' (the name is. a tribute to Swami Vivekananda) was started as the mouthpiece of the Yogam. Kumaran Asan was its editor. Eminent scholars and social workers like T. K. Madhavan, Sahodaran Ayyapan, C.Krishnan, M. Govindan, and others lined up behind the Guru to lead SNDP. (See the Appendix-11 for details about these leaders.)