Marxist lines. In this they were assisted by leaders such as M. R. Venkatraman and B. Srinivasa Rao. They had already organized workers and formed unions in industrial towns such as Madurai and Coimbatore when they were functioning as socialists. Jeevanandham was in the forefront of efforts to build a strong labor movement based on Marxism. His oratory and writings helped him fulfill the task. But these leaders suffered police repression and were imprisoned several times. Jeevanandham visited sensitive areas and kept the workers’ fighting spirit alive. Alongside industrial workers, agricultural laborers and small farmers were also organized in Thanjavur and other districts. Jeevanandham and Ramamurthi inspired thousands of people through powerful speeches. Under the colonial rule, Marxist literature and propaganda were banned, and Marxist workers were frequently arrested on one pretext or the other. Jeevanandham was no exception. He even had an externment order against him and had to stay away from the then Madras province for a brief period. Political life (after Indian independence) After Indian Independence, the ban on the CPI was lifted, and all its leaders were released. In the first general elections in post independent India, Jeevanandham won a seat for the Legislative Assembly from the Wasermanpet constituency in Madras. P. Ramamurthi, his close associate, who was in jail then, was also elected from the Madurai constituency. After being elected to the Legislative Assembly, he put pressure on the government to initiate action on issues relating to development schemes and reform measures. He also led many struggles, one of which was against the proposal to form Dakshina Pradesh comprising the four southern states. Despite his loss in the subsequent elections, he continued his party work. Tamil nationalism and literary works He played a key role in making his native Tamil language an official language in the state and the judiciary, and a medium of instruction in educational institutions. He was a supporter of pure usage of Tamil, which had, to an extent, become corrupted by the influence of Sanskrit and other languages. He declared his name to be "Uyirinban", a literal translation of the Sanskrit word Jeevanandham. One of his major influences was the works of the Tamil poet Subramania Bharati, and also Bharati's persona and simple lifestyle. Jeevanandham was the first to take to cultural politics and cited his long struggle for nationalising Subramania Bharati’s songs. He was well-versed in Tamil literature and was