Born at Thrikkannamanagal near Kottarakkara in Kollam district of Kerala on 20 Apr 1901 (Kollavarsham 1076 Medam 8, Bharani nakshathram ). Parent’s names: Sri. Ramakrishna Iyer and Smt. Seethalakshmi Ammal. The parents named him as Venkatachalam.
After the High School education at Kottarakkar English High School, at the age of 17 years he Joined Kashi Hindu University and took post graduation (M.A) in Sanskrit. He learned Vedic studies from traditional scholars of Kashi. Greatly influenced by the non cooperation movement of Mahathma Gandhi, he joined Indian National Congress and took active part in freedom struggle. The nationalist ideologies attracted him to Arya Samaj and decided to do further studies on Vedas. He reached Lahore (that time Lahore was the main centre of Arya Samaj missionary activities) and after partition of India he returned to India with the head load of Vedic literature from there. He Served at different Arya Samaj Gurukulas in Lahore and northern India, actively participated in missionary works of Arya Samaj. He was an exemplary scholar and had mastery over many languages. He extensively travelled through out India and Served as Assistant Director of Hoshyarpur Research Institute.
During the 1921 Mopola Rebellion in Malabar he was in the forefront in evacuation works. A team of Arya Missionaries from Punjab headed by Pt.Rishiram reached Malabar for rescue activities. Pandit Vedabandhu Sharma worked with him as a translator and very shortly he became a tall leader of Arya Samaj in Kerala. He led the shudhi movement (reconversion to Hinduism) of helpless Hindus who were forcibly converted to Islam during 1921 Malabar rebellion. He was instrumental in establishing Arya Samaj centres at Calicut and Ponnani. He wrote a hindi pamphlet named ‘Mappila vidroh” during the 1921 Malabar atrocities. He is the first Keralite Arya Missionary who started an organised Arya Samaj work in Kerala. He took active role in getting the rights of so called backward class people among the Hindus to walk through the streets of the upper class dominated Kalpathi Agraharam (a settlement of Tamil Brahmins) of Palakkad.
He is the author of many Vedic literatures. His wife’s name was Smt. Saraswathi Devi. It is very sad and shocking for the entire Arya Jagath that an extra ordinary scholoar like him did not get due recognition during his life time and even now. He died on 20 November 1995 at Bangalore. Kerala is indebted to that great soul for showing us the path of Maharshi Dayanand’s ideals and correct interpretations of Vedic literatures first time in Kerala.
Major Works
- First translater of Sathyartha Prakasham into Malayalam (1933)
- Rigveda praveshika.
- Sandhyayum Agnihothravum.
- Artha Vigyanam.
- Rasabharathi.
- Bharatheeya Kavya Shasthram.
- Jathiyum Parivarthanavum.
- Purusha Sooktham Bhashyam.
- Samudaya Parivarthanam.
- Thandavalakshanam
- Many articles on Vedic literatures, upanishads, Sanskrit grammer etc. published in various journals and publications.