. October this year was the 80th anniversary of the first serious attempt at seeking a ban on the devadasi system. The list of bills and resolutions to be debated in November in the Madras Legislative Council included one from Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy (the daughter of a devadasi herself) asking the Government to end the practice of dedicating women to temples. The first to oppose the resolution were the devadasis themselves.

Bangalore Nagarathnamma and other devadasis formed the Association of the Devadasis of Madras Presidency on November 3, 1927. Its office was at Murugappan Street, where Jeevaratnammal, the oldest devadasi of Madras, lived at the time. She was elected President; the secretary was Doraikannammal. The Association sent a letter to the Law Member, Sir C.P. Ramaswami Ayyar protesting against the legislation.

At his request, this was expanded into a full-fledged Memorial of the Devadasis of Madras Presidency , a document of more than ten pages. They met Sir C.P. on November 11 in Fort St. George and presented him their petition. They then went ahead and organised meetings of devadasis in various towns in the Presidency, at which the women passed resolutions against the proposed legislation and sent them to Government. But the move lost steam by February 1928.

Pressure from the men proved too much and the less successful devadasis were all for the legislation. Meanwhile, the Council had passed the resolution on November 6, but predictably Government did nothing; it was reluctant to tamper with what was a Hindu tradition. In 1928, Dr.