Ambat Sivarama Menon

Who was Ambat Sivarama Menon?

Ambat Sivarama Menon was a pre-independence Indian politician. He was the second of four children and only son of Ambat Ikkali Amma and Champathil Nanu Mannadiar. He was born in 1870.

Graduating from Madras Law College, he practised at the Madras High Court and won acclaim as a brilliant advocate. His forceful arguments, ready replies to judges'querries, vast knowledge and prodigeous memory, were all legendary. No wonder, he was referred to as a walking encyclopedia. An authority on the Marumakkathayam law of succession, he served as examiner for the law degree examinations of Madras University.

Though a man of serious pursuits, he was always relaxed and often witty. Known for his patience and tolerance, he was generous to a fault, ever ready to help those who sought his assistance. The number is legion offriends, relatives and juniors at the bar who benefited from their association with him. One of the pioneers of the cooperative movement in India, Sivarama Menon was also one of the founders and many times president of the Triplicane Urban Cooperative Society, the first consumer cooperative to be started in the country. He was a director of Cochin Land Mortgage Bank. In the society of Freemasons, one of the world's oldest fraternal organisations, he was elected