He was one of the earliest socio-political leaders to have brought Mahatma Gandhi's message and the spirit of the national movement to the erstwhile Travancore State.

His father, K. Padmanabhan Nair, was a powerful social figure who also was a Revenue Officer of great standing under the Princely State of Travancore.

He was also a contemporary of Mannathu Padmanabha Pillai and helped him in making Nair Service Society a reality without being even remotely sectarian.

Patriotism and Gandhi's call for non-co-operation caused Kumar to plung himself into Gandhian work for 'social reconstruction' which affected his further studies.

[13] Inspired by Gandhiji, he later left higher studies at Presidency College and served the Congress from Trivandrum as one of its very few full-time workers of Kerala.

K. Narayana Kurukkal (author of the novels "Parappuram" and "Udayabhanu") and Barrister A. K. Pillai helped Kumar in his efforts.

The paper was run on the lines of "Modern Review" published from Calcutta by Ramananda Chatterjee and used to carry articles besides regular editorials written by Kumar himself.

K. C. Pillai and Evoor S. Gopalan Nair opine that "Swadeshabhimani" remained a publication of the highest standards so long as it was under the leadership of Kumar.

He thus chose Cannanore as one of his chief venues for breaking the Salt Law and became instrumental in erecting the statue of Swadeshabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai in the capital city of Trivandrum and organising an annual commemoration of the deportation for a long time to come.

[27][18][28] During the thick of the freedom struggle, Kumarji was the President of the Travancore Congress Committee and was also in charge of Gandhiji's Travacore tour more than once.

He was a part of the leadership of the Salt Satyagraha (in Kozhikode, Tellicherry and Cannanore, the Civil Disobedience or foreign cloth boycott and picketing at Alleppey and other areas[33][34] and the prominent role he played in the Temple Entry Movement and eradication of 'untouchability',[35][36] the Vaikom Satyagraha, the Nagpur Flag Satyagrha" and other significant social unity moves.

In course of time, he passed on the management of most of these institutions to the Head teacher or an educated member of the depressed class.

He started a school for Harijans named "Kumbazha Pravarthi Pallikudam" which later became a life-giving tributary to the present Government VHSS Elanthoor.

Though measures taken in the late twenties did not prove useful enough to unite all communities as he had dreamed,[51] K. Kumar renewed his efforts for communal harmony.

Independent India failed to recognize him and utilize his exceptional qualities, but he continued to guide and mold a good number of public men and political leaders.

He was also able to exert a transforming influence on the people through movements like "Community Feasts", "Thoppippala Agitataion", the Akhila Thiruvithamkoor Parayar Mahasabha and Kuravar Maha Sabha that he took initiative in founding.

The delegation published a paper or a report titled "Look at Elanthoor", praising and recommending the work as highly worth replication.

(***Secondary Note: In the late sixties and early seventies, this school-building housed a part of the century-old Government High School nearby.

After the government school shifted, seemingly in the early seventies, local people started usurping the remaining land and the property) 4.