Nettur P. Damodaran (14 May 1913 – 11 October 1978) was an Indian politician who was a member of the 1st Lok Sabha of from the constituency of Tellicherry, which was part of the erstwhile Madras state.
In 1967, he was appointed as the Chairman of Backward class reservation commission by the Left Democratic Front Government headed by E M S Namboodiripad.
He played a pivotal role in the Quit India Movement during 1942 from Tellicherry,[3] organising rallies and public events to that effect, often giving the police a slip.
[3] He resigned from his official position in 1952 to embark on Parliamentary career by contesting the first general election of independent India from Tellicherry constituency, and winning with a thumping majority.
During his tenure in the Lok Sabha (1956), he was part of a Parliamentary delegation to China when Prime Minister Zhou Enlai was in power.
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru personally saw to it that the concerns raised by Damodaran and the remedies put forward by him in Parliament were addressed appropriately, helping realising the liberation of Mahe in a bloodless manner.
This primarily included Kalari Payattu, an ancient martial art; Theyyam, a form of dance; and Thira, a religious ritual of northern Kerala.
He was instrumental in organising various Kalari performances for the troupe of C .V.N Nair, a kalaripayattu maestro from Thalassery[11] in Northern India and even in Ceylon (Sri Lanka).