Taravath Madhavan Nair[1] (15 January 1868 – 17 July 1919) was an Indian politician and political activist of the Dravidian Movement from the Madras Presidency.

[2] His father Chingicham Veetil Sankaran Nair was a District Munsiff in the Judicial service at Tirur.

He submitted a report condemning the situation of workers in factories and recommended the reduction of hours of work.

When the First World War broke out Nair served as one of the surgeons on the hospital ship SS Madras, and was commissioned as a lieutenant.

In the Congress sessions in 1898 and 1899, he strongly condemned the present status of Indian officers in the Medical services and campaigned for equal treatment to be meted out to them.

When Nair lost the elections to the Imperial Legislature of India held in 1916 he blamed caste-based prejudices in the Indian National Congress for his loss.

At a meeting in August 1917 he said: Non-Brahmins were looking to the British Government for protection, to hold scales evenly and to mete out Justice, but when they saw a movement progressing whose object was to undermine British influence and power in this country, they thought it their duty to rally round the British Government and to support them[3]In October 1917, Nair launched the South Indian Liberal Federation, also known as the Justice Party in collaboration with Sir Pitti Theagaroya Chetty.

[5] In 1918–19, despite warnings from fellow doctors not to travel abroad as his health was deteriorating, he led a mission to England to speak in support of communal representations before a Joint Parliamentary Committee.

[6] Nair died on 17 July 1919 at the age of 51 due to heart seizure following diabetic gangrene and Bright's disease.