John Thivy

Infobox President
honorific-prefix =
name = John Thivy


order = 1st President of Malaysian Indian Congress
term_start = August 1946
term_end = 1947
deputy =
predecessor =
successor = Budh Singh
birth_date =
birth_place =
death_date =
death_place =
spouse =
religion =
party =Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC)
languagesspoken =Tamil, English

John Aloysius Thivy was a prominent Malayan Indian nationalist and the founding president of the Malayan Indian Congress. He was a lawyer by occupation.

John Thivy studied law in London before returning to practice in Malaya. In London, Thivy had a chance to meet Mohandas Gandhi and came to be interested in the Indian independence movement. On his return to Malaya, after getting his law degree in 1932, he became actively involved in the Indian nationalist movements.

Later, after the fall of Malaya to the Japanese, Thivy's interest was rekindled by a speech given by Subhas Chandra Bose in one his rallies in 1943. Thivy joined the Indian National Army in 1943 and served in the Burma Front.

After the Japan's surrender, John Thivy was held at Changi prison for anti-colonial activities and was only released after India's independence.

In August 1946, Thivy became the Founder President of the Malayan Indian Congress (MIC), which represented Indian interests in Malaya. He was helped in the setting up of the party by other notable individuals such as Janaky Athi Nahappan. The MIC was modelled after the Indian National Congress. The party actively participated in the Malayan Independence movement.

The MIC was formed due to a need for representation on behalf of Indian community in the post war development of Malaya. At its nascent stage, the Party was committed to the attainment of:
* Freedom and democracy for the country.
* Positive inter-racial harmony and cooperation.
* General prosperity and stability of the country.
* A fair share for the Indian community in the future of the country

The party's founder also sought to check social problems such as low literacy level, alcoholism and family violence faced by the Indian community in Malaya. At the outset, the party was committed to positive inter-racial harmony and cooperation and obtaining a fair share of the economic cake for the Indian community

In 1948, Thivy was appointed as an official to represent India in Southeast Asia by the .

ee also

*Indian National Army
*Janaky Athi Nahappan
*Malaysian Indian Congress

References

* [http://www.s1942.org.sg/s1942/indian_national_army/freedom.htm Biographies of INA freedom Fighter National Archives of Singapore]
* [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1379778.cms Times of India]
* [http://www.mic.org.my/history.php Malayasian Indian Congress. History]
* [http://www.rsi.sg/english/theasianjournal/view/20060825172311/1/.html Subhas Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army. Asian Journal, Radio Singapore International] .