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SOCIAL PROJECT

Freedom fighters in Tamilnadu

India attained independence in 1947. Today India is the largest democracy in the world
with the longest constitution.
In ancient times, India was visited by Aryans, Persians, Iranians, Parses and Mughals.
Mongolians invaded India. Later French Colonies were established. Finally British ruled our
country for nearly 200 years.
The struggle for independence took around 90 years for the country. Tamil Nadu played an
important role in the freedom fight against British Raj.

Sathya Narayan P S

V.O. Chidambaram Pillai

V.O. Chidambaram Pillai was born on September 5, 1872 in a village Ottaipidaram


of Tuticorin district, Tamilnadu.

He was a prominent lawyer, and a trade union leader

He was an Indian National Congress (INC) member, later charged with sedition by
the British government and sentenced to life imprisonment; his barrister license was
stripped. He is also known as Kappalottiya Tamilan.

He gets credit for launching the first indigenous Indian shipping service between
Turicorin and Colombo with the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company, competing
against British ships. British people arrested him for starting this shipping trade.

In the 1890s and 1900s Indias independence movement and the Swadeshi
movement, initiated by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Lala Lajpat Rai of Indian National
Congress (INC), were at their peak

On 12 November 1905, V.O.C. formed the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company,

His efforts to widen the base of the Swadeshi movement, by mobilizing the workers
of the Coral Mills (also managed by A. F. Harvey) brought him into increasing conflict
with the British Raj.

On 12 March 1908, he was arrested on charges of sedition and for two days,
Tirunelveli and Tuticorin witnesses unprecedented violence, quelled only by the
stationing of a punitive police force.

They found the Indian company to be a formidable challenge. To thwart the new
Indian company they resorted to the monopolistic trade practice of reducing the fare
per trip to Re.1 (16 annas) per head. Swadeshi company responded by offering a
fare of Re. 0.5 (eight annas). The British company went further by offering a free trip
to the passengers plus a free umbrella,

Apart from the Madras press, Ananad Bazaar Patrika from Koldata (Calcutta) carried
reports of his prosecution every day. Funds were raised for his defence not only in
India but also by the Indians in South Africa. Bharathy gave evidence in the case
which had been instituted against him. V.O.C was confined in the Central Prison,
Coimbatore from 9 July 1908 to 1 December 1910.

Subramanya Bharathy

Subramaniya Bharathi was born in December 11, 1882 at a village Ettayapuram in


Tamilnadu district.

He wrote many national poems such as Vanthe Matharam, Enthayum Thayum and
Jaya Bharath which were distributed free.

Bharathi lost his mother at the age of 5 and his father at the age of 16. He was
brought up by his disciplinarian father who wanted him to learn English, excel in
arithmetic, become an engineer and lead a comfortable life. However, Bharathi was
given to day dreaming and could not concentrate on his studies.

During his stay in Benares (also known as Kashi and Varanasi), Bharathi was
exposed to Hindu spirituality and nationalism.

This broadened his outlook and he learned Sanskrit, Hindi and English. In addition,
he changed his outward appearance. He also grew a beard and wore a turban.

Soon, Bharathi saw beyond the social taboos and superstitions of orthodox South
Indian society.

In December 1905, he attended the All India Congress session held in Benaras. On
his journey back home, he met Sister Nivedita, Swami Vivekanandas spiritual
daughter. From her arose another of Bharathis iconoclasm, his stand to recognise
the privileges of women. The emancipation of women exercised Bharathis mind
greatly

During this period, Bharathi understood the need to be well-informed of the world
outside and took interest in the world of journalism and the print media of the West.

Bharathi joined as Assistant Editor of the Swadeshamitran, a Tamil daily in 1904.

By April 1907, he started editing the Tamil weekly India and the English newspaper
Bala Bharatham with M.P.T. Acharya. These newspapers were also a means of
expressing Bharathis creativity, which began to peak during this period. Bharathi
started to publish his poems regularly in these editions. From hymns to nationalistic
writings, from contemplations on the relationship between God and Man to songs on
the Russian and French revolutions, Bharathis subjects were diverse.

He was simultaneously up against society for its mistreatment of the downtrodden


people and the British for occupying India.

Bharathi participated in the historic Surat Congress in 1907, which deepened the
divisions within the Indian National Congress between the militant wing led by Tilak
and Aurobindo and the moderate wing. Bharathi supported Tilak and Aurobindo
together with V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and Kanchi Varathaachariyar. Tilak openly
supported armed resistance against the British.

In 1908, he gave evidence in the case which had been instituted by the British
against V.O. Chidambaram Pillai. In the same year, the proprietor of the journal India
was arrested in Madras. Faced with the prospect of arrest, Bharathi escaped to
Pondicherry which was under French rule. From there he edited and published the
weekly journal India, Vijaya, a Tamil daily, Bala Bharatha, English monthly, and
Suryothayam, a local weekly of Pondicherry. The British tried to suppress Bharathis
output by stopping remittances and letters to the papers. Both India and Vijaya were
banned in British India in 1909.

During his exile, Bharathi had the opportunity to mix with many other leaders of the
revolutionary wing of the Independence movement such as Aurobindo, Lajpat Rai

and V.V.S. Aiyar, who had also sought asylum under the French. Bharathi assisted
Aurobindo in the Arya journal and later Karma Yogi in Pondicherry.

Bharathi entered British India near Cuddalore in November 1918 and was promptly
arrested. He was imprisoned in the Central prison in Cuddalore in custody for three
weeks from 20 November to 14 December. The following year Bharathi met with
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

He was badly affected by the imprisonments and by 1920, when a General Amnesty
Order finally removed restrictions on his movements, Bharathi was already
struggling. He was struck by an elephant at Parthasarathy temple, Triplicane,
Chennai, whom he used to feed regularly Although he survived the incident, a few
months later his health deteriorated

He died on September 11, 1921 early morning around 1 am.

Though Bharathi was a peoples poet and a great nationalist, outstanding freedom
fighter and social visionary, it is a recorded sad fact that there were only 14 people to
attend his funeral.he delivered his last speech at Karungalpalayam Library in Erode,
which was about the topic Man is Immortal.

Velu Nachiyar

She was the first queen to wage a war against the The former princess
of Ramanathapuram opposed the British rule even before the Sepoy mutiny. Veera
Mangai Velunachiyar was one of the queens in the 18th century in South India. She
rebelled against the British Empire and fought for the freedom of India.

She was born in 1730 AD to the Mannar Sellamuthu Sethupathy and to Rani
Sakandhimuthal of Ramnad Kingdom. She was the only daughter of this Royal

family. The Royal couple had no male heir. The royal family brought up the
Princess, Velunachiyar, like Prince of Ramnad due to this reason. She was trained
in the skills of using weapons and also in martial arts She learnt horse riding and
archery earlier. The Royal couple had engaged teachers to teach her many
languages like French, English and Urdu

Thus this young brave Princess had excellent training in all war techniques. She was
a scholar in many languages and was ready to rule the Ramnad Kingdom.

She married Sivagangai Mannar Muthuvaduganathar at the age of sixteen. In the


year 1772 , the English invaded her kingdom . Velu Nachiyar heard that her husband
Raja Muthu Vaduganathar and her daughter young Princess Gowri Nachiyar were
killed in Kalaiyar Koil war. This war was held in Kalaiyar Koil palace.

He advised Veera Mangai Velunachiar to move to different places often in order to


avoid British invaders . Meanwhile Dalavay Thandavarayan Pillai wrote a letter to
Sultan Hyder Ali on behalf of Velu Nachiyar to provide 5000 infantry and 5000
cavalry to defeat the British army. But unfortunately he passed away due to old age.

She decided to meet Hyder Ali after the demise of Dalavay Thandavarayan Pillai at
Mysore with the help of his son. She could explain in detail in Urdu all her problems
with East India Company. She explained him her strong opposition of British regime.
Hyder Ali was very much pleased and promised to help her in this conflict He
accepted her request with sympathy and provided the necessary military assistance.
He ordered Syed Karki of Dindigul fort gladar to provide the required military
equipments to Rani Velu Nachiyar. He released 5000 infantry and 5000 cavalry to
Rani Velu Nachiyar immediately.

Her troops advanced to Sivaganga with the help provided by Maruthu brothers. She
defeated the Nawab of Arcot and took him as a captivator. She re-captured her
Sivaganga samsthan with the help of Hyder Ali and crowned as queen of the
Sivagangai seemai.

Velu Nachiyar is only the first queen who raised the revolt against the British
emperor. According to historians. Prof.Sanjeevi mentioned in his Maruthiruvar
book that the bravery queen Velu Nachiyar raised revolt against English emperor
and fought for the freedom of India 85 years before Jhansi Ranis freedom struggle
in North .

The Maruthu Pandiyar

The Maruthu Pandiyar brothers (Periya Maruthu & Chinna Maruthu) ruled
Sivagangai, Tamil Nadu during the last part of the 18th century and they were the
first to issue a proclamation of independence from the British rule from Trichy
Thiruvarangam Temple, Tamil Nadu on June 10, 1801, which is 56 years before the
North Indian rebellion Sepoy mutiny of 1857.

In the year 1772, the English military of the East India Company. Bon Jour attacked
the state at Kalayar Kovil. As the war worsened, Raja Muthu Vaduganadhar lost his
life. But the Maruthu brothers managed to escape along with Rani Velu Nachiar, wife
of Raja Muthu Vadughanadhar and arrived at Dindigul which was ruled by Hyder Ali
the Sultan of Mysore as refugees. Hyder Ali supported them with all respects.

Arcot Nawab, the alliance partner of East India Company was not able to collect any
taxes from the people of Sivaganga state for eight years, arranged for an agreement
whereby the rule of Sivaganga was restored to Rani Velu Nachiar after he collected
his dues from her. The Marudu brothers with 12,000 armed men surrounded
Sivaganga and plundered Arcot Nawabs territories.The Nawab on the 10th of March
1789 appealed to the Madras Council for aid. On 29th April 1789, the British forces
attacked Kollangudi. It was defeated by a large body of Marudus troops.

They were in close association with Veera Pandiya Kattabomman of


Panchalankurichi. Kattabomman held frequent consultations with Marudhus.

The British invaded Sivaganga in 1801. The Maruthu Pandiyars and their allies were
quite successful and captured three districts from the British. British rushed
additional troops from Britain to put down Maruthu Pandiyars rebellion. These forces
surrounded Maruthu Pandiyars army at Kalayar Koil, and the latter scattered. The
Maruthu Brothers and their top commanders escaped. They regrouped and fought
the British and their allies at Viruppatchi, Dindigul and Cholapuram. While they won
the battle at Viruppatchi, they lost the other two battles.

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