Freedom Fighters from Tamil Nadu Part – 08

Freedom Fighters from Tamil Nadu Part – 08

(இதன் தமிழ் வடிவத்திற்கு இங்கே சொடுக்கவும்)

38. T. S. Avinashilingam Chettiar

Early Life and Education

• Date of Birth: May 5, 1903.
• Place of Birth: Tiruppur, Madras Presidency.
• Parents: K. Subrahmanya Chettiar.

Education:

• He did the high school in Tiruppur and Coimbatore.
• He graduated from Pachaiyappa's College, Madras, in 1923.
• He studied law at Madras Law College.

Involvement in the Indian Independence Movement

• Political Affiliation: Indian National Congress.
• Participation:
• He actively participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement and Quit India Movement.
• He adopted Gandhi’s philosophy and served as President of the Coimbatore District Congress Committee.
• Contributions:
• He assisted Mahatma Gandhi during his 1934 tour of South India for the Harijan Welfare Fund, collecting and donating ₹2.5 lakhs.
• Arrested four times during the freedom struggle (1930, 1932, 1941, and 1942).

Political Career:

• He was the Member of the Imperial Legislative Council from 1934 to 1945.
• He elected to the Madras Legislative Council in 1946.

Role as Minister of Education (Madras Presidency)

• Tenure: 1946-1949.
• Premier: Tanguturi Prakasam and O. P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar.

Key Contributions:

• He introduced Tamil as the medium of instruction in secondary schools across the Presidency
• He established the Tamil Valarchi Kalagam (Tamil Academy) in 1946, which created the first Tamil encyclopedia (published between 1954 and 1968).
• He nationalized the poetry of Subramania Bharati.
• He created a Professorship for Tamil and other Indian languages at the University of Madras.
• He introduced Thirukkural as part of the curriculum from the 6th grade onwards.

Later Political Career

• Lok Sabha: He represented Tiruppur from 1952 to 1957.
• Rajya Sabha: He served as a member from 1958 to 1964.

Social Reforms:

• He advocated for the upliftment of untouchables and widow remarriage.
• He established the Ramakrishna Vidyalaya school in Coimbatore, which admitted children of all castes.

Honors and Legacy

• Padma Bhushan: Awarded in 1970 for his contributions to education and literature.

Other Awards:

• G. D. Birla Award
• Jamnalal Bajaj Award (1985)

Institutions Established:

• He established institutions like Avinashilingam Home Science College for Women (1957), which became Avinashilingam University for Women in 1988.

Publications and Works

• He authored notable works on economics, Gandhi’s education policy, and the Wardha scheme.
• He wrote an account in Tamil about his pilgrimage to Tirukeedaram.

Death:

• November 21, 1991, at the age of 88.

39. F.G. Natesa Iyer

Early Life and Education

• Date of Birth: November 11, 1880
• Place of Birth: Pudukkotai, Tamil Nadu.
• Parents: Janaki ammaiyar and Gangadhara Shastri.

Career in the South Indian Railway

• Profession: Railway Officer.
• Achievements:
• He retired as the District Traffic Superintendent in 1935, the first Indian to hold this position.

Role in the Indian Independence Movement

• He joined the Indian National Congress in 1914.
• He represented as a delegate at various annual sessions of the Indian National Congress during World War I.

Key Congress Sessions:

• Bombay session (1915): He participated as a delegate.
• Lucknow session (1916): Member of the Subjects Committee.
• He participated in discussions on the Congress-Indian Muslim League’s scheme of reforms.
• Madras session (1917): He participated as delegate.
• He elected member of the All-India Congress Committee.
• He was the member of the Subjects Committee.
• He moved the resolution on indentured labour at the open session.
• He supported for Home Rule and Passive Resistance.

Indian Home Rule Movement:

• He supported the movement led by Annie Besant and others during the 1910s.
• He supported the resolution passed at the Madras Provincial Conference following the internment of Mrs. Annie Besant, George Arundale, and B. P. Wadia.

Contributions to Tamil Drama and Cinema

Pioneer:

• He was recognized as one of the pioneers of modern Tamil drama and cinema.

Death

• Date of Death: January 23, 1963.

40. S. A. Saminatha Iyer

Early Life and Education

• S. A. Saminatha Iyer, also known as Thanjavur Saminatha Iyer, was born in the Tanjore district of Tamil Nadu.
• He was son of Sankaranarayana Dikshitar.
• After completing his education, Saminatha Iyer began his career as a pleader in Nagapattinam and later moved to Tanjore around 1887, where he served as the Public Prosecutor at the Tanjore district court.

Political Involvement

• Entry into Politics: Saminatha Iyer became interested in politics during his practice in Nagapattinam.
• He was elected to the Nagapattinam municipality and served as a member in the early 1880s.
• Madras Native Association: In 1882, he played a key role in organizing the Madras Native Association branch in the district.
• Theosophical Society: In 1883, he established a branch of the Theosophical Society in Nagapattinam and served as its secretary.
• Involvement in Indian National Congress: In 1885, Saminatha Iyer moved to Kumbakonam and succeeded Sir A. Seshayya Sastri as President of the Tanjore People's Association.
• He was the sole delegate from the association to the first session of the Indian National Congress held in Bombay.
• Salt Tax Criticism: During the session, Saminatha Iyer vehemently criticized the Salt Tax, stating that increasing the tax would be unjust and would heavily burden the masses.
• Constitution of the Indian National Congress: In the 1887 session of the Indian National Congress held in Madras, Saminatha Iyer was appointed as a member of the 35-member committee that framed the constitution of the Indian National Congress.
• He also participated in the 1886, 1889, and 1894 sessions.

Civic Leadership

• Tanjore Municipality: Saminatha Iyer was elected to the District Board of Tanjore in 1886 and was nominated Chairman of the Tanjore Municipal Council in 1887.
• He presided over the golden jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria's reign in Tanjore and was elected Secretary of the Rajah Mirasdar Hospital in Tanjore.
• Theosophical Society Leadership: In 1892, Saminatha Iyer became the President of the Tanjore branch of the Theosophical Society.
• Kumbakonam Temple Committee: He was elected to the Kumbakonam Temple Committee, which managed Hindu temples in the Kumbakonam division of Tanjore district.
• He remained a member of the committee from 1885 until his death.

Advocacy and Campaigns

• Land Revenue Agitation: In 1892, when the mirasidars of Thanjavur district agitated against the rise in land revenue, Saminatha Iyer led the movement.
• Christian Missionary Schools Controversy: Saminatha Iyer was involved in agitations against Christian missionary schools, advocating for the establishment of national schools and criticizing the lavish spending of missionaries.

Death

• S. A. Saminatha Iyer passed away on 12 August 1899.

41. T. P. Krishnasamy Pavalar

Birth and Early Life

• T. P. Krishnasamy Pavalar was born on August 29, 1890, in Chintadripet, Chennai.
• He was the elder brother of the renowned Tamil scholar T. P. Meenakshi sundaranar.

Career and Contribution to Freedom Movement

• Pavalar served as the head Tamil teacher at Muthialpet School.
• However, in 1917, after the arrest of Annie Besant, he resigned from his teaching position to join the Indian National Congress and actively participate in the freedom struggle.

Literary Genius

• Pavalar was known for his extraordinary talent in Tamil literature.
• His ability to compose poetry spontaneously earned him the nickname "Asukavi" from Pammal Sambandha Mudaliar.
• He utilized drama as a powerful tool to inspire and mobilize people against British rule, at a time when theatre was a dominant medium of expression.

Dramas

• One of his significant plays, "Kadharin Vettri" (The Victory of Khadar), was staged in 1922, symbolizing the Khadi movement.
• Although the British government banned the play, Pavalar ingeniously renamed it "Kadhar Bhakthi" and continued to stage it, thereby reigniting the spirit of the freedom struggle.
• He also staged this play in London, exposing the atrocities of British rule to the English audience.
• In 1923, Pavalar wrote the play "Desiya Kodi" (The National Flag), based on the flag protest in Nagpur.
• This play spread the message of protecting the national flag throughout Tamil Nadu.

Other Notable Works

• His play "Bombay Mail" featured scenes with the unfurling of the tricolor Khadi flag, which evoked deep patriotic sentiments among the audience.
• Pavalar’s plays were known for their emotional intensity and nationalist fervor.

Journalism and Literary Contributions

• Pavalar was also a prolific journalist, running journals like "Desabandhu," "Bharathi," and "Indraya Samacharam."

Multifaceted Talent

• A versatile genius, Pavalar was also a "Sathavadhani," a person capable of performing a hundred different mental tasks simultaneously.
• He dedicated all his talents to the cause of India's freedom struggle.

Demise

• T. P. Krishnasamy Pavalar passed away on March 1, 1934.

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