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Freedom Fighters from Tamil Nadu Part – 08

August 27 , 2024 3 hrs 0 min 14 0

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