A Calcutta newspaper that reported on Bharati, carried a picture of the VOC 116 years ago

VO Chidambaram (VOC), the Tamil freedom fighter and scholar who had the courage to take on the British naval power and pay for it, is celebrated more in his home State these days than elsewhere. But his fame had reached far when he launched the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company. Bande Mataram, published as an English daily and weekly from Calcutta (present-day Kolkata) by the great leaders Bipin Chandra Pal and Sri Aurobindo, had the VOC’s picture on the front page in 1908, the year of the Tirunelveli revolt. of the English. after the arrest of the VOC.

Traced from Teen Murti Bhavan

“The picture of VOC appeared on April 26, 1908. It was the time between his arrest and his conviction. He was arrested in March and given a double life [sentence] in July,” said Y. Manikandan, head of the Department of Tamil Language, University of Madras, who traced a copy of the newspaper/weekly to Teen Murti Bhavan in Delhi.

“The picture is published under Our Pictures gallery. I went through more than 50 articles and could not find a picture of any other Tamil Nadu leader. Another magazine had a picture of Aurobindo. The VOC’s image on the front page is a tribute to Tamil Nadu’s role in the freedom movement today,” he said. Historian AR Venkatachalapathy, who has written extensively on the VOC, had developed a picture of the VOC. In 1909, Sridhar Vaman Nagarkar of Nasik had published a portrait of Bharat Mata, depicting her as Mahishasura Mardini. The portrait was surrounded by 24 national leaders, and the VOC was the only South Indian leader who had found a place among them. Bande Mataram gave importance to the activities of the Swadeshi Movement in Tamil Nadu and the leaders, including the VOC.

Mr. Manikandan says nationalist poet Subramania Bharathi also edited Bala Bharata, an English monthly, outside India, a Tamil weekly. It is now known all over the world for the columns of Bande Mataram. Mahatma Gandhi, who ran the weekly Indian Opinion from South Africa, used to talk about Bala Bharata published in Puducherry. Events in Tamil Nadu in the early 20th century captured the nation’s attention. The VOC launched the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company, a challenger to British maritime trade, in 1906. He and Subramania Siva addressed a meeting in Tirunelveli in March 1908, praising Bipin Chandra Pal and calling people to boycott foreign goods. The region spontaneously responded and rebelled against British rule after the arrest of the VOC. Rebellion is the title of Venkatachalapathy’s book Thirunelveli Ezhuchiyum VOC-yum 1908, which won him the Sahitya Akademi Award.

Tamil Nadu was in turmoil in early 1908. On January 25, a meeting was organized by allies and members of the New Party, including Bharathiar, who was a follower of Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal. The meeting announced the attitude of the people. “Bande Mataram described the meeting as ‘Victory of Nationalism in Madras’ and gave it front page coverage. It adopted the resolution moved by Subramania Iyer, while Bharathiar seconded Chakarai Chettiar’s amendment. This decision called on all Indians to boycott the colonies and the goods of the colonies,” said Mr. Manikandan, who has also received a copy of the newspaper with the event. The meeting marked a milestone in Bharathiar’s political career. He also referred to the foreword written by Chakarai Chettiar, his friend and Mayor of Madras, in the book Swadesa Geethangal (Volume-2) published by Bharathiar’s wife Chellammal. “On two special occasions, Mr. Bharati, I and others played parts that have always been dismissed by sensible people as rabble-rousing, but in my opinion have always reflected the enthusiasm of the youth…,” wrote Chakarai Chettiar. According to this newspaper, there was great excitement among the fans of the nation. “Most of the Nationalists were never believed to exist in Madras. The Nationalists then shouted Tilak Maharaj ke Jai and Babu Bepin Pal Ke Jai,” it reported.

‘Great Meeting’

Bande Mataram published an article titled, ‘Mass Swadeshi Meeting in Madras: Triumph of a New Spirit’, on the front page about a gathering of over 5,000 people at Marina Beach on March 17, 1907. The meeting was led by G. Subramania Iyer, one of the founders of The Hindu. “Chidambaram Pillai has given a long and interesting account of the current Swadeshi Movement. He said that Swadeshi was the modern Avatar of Vishnu, who came to awaken us to the glory of national self-government. The speech was echoed by the loud shouts of Bande Mataram,” this newspaper reported. Mr. Manikandan said that Bande Mataram has been regularly reporting on the Swadeshi Movement and VOC speeches. On March 19, 1907, he reported a speech by the VOC, at a large gathering in Cuddalore, on the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company and Swadeshi industries and how they could be developed. When the VOC, Subramania Siva, and Padmanabha Iyengar, a friend of the VOC, were arrested in 1908, Bande Mataram published the article, ‘Padmanabha Iyengar as Worker of Mr. Chidambaram Pillay-Living National sacrifice’. It has attached great importance to Padmanabha Iyengar, who has failed to get enough attention in Tamil Nadu.