V. O. Chidambaram Pillai
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V. O. Chidambaram Pillai
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V.O.
Chidambaram
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Born
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Died
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Other names
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V. O. C, Va Voo Cee, Kappal
Oottiya Tamilzhan, Sekkizuththa semmal
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Organization
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Political movement
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Valliappan Olaganthan Chidambaram
Pillai, (1872-1936) (Tamil:
வ. உ. சிதம்பரம் பிள்ளை) popularly known by his initials, V.O.C. (spelt Vaa. Oo.Ce
in Tamil), also known as Kappalottiya Tamilan (கப்பலோட்டிய தமிழன்) "The Tamil Helmsman",
was a Tamil political leader. He was a disciple of Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
He launched the first indigenous
Indian shipping service between Tuticorin and Colombo with the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company, competing against British ships. At one time a member of
the Indian
National Congress, he was later charged with sedition
by the British government and sentenced to life imprisonment; his barrister license was stripped.
Early
life
V. O. Chidambaram Pillai was born on
5 September 1872 in Ottapidaram (only in Ottapidaram and not in Vandanam), Tuticorin
districter Olaganathan Pillai and Paramayee Ammal. When Chidambaram was six years old he learnt Tamil from the
teacher Veeraperumal Annavi. He heard stories about Lord Shiva from his
grandmother and stories from Ramayana
from his grandfather. He heard stories from Mahabharatha told by Allikulam Subramanya Pillai. As a child, he played
goli (marbles),
kabaddi,
horse riding, swimming, stilt walking, archery, wrestling, silambattam and chess.
He learnt English from a Taluk
Officer named Krishnan in the evenings. When Krishnan was transferred,
Chidambaram’s father built a school with the help of the villagers and
appointed Aramvalarthanatha Pillai from Ettayapuram as the English teacher. The school was run by Fr. Adamson,
a priest at Pudhiamuthur. At fourteen, Chidambaram went to Thoothukudi to
continue his studies. He studied at St. Xaviers High School and Caldwell High
School, Thoothukudi and Hindu College High School, Tirunelveli.
Chidambaram worked as Taluk office
clerk for some time before his father sent him to Tiruchirappalli to study Law. He passed his Pleadership exam in 1894,
returning to Ottapidaram to become a pleader in 1895.
In Chennai, Chidambaram met
Ramakrishnananthar, a saint who belonged to Swami Vivekananda Ashram (monastery), who advised him to "do something
for the nation". Here he met the Tamil poet Bharathiyaar
who shared his political ideology. The two men became close friends.
Political
life
Background
Main article: Indian
Independence Movement
In the 1890s and 1900s India’s
independence movement and the Swadeshi movement, initiated by Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Lala Lajpat Rai of Indian National Congress (INC), were at their peak. From
1892 Chidambaram was influenced by Tilak Maharaj, and became his disciple. Along with Subramanya Siva and Subramanya Bharathi, he became a prominent spokesperson for the cause in Madras Presidency. Following the partition
of Bengal in 1905 Chidambaram entered
politics, joining the Indian
National Congress and taking a hardliner stance. He
also presided at the Salem District Congress session.
Companies
and institutions
Chidambaram established many
institutions like Swadeshi Prachar Sabha, Dharmasanga Nesavu Salai, National
Godown, Madras Agro-Industrial Society Ltd and Desabimana Sangam.
In response to the British India Steam Navigation Company's trade monopoly, Chidambaram started an Indian-owned
shipping company. He registered the Swadeshi Shipping Company in October 1906. The capital of the company was ten lakh rupees. The number
of shares was 40,000 and the face value of each share was Rs.25/-. Any Asian could become a share holder. The Director of the
Company was Mr.Pandi Thurai Thevar, a Zamindar and the President of “Madurai
Tamil Sangam”. Janab Haji Mohammed Bakir Seit paid Rs.2 lakh for 8000 shares,
which was the first capital for the Company.
In the beginning, the Company didn’t
own any ships, instead leasing them from Shawline Steamers Company. The
B.I.S.N.C. pressured Shawline Steamers to cancel the lease; in response,
Chidambaram leased a single large freighter from Sri Lanka. Realizing the need
for the Swadeshi Shipping Company to own its own vessels, Chidambaram travelled
around India selling shares in the company to raise capital. He vowed, “I will
come back with Ships. Otherwise I will perish in the sea”. He managed to secure
sufficient funds to purchase the company's first ship, the S.S. Galia;
shortly afterwards they were able to acquire the S.S. Lavo from France.
In response to the new competition,
the B.I.S.N.C reduced the fare per trip to Re.1 (16 annas) per head. Swadeshi
company responded by offering a fare of Re.0.5 (8 Annas). The British company
went further by offering a free trip to the passengers plus a free umbrella;
however, nationalist sentiment meant that the free service was underused. The
B.I.S.N.C. attempted to buy out Chidambaram, but he refused the deal.
The ships commenced regular service
between Tuticorin and Colombo (Sri Lanka), against opposition from British
traders and the Imperial Government.
Coral
Mill strike
Main article: Tinnevely Riot of
1908
On February 23, 1908 Chidambaram
gave a speech at Thoothukudi, encouraging the workers at Coral Mill (now part
of Madura Coats)
to protest against their low wages and harsh working conditions. Four days
later, the workers of the Coral Mill went on strike. Chidambaram and Subramanya
Siva led the strike. Their demands were included incremental earnings, weekly
holidays and other leave facilities.
Chidambaram ensured the strike was
widely publicized, and it quickly gained popular support. On March 6 the head
clerk Subramanya Pillai met Chidambaram and said that the management was ready
to concede their demands. Chidambaram went with 50 workers and met the
managers, who agreed to increase the wages, to reduce the working hours and to
give leave on Sundays. The workers went back after a nine-day strike. The
outcome of the strike encouraged the workers of other European companies, who also
gained increased wages and better treatment.Sri Aurobindo appreciated Chidambaram and Siva for the unequalled skill
and courage with which the fight was conducted in his Vande Mataram daily on
13-03-1908.
Arrest
and imprisonment
By 1908, Chidambaram's political
involvement drew the attention of the British. Hearing of his intention to
speak at a rally celebrating the release of Bengali leader Bipin Chandra Pal, Mr Winch, a British official invited Chidambaram to meet
him in Thirunelveli with his political comrade Subramanya Siva. At the meeting,
Winch expressed concern at Chidambaram's activities and asked him to give
assurances that he would not participate in any political revolt. Chidambaram
refused to accept his conditions, and so he and Siva were arrested on March 12,
1908.
The arrest met with widespread
protest. In Thirunelveli shops, schools and colleges were closed in protest,
and rioting broke out. Thirunelveli municipal office, post offices, police
stations and municipal courts were attacked. A general strike was declared in
Thoothukudi, which was the first political strike in India[citation
needed]. Public meetings and processions were held, and
four people were killed by the police.
Although his supporters were able to
raise sufficient funds for bail, Chidambaram refused to leave the jail without
the release of Siva and his other comrades. Subramanya Bharathi and Subramanya Siva also appeared in the court for questioning for the case
instituted against Chidambaram. He was charged under sections 123-A and 153-A
of the Indian Penal Code for speaking against the British and giving shelter to
Siva. Chidambaram refused to take part in the proceedings.
He was charged with sedition and a
sentence of two life imprisonments (in effect 40 years) was imposed. He was
confined in the Central
Prison, Coimbatore (from 9 July 1908 to 1 December
1910).
The judgement was wideley condemned
in the popular press, with even the British Statesmen magazine claiming
that it was unjust. Chidambaram appealed the sentence in High Court, gaining a reduced punishment of 4 years imprisonment and 6
years in exile. An appeal to the Privy Council led to a further reduction in
sentence.
Chidambaram was interred in
Coimbatore and Kannanoor jail. He was not treated as a 'political prisoner’,
nor was the sentence 'simple imprisonment’, he was rather treated as a convict
sentenced to life imprisonment and required to do hard labour, which caused his
health to suffer. The historian and Tamil scholar, R. A. Padmanabhan, would
later note in his works that Chidambaram was "yoked (in place of bulls) to
the oil press like an animal and made to work it in the cruel hot sun....” From prison Chidambaram continued correspondence,
maintaining a steady stream of legal petitions. He was finally released on
December 12, 1912.
To his dismay, the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company had already been liquidated in 1911, and the ships
auctioned to their competitors. The company's first ship, the S.S. Gallio
was sold to the British Shipping Company.
Later
life
Upon Chidambaram’s release he was
not permitted to return to his Tirunelveli district. With his law license
stripped from him he moved to Chennai
with his wife and two young sons. There he ran a provisions store and a
kerosene store.
In 1920, Chidambaram withdrew from
the Indian National Congress, citing ideological differences with Mahatma Gandhi. He focussed his efforts on establishing Labor Unions in Madras and writing.
After moving to Coimbatore
Chidambaram worked as a bank manager. Dissatisfied with the income, he
petitioned the court seeking permission to practise law again. Judge E.H.
Wallace gave permission to restore Chidambaram's pleadership license; to show
his gratitude Chidambaram named his last son Valacewaran.
Chidambaram moved to Kovilpatti and practised as a lawyer. He rejoined the Congress party
in 1927 and presided over the third political conference held at Salem. He said
that he wanted to join Congress again because he noticed a remarkable change in
the policies of Congress and he was happy to note that the policies which he
did not approve of were withdrawn one by one. However, after the Salem
conference Chidambaram again severed his contact with Congress.
In 1932 he moved to Thoothukudi,
where he spent his time writing and publishing Tamil books.
Written
works
- Meyyaram 1914.
- Meyyarivu 1915
- Anthology 1915
- Autobiography 1946
- Many articles in various magazines
- Translation works
- Literary notes of Thirukural
Published
works
- Thirukural with literary notes of Manakudavar 1917
- Tolkappiam with literary notes of Ilampooranar 1928
Post-independence
honours
Posthumously, Chidambaram is known
by the titles Kappalottiya
Thamizhan("the Tamizan who drove the
ship") and "Chekkiluththa Chemmal" ("a great man who pulled
the oil press in jail for the sake of his people").
Stamp
The Indian Posts &
Telegraphs department of India issued a
special postage stamp on 5 September 1972, on the occasion of his birth
centenary.
Statues
of Chidambaram
Many statues of Chidambaram have
been commissioned, some of the more notable are located:
- At the entrance of the Congress committee office, Rayapettai, Chennai (1939).
- At the arch of Palayankottai, Thirunelveli.
- At Marina beach, Chennai. (unveiled at the time of the World Tamil Conference).
- At the port, Thoothukudi. (unveiled by Mrs. Indira Gandhi, the former Prime Minister).
- At Simmakkal, Madurai (unveiled by Mr. M.G.Ramachandran, the former Chief Minister).
- At the commemorative building of V.O.C., Thirunelveli. (unveiled by Miss. Jayalalithaa, the Chief Minister).
- The Tuticorin Port was rechristened as V.O. Chidambaranar Port Trust by Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister and Thiru G.K. Vasan, Union Minister of Shipping.
Ma. Po. Si.(M.P.Sivagnanam)
M.P.Sivagnanam popularly known as Ma. Po. Si. wrote the biography of V.O.Chidambaram Pillai and named it
as 'Kappalottiya Tamizhan'.Later V.O.Chidambaram Pillai was remembered by all
as 'Kappalottiya Thamizhan'.It was Ma. Po. Si. who brought the fame of V.O.Chidambaram Pillai to the
limelight.
Books written by Ma. Po. Si. on V.O.Chidambaram Pillai are Kappalottiya
Thamizhan(1944),Kappalottiya Chidambaranar(1972) and Thalapathy
Chidambaranar(1950).
Film
portrayal
In 1961 Kannada film director B.R
Panthalu made a film of Chidambaram's life titled Kappalottiya
Thamizhan. Chidambaram was portrayed by
Nadigar Thilagam Sivaji Ganesan, Subramanya Siva by T.K Shanmugam and
Subramanya Barathi by S.V Subbiah.The story of this movie is based on Ma. Po. Si.'s biography 'Kappalittiya Tamizhan'.
Bibliography
- Appanaswamy, Parambarai (Tamil Language), Barathi Boothakalayam, Chen (2004)
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