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| Accamma Cherian pbs.twimg.com |
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Accamma Cherian:postal cover, /mbstamps.blogspot.com |
Early Life and Entry into Politics
Born in 1909 to a wealthy Catholic family in Travancore (now Kerala), Accamma Cherian excelled in academics, studying history before becoming a teacher and later a headmistress in Edakkara. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, she resigned from her teaching job in 1938 to join the Travancore State Congress. Her decision to leave behind a secure career and step into the uncertain and often perilous world of political activism was a testament to her commitment to the cause of freedom and her inherent ability to fight for the nation's freedom and Indian womanhood.
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| Accamma Cherian with Nehru |
Historian J Devika has called Cherian one of the first-generation feminists of the state. She died in 1982 in the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram (formerly Trivandrum) unsung. A statue built in her memory stands in a park was named after her in the city.
The Iconic Protest of 1938
Cherian's defining moment came in October 1938, a tumultuous period when she singularly led a mass rally of over 20,000 people to the royal palace in Travancore to protest the ban on the Congress party as several front line Congress leaders like Pattam Thanu Pillai and Kuttanad Ramakrishna Pillai were in jail. Mrs. Cherian was tasked with leading the protest. Dressed in khaddar (Indian hand-spun fabric) and standing in an open jeep, she marched fearlessly to the palace gates. To the then Dewan of Travancore Sir C. P. Ramaswami Aiyar, an eminent Administrator and lawyer, the violent agitation became a serious issue as he was responsible to both the royal family as well as to the British Raj. The british rulers were behind the Dewan. When the police chief threatened to open fire on the protesters, Cherian boldly declared, "I am the leader; shoot me first before you kill others." Her courage and her bold stand compelled the authorities to retreat, and the protest succeeded in pressuring the government to release the jailed leaders.
This act of defiance earned her the title "Jhansi Ki Rani of Travancore" from Mahatma Gandhi, in reference to the 19th-century queen who led a rebellion against the British at Jhansi, MP. .
Marginalization in Post-Independence India
Despite her prominence during the freedom struggle, Cherian, like many women activists, was sidelined after India had gained independence. In 1947, she was elected as a lawmaker in Travancore’s first free elections. However, she soon faced political marginalization, being denied a ticket to contest in parliamentary elections during the 1950s. A senior party leader argued that women were already "empresses of the home" and should not engage in politics.
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| Accamma Cherian en-media.thebetterindia.com |
Cherian criticized the exclusion of women who had fought for the nation’s independence. Disillusioned, she quit politics and lived a quiet life with her husband, fellow freedom fighter VV Varkey Mannamplackal.
Legacy and Memory
Accamma Cherian’s contributions were largely forgotten in the decades following her death in 1982. She is one of many women who played a vital role in India’s freedom movement but were pushed to the margins in post-colonial India. A statue in her honor stands in Thiruvananthapuram, but outside Kerala, her story remains little known.
Cherian’s legacy highlights the importance of recognizing regional heroes and the vital role of women in India’s independence, whose stories deserve a more prominent place in the national narrative.
http://www.yentha.com/news/view/features/statues-of-trivandrum-accamma-cherian
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-62559091
https://www.navrangindia.in/2015/12/accamma-cherian-jhansi-rani-of.html
