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| India's struggle for freedom. bangalorecivils.com |
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| Vedaranyam salt march, April 30, 1930. Rajaji in the middle. Wikipedia |
The Vedaranyam Salt March - April 30, 1930 led by C. Rajagopala Chari, an eminent lawyer and astute politician was an important political event next to Dandi Salt March led by Gandhiji in India's history for freedom struggle. As for Tamil Nadu, the congress leaders preferred Vedaranyam town to Thoothukudi town owing to full support given by Sardar Vedaranyam Vedaratnam Pillai, Thanjavur District Congress President. It was a nonviolent civil disobedience movement arranged by the Congress party under the leadership of Rajaji, quite similar to Dandi (then in Bombay Presidency; now in Gujarat) Salt Yatra led by Gandhiji earlier in March, 1930. This Salt March in the southern part of India was to protest against the salt tax imposed by the British Government. The British government was squeezing India's resources and native Indians to fill their coffers back in London.
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| Gandhiji collecting salt in Dandi, Gujarat, March, 1930 en.Wikipedia. org |
The moment the protest was publicly announced by C. Rajagopalachari in April 1930, the Tanjore district administration under the then Collector J. K. Thorn ICS not only banned the salt march to the coastal area of Vedaranyam but also announced that the government would take stern action against the local people - that anyone helping the salt marchers - satyagrahis by way of giving food and shelter would be sentenced to six months in prison (under Section 157 of IPC). The propaganda was made through heralds and leaflets. The District Collector was resolved to stop the march midway at any cost, using his full administrative power and the ban was promulgated through out Tanjore District.
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| Rajaji and others, Vedaranyam salt march April 1930. thehindu.com |
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| Gandhiji and Rajaji. Gandhi Ashram |
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| Vedaranyam, coastal village, Tamil Nadu. WordPress.com |
Though the salt marchers were denied food and shelter on their way by the district administration, with cooperation from the public and freedom fighters, the Satyagrahis had their stomach full all along the route. The food pockets were hidden in certain predetermined and numbered trees and the marchers were secretly informed before hand about the location of food under the trees, etc. In the evening, after the march, Rajaji and others would address the public meeting briefly in the villages on the importance of getting freedom from the British and their protest against salt tax. At meetings, the leaders saw to it that the meeting was over before the arrival of the police. At Thiruvaiyaru town, they were well received by Tamil scholar Va. Ra, businessman Subramanya Mudaliar and other patriots. Despite the ban, the satyagrahis were given warm welcome at Vennar bank, on the outskirt of Thanjavur town with traditional nageswaram and thavil in front of freedom fighter Sabesa Iyer's house. A pandal was temporarily erected for this purpose. Since the collector's office was located in Thanjavur town, the salt march passed through the town peacefully after Rajaji had addressed a meeting in a place now called Rajappa Park. Near Kumbakonam, Rajaji spoke at the meeting near the Town Hall organized by the congress committee member, ex MLC and landlord Pantalu Iyer. Being rich as he was, Sri Pantlu Iyer donated several acres of cultivable lands for freedom struggle purposes. He gave them accommodation and grand dinner at his residence in Kumbakonam despite government ban. He was later arrested and sentenced to six months of imprisonment. At Semmangudi village near Kumbakonam, some people who were of help to the salt marchers, lost their government jobs. The marchers reached Thirutharaipoondi on 25 April where Ramachandra Naidu gave food and shelter to the marchers and, on the following day, he was arrested by the police. The arrest of Patalu Iyer and Naidu made thelocal people angry.
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| Vedaranyam salt march. maduraiavaidyanathaiyer.com |
Iyer (left side in the photo: leading lawyer of Madurai; first to take the Harijans into the Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple) and Kakkan ( right side in the photo. later he became a minister in Tamil Nadu under CM Kamaraj and Bakthavachalam), Vedaranyam salt march April 1930.
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| http://cartoonsmix.com |
As for the British, the salt march by the marchers was in defiance of laws and if it became a sensational one and got the attention of the international media again, it would amount to losing their strong hold on India and India's independence was not far off. Indians working for the British Raj were caught in the middle as they had to suppress their own nationalistic fervor to comply with their official duties. When Rajaji was facing charges in the court of law under section 74 of salt law, Ponnusamy Pillai, the Magistrate of Vedaranyam, who eventually sentenced Rajaji for the “violation”, was in tears after signing the orders. Upon being asked by the magistrate what the sentence should be, Rajaji, being an eminent lawyer himself suggested it should be the most rigorous one. Rajaji was sentenced to Trichy central jail.
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| Kamaraja Nadar, ex CM, Tamil nadu Nadar Mahajana Sangam |
The prominent marchers included Kamaraj Nadar, Bakthavchalam, Kakkan, Madurai Vaidhyanatha Iyer, Rukmani Lakshmipathy (first woman to be sent to jail) and others. An interesting aspect of this salt march was the British were denied essential services. Barbers, washer-men, sweepers, attenders, janitors and others refused to cooperate with them. The British administration had begun to stink like skunk. Thus, our forefathers got us freedom from the British under the most difficult circumstances. But, unfortunately in the last two decades, the Indian political scenario has been not good because criminals have got into politics and presently at stake is the welfare of the people, in particular, people belonging to the lower strata of the society. Nowadays Indian politicians are more interested in amassing their personal wealth, than in nation building and people's welfare and their basic needs.The famous 2G scam under the Congress ministry headed by Manmohan Singh was shame on India, in particular, Tamil Nadu. A vast amount of money disappeared like the willo the wisp!!
http://navrangindia.blogspot.in/2015/06/vedaranyam-salt-march-april-301930-and.html
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/when-rajaji-defied-the-salt-law/article11629453.ece
