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Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) President MK Stalin on Saturday highlighted the multifaceted legacy of the iconic leader, freedom fighter VO Chidambaram Pillai (VOC), recalling both his historic contributions to India's independence movement and his literary and labour-rights achievements on his birth anniversary.
Pillai challenged British colonial rule by launching the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company to break the British maritime monopoly, enduring severe hardship and hard labour during his imprisonment for the national movement. In a post on X, Stalin requested the TVK government, "on this eternally unfading birthday of Chidambaram Pillai from the minds of Tamils, not to abandon it but to fulfill it!" Beyond his revolutionary activism, Chidambaram Pillai wrote detailed commentaries on the Thirukkural, published works on the Tolkappiyam, translated prominent English books into Tamil, and actively championed workers' rights. "He drew the flag for the nation's liberation, shed red blood, and launched a ship against the British. Is that all, V.O.C.? He wrote commentaries on the Thirukkural, published commentaries on the Tolkappiyam, translated English books, and on that very day fought for workers' rights," said Stalin. Highlighting the actions taken over the past five years under the DMK's "Dravidian Model" governance, Stalin noted that various public initiatives have been implemented to take VOC's life, sacrifices, and literary works to the broader public. "In such a multifaceted personality, over the past 5 years, through numerous #DravidianModel initiatives, we have honored the red-blooded leader who drew the flag, ensuring his life and works reach everyone," added MK Stalin. Stalin reiterated the pledge to construct a dedicated memorial honouring the historical 1908 Tirunelveli uprising, a pivotal event linked to V.O.C.'s arrest and the freedom struggle, urging that the project be fully realised to keep the leader's memory unfading in the minds of the Tamil people. "Along with that, we also announced a memorial for the 1908 Tirunelveli uprising," added MK Stalin. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu ministers attended a tribute programme organised on the occasion of Pillai's 155th birth anniversary at the Gandhi Mandapam Complex in Guindy today. Born on September 5, 1872, V.O. Chidambaram Pillai, popularly known as Kappalottiya Tamizhan (The Tamil Helmsman), was a prominent freedom fighter, lawyer, and industrialist from Tamil Nadu who challenged the British maritime monopoly. Pillai founded the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company in October 1906 to break the commercial dominance of the British India Steam Navigation Company on the Tuticorin-Colombo sea route. He was subsequently arrested in March 1908 on charges of sedition and sentenced to harsh imprisonment. Pillai passed away on November 18, 1936. (ANI)
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