V.V.S. Iyer
- Context: On the occasion of the death anniversary of V.V.S. Iyer—a freedom fighter and renowned writer—the Vice President of India paid tribute to him.
About V.V.S. Iyer (1881–1925)
Birth and Early Life
- Full Name: Varahaneri Venkatesa Subramaniam Iyer (V.V.S. Iyer)
- Born: April 2, 1881, Varahaneri, Trichy.
- He completed his legal studies and practiced as a lawyer.
- He was a polyglot, proficient in several languages including Tamil, English, Sanskrit, French, and Latin.
Life in London and the Revolutionary Path
-
- In 1907, he enrolled at Lincoln’s Inn in London to pursue his legal studies.
- His meeting with Vinayak Damodar Savarkar there proved to be a turning point in his life.
- He served as a key member of the ‘India House’ revolutionary movement.
- As a revolutionary freedom fighter, during his three-year stay in London, he abstained from food on more than 600 occasions; he utilized the money saved through these fasts to purchase arms and ammunition.
- He assisted in translating Savarkar’s book, The Indian War of Independence, from Marathi into English.
The Puducherry Period (1910–1920)
- Fleeing from an arrest warrant issued by the British government, he escaped to Puducherry.
- There, he collaborated with Subramania Bharati and Sri Aurobindo to engage in activities aimed at national liberation
- He lived in Puducherry for approximately 10 years.
Contribution to the Freedom Struggle
-
- A nationalist leader who advocated for armed revolution.
- In 1911, Robert William Ashe served as the District Collector and District Magistrate of the Tirunelveli district.
- He did everything within his power to dismantle the ‘Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company,’ which had been founded by V.O. Chidambaram Pillai; furthermore, he played a pivotal role in ensuring V.O.C. was imprisoned.
- This act ignited a desire for vengeance among the revolutionaries.
- Preparations to assassinate Ashe began as early as January 1911. Vanchinathan was selected to carry out this mission.
- He received marksmanship training from V.V.S. Aiyar and Muthukumarasamy Pillai, a school teacher from the local region.
- He provided arms training to young men in the service of India’s independence struggle.
Contributions to Tamil Literature
- He is hailed as the “Father of the Modern Tamil Short Story.
- He translated the Thirukkural into English.
- He translated Rabindranath Tagore’s story, Kabuliwala, into Tamil.
- He authored a scholarly treatise on the Kamba Ramayanam.
- He wrote biographies of Garibaldi and Guru Gobind Singh.
Journalism and Politics
- He served as the editor of the journal Deshabhakthan.
- In 1921, he was arrested on charges of sedition and served a prison sentence of nine months.
Significance
- A prominent revolutionary freedom fighter from Tamil Nadu.
- A multifaceted personality who was an armed revolutionary, writer, translator, and journalist.
- He made indelible contributions to both the Indian independence movement and the growth of Tamil literature.
Perumal Varadarajulu Naidu
-
- Perumal Varadarajulu Naidu (4 June 1887 – 23 July 1957) was a physician, freedom fighter, politician, and journalist.
- Founder of The Indian Express (1931/32) and Tamil weekly Tamil Nadu (1925).
-
- Joined the Indian National Congress; gave up medical practice in 1917 to join the freedom struggle.
- Participated in the Indian Home Rule Movement.
- Opposed caste-based discrimination in the Cheranmadevi Gurukulam along with Periyar E. V. Ramasamy.
- Supported temple-entry movements for marginalized communities.
- Known as a labour leader and advocate for handloom workers and small-scale industries.
