Vanchinatha Iyer (Sankara Iyer)
- Context: Vice President paid floral tributes to Freedom Fighter Vanchinathan on his death anniversary at Uprashtrapati Bhavan.
Early Life and Background:
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- Birthplace: Shenkottai, Tamil Nadu.
- Family: He was the son of Shri Raghupathy Iyer
- Education: He studied up to primary school level
- Occupation: After completing his schooling, he worked in the Forest Department
Role in the Freedom Struggle
- He took part in revolutionary movements against British rule in India
Assassination of Robert Ashe and Its Consequences
- Assassination of Robert Ashe: On 17 June 1911, at the age of 25, Vanchinatha Iyer shot and killed Robert Ashe, the District Collector of Tirunelveli, also called “Collector Dorai”
- The incident occurred at Maniyachi Railway Station when Ashe was travelling to kodaikanal.
- Aftermath: Soon after carrying out the attack, Vanchinatha Iyer ended his life.
Revolutionary Network and Bharatha Matha Sangam
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- Nilakanta Brahmachari played a major role in recruiting revolutionaries across the Madras Presidency and planning attacks on British officials.
- Connections: Shankar Krishna Iyer, who was Vanchinatha’s brother-in-law, introduced him to Nilakanta Brahmachari.
- Organization: Vanchinatha Iyer, along with Nilakanta Brahmachari, Shankar Krishna Iyer, and others, established the Bharatha Matha Sangam
- This group was involved in planning assassinations of important British officials.
Honour and Remembrance
- The Maniyachi Railway Station, where the assassination took place, was later renamed Vanchi Maniyachi in his memory.
Rani Lakshmibai
- Context: Home Minister paid homage to the great warrior queen Rani Lakshmibai on her martyrdom day.
Early Life
- She was born on 19 November 1828 in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
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- Her father was Moropant Tambe.
- Her birth name was Manikarnika, and she was lovingly called “Manu.”
- She had a son named Damodar Rao, who passed away within four months of his birth.
- After this loss, the Maharaja adopted a relative’s child, Anand Rao, who was renamed Damodar Rao shortly before the Maharaja’s death.
Role in India’s Freedom Struggle:
- Rani Lakshmibai was one of the most courageous figures in India’s struggle for independence.
- In 1853, after the death of the Maharaja of Jhansi, Lord Dalhousie rejected the adopted heir and applied the Doctrine of Lapse to annex Jhansi.
- She strongly resisted the British and fought to protect her kingdom from being taken over. She attained martyrdom on 18 June 1858 while fighting on the battlefield.
- When the Indian National Army formed its first women’s unit in 1943, it was named in honour of the brave Queen of Jhansi.
