V.O. Chidambaram 151st Birth Anniversary

Thousands of people gathered at the Coimbatore Central Prison to pay homage to freedom fighter V. O. Chidambaram on his 151^st birth anniversary.

Who was V. O. Chidambaram?

• VallinayagamOlaganathan Chidambaram Pillai (VOC)was popularly known as KappalottiyaTamilan (The Tamil Helmsman).
• C Chidambaram Pillai was born on 5th September 1872 to an eminent lawyer Olaganathan Pillai and ParamyeeAmmai in Ottapidaram, Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu.
• He graduated from Caldwell College, Tuticorin. Before beginning his law studies, he worked for a brief period as the taluk office clerk.
• He died on 18th November 1936 in the Indian National Congress Office at Tuticorin as was his last wish.
  

Entry in Politics:

• He entered politics in 1905 following the partition of Bengal.
• By the end of 1905, he visited Madras and was drawn closer to the Swadeshi Movement initiated by Bal GangadharTilak and LalaLajpat Rai.
• He was drawn towards Ramakrishna Mission and came into contact with SubramaniaBharati and the Mandayam family.
• By 1906, he won the support of merchants and industrialists in Tuticorin and Tirunelveli for the idea of establishing a Swadeshi merchant shipping outfit by the name of the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company.
• He established many institutions like Swadeshi Prachar Sabha, DharmasangaNesavuSalai, National Godown, Madras Agro-Industrial Society Ltd, and 
• Even before Gandhiji’sChamparan Satyagraha (1917),he took up the cause of the working class in Tamil Nadu, and thus he is a forerunner to Gandhiji in this respect.
• He along with other leaders resolved to take out a mammoth procession on the morning of 9th March 1908 to celebrate the release of Bipin Chandra Pal from jail and to hoist the flag of Swaraj.