Vanchinathan
Vanchinathan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Shankaran 1886 |
| Died | 17 June 1911(aged 24–25) |
| Cause of death | Suicide |
| Known for | Assassination of Robert Ashe |
| Movement | Indian independence movement |
| Spouse | Ponnamma |
Vanchinathan(1886 – 17 June 1911), popularly known asVanchi.He assassinated Robert Ashe, then district collector ofTirunelveli districton 17 June 1911 atManiyachchi railway station.Vanchinathan later committedsuicidelater while trying to evade arrest.
Early and personal life
[edit]Vanchinathan was born in 1886 in abrahminfamily inSengottai,Travancore,British India(presently inTenkasi districtofTamil Nadu).[1]His parents Raghupathy Iyer and Rukmani named him Shankaran.[2]He did his schooling in Sengottai before completing his bachelors degree.[3]He started his career as a temple accountant before he landed a government job in the Travancore forest department.[4]He married Ponnamma and the couple had a daughter who died as an infant.[5][6]
Indian freedom activism
[edit]Vanchinathan participated in activities against the British rule in India. He was trained in arms byVarahaneri Venkatesa Subrahmanya Iyer,another activist who sought violent means to defeat the British.[7][3]Nilakanta Brahmachariwas a compatriot ofSubramania Bharatiand worked as a sub-editor in the newspaper "India".[8]After theTinnevely riot of 1908,Brahmachari recruited youth to join his organization called "Bharatha Matha Sangam" and worked upon various methods as a protest to the British rule.[3]Vanchinathan's brother-in-law Shankara Krishna Iyer was part of the group headed by Brahmachari and introduced Vanchinathan to him.[4]
Assassination of Ashe
[edit]Robert Ashe was thendistrict collectorofTirunelveli district.He repressed theSwadeshi Steam Navigation Company,founded by Indian nationalistV. O. Chidambaram Pillai,which was supported by Indian merchants and gave employment to Indian workers.[2][5]He charged Chidambaram and fellow activistSubramaniya Sivawith sedition, for which they were arrested and convicted.[9]During the Tinnevely riots of 1908, he issued the order for the police to quell the riots by violence. He followed a policy of discrimination with Indians being barred atCoutrallamwhen the British accessed it.[10]In response to his actions, the revolutionary factions decided to assassinate him, and Vanchinathan, who was 25 years old, was chosen for the task.[5]Vanchinathan closely started following the activities of Ashe, while planning for the assassination. He learnt that Ashe would be traveling toMadrason 17 June 1911 viaManiyachchi railway station.[1]
On 17 June 1911, Ashe and his wife traveled fromTirunelvelito Maniyachchi via train to catch theBoat Mail ExpressfromCeylonto Madras. Unknown to them, Vanchinathan and fellow activist Madasamy had boarded the train at Tirunelveli, which started at 9:30. When the train reached Maniyachchi at 10:35, the men moved towards the first class compartment of the train, where Ashe was seated.[11]Vanchinathan took a pistol hidden in his coat and shot Ashe at point blank range twice to assassinate him.[4][2]He hid in thelavatoryof the train and shot himself to commitsuicidethereafter. As per the police report, he used aBrowningsemi-automatic pistol,procured byBhikaiji CamafromParis.His accomplice escaped, following the incident.[12][13]Vanchinathan's father refused to collect the body as he considered his act as againstBrahminism.[14]A letter was found in his pocket, in which he accused the British of destroying the country, claimed to have committed the assassination on his own accord and that he has done his part to drive the British out of the country.[15][11][5]
Legacy
[edit]
The assassination of Ashe was one of the significant events in the Indian independence movement inSouth India.It supported the rise of revolutionary movement which supported the use of arms as against the moderate movement propagated byGandhiand others.[16]Ashe was the first and last British high ranking official to be assassinated in South India during the rule of the British.[5]
The railway station in Tamil Nadu where he shot Ashe is named in his remembrance asVanchi Maniyachchi Junction railway station.[2]In 2010, theGovernment of Tamil Naduannounced that a memorial will be built in Sengottai at his birthplace.[17]The memorial was inaugurated in 2013.[18]Many streets and localities have been named after him.[19][20]
In theTamil filmKappalottiya Thamizhan(1961), based on the life of Chidambaram Pillai, the life of Vanjinathan and assassination event are showcased with actor Balaji playing the role of Vanchinathan.[21]
References
[edit]- ^abPramod Maruti Mande (2005).Sacred Offerings Into the Flames of Freedom.University of Michigan.p. 273-274.ISBN978-8-190-27740-2.
- ^abcd"Vanchi Maniyachi Junction: The saga of revolutionary freedom fighter".Government of India.2 February 2022.Retrieved1 December2023.
- ^abcB. S. Baliga (1998).Madras District Gazetteers: Tiruchirappalli.Superintendent, Government Press. p. 258-260.
- ^abc"Vanchinatha Iyer".Government of India.Retrieved1 December2023.
- ^abcdeA.R.Venkatachalapathy (9–15 January 2010). "In Search of Ashe".Economic and Political Weekly.45:37-44.JSTOR25663988.
- ^Jayamohan(16 August 2017)."The Hindu – Naalithazh Arathin Chaavu"[The Hindu - Daily Newspaper, Death of Ethical Code of Conduct] (in Tamil).Archivedfrom the original on 20 August 2017.Retrieved20 August2017.
- ^"Nationalist with a revolutionary approach".The Hindu.16 August 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 5 December 2007.Retrieved1 December2007.
- ^"Nilakanta Brahmachari".Government of India.Retrieved1 December2023.
- ^Muthiah, S. (17 July 2011)."Madras miscellany: The Ashe murder".The Hindu.
- ^"Freedom fighter Vanchinathan remembered".The Times of India.17 June 2015.Retrieved1 December2023.
- ^ab"The Freedom Movement's first political assassination in south India".The Hindu.12 August 2022.Retrieved1 December2023.
- ^"Ashe was shot on this day, 104 years back".The Hindu.17 June 2015.Retrieved1 December2023.
- ^"Centenary of a historical assassination today".The Hindu.17 June 2011.Retrieved1 December2023.
- ^Perachi Kannan (18 June 2011)."Late British officer's kin sent letter to killer's kin".Sunday Indian.Archived fromthe originalon 19 January 2021.Retrieved30 June2011.
- ^"Assassination of Robert Ashe".Government of India.28 September 2022.Retrieved1 December2023.
- ^Vijaya Ramaswamy (2017).Historical Dictionary of the Tamils.Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 139.ISBN978-1-538-10686-0.
- ^"Memorials-Budget speech".Government of Tamil Nadu.19 March 2010.Retrieved29 November2012.
- ^"Jayalalithaa opens Vanchinathan memorial in Shencottah".The Hindu.24 January 2013.Retrieved1 December2023.
- ^Oulgaret Municipality(PDF)(Report).Government of Puducherry.Retrieved1 December2023.
- ^"Tamil Nadu Real Estate Regulatory Authority".Government of Tamil Nadu.Retrieved1 December2023.
- ^"Kappalottiya Thamizhan (1961)".The Hindu.20 December 2014.Retrieved1 December2023.