GANDHIJI'S  VISIT  TO  TRANQUEBAR

Prof. P. Maria Lazar

When Gandhiji died Albert Einstein paid his tributes in the following words – “The Future generation will scarce believe such a man ever walked the Earth". Do you know that such a person visited Tranquebar with a specific mission in 1915? One should know the local history because it is said that a person ignorant of the local history is like a man who does not know his family geneology.

After the Satyagraba Struggle in South Africa Gandhiji returned to India on 9.1.1915 with the determination to free India from the shackles of the colonial rule. Gokhale advised him to undertake an extensive tour through the length and breadth of India before launching any specific action programme.

Heeding the advice of Gokhale, Gandhiji began the first phase of his tour within months of his return from South Africa. After visiting many places in the North, Gandhiji came to Madras on 17.4.1915 and remained there up to 29.4.1915 meeting various leaders, Associations, groups, and the public etc.

Straight from Madras Gandhiji wanted to come to Tranquebar because visit to Tranquebar was long pending on his agenda. There were reasons for it. From Tranquebar area a large number of people had gone to South Africa and settled there as Traders ,clerks, mine workers During the Satyagraha Struggle led by Gandhiji in South Africa, these Tamils from Tranquebar area took active part and many of them had to lose their precious lives. Many of them were personal friends of Gandhiji and they were subsequently deported to India by the British colonial Government in South Africa. These deported families after coming back to India had settled in villages around Tranquebar. One among them was T.A. Subramania Achariar, a native of Thillaiyadi who had been persistently Writing to Gandhiji to come to Thillaiyadi and visit the families deported from South Africa. Gandhiji was also very eager to meet his old friends.

Therefore on 30.4.1915 Gandhiji came to Mayuram by thc Tuticorin express with Kasturba and V.S. Srinivasa Shastri and reached Tranquebar in a Chariot drawn by hvo horses. When he came to Tranquebar it was about 9.30 a.m. A big crowd had been waiting to see Gandhiji at the Fort ground. When they had the glimpse of Gandhiji, shouts of joy and jubiliation rented the air and reverberated and a rousing reception was given to Gandhiji with Band music and fire crackers. Among the crowd there were more than a hundred South Africea returned Satyagrahis. Gandhiji met each of the Satyagrahis, and enquired about their health and conditions and recalled and shared with them those dayS in South Africa. He also met the widow of one Selvam who was shot dead in South Africa by the European estate owners. Gandhiji consoled her. During the day there was a steady stream of visitors and in the evening at 5 p.m. a public meeting was held in the Fort Ground and nearly three thousand people attended the meeting. Gandhiji, Srinivasa Sashtri and others spoke. In the meeting a memorandum was submitted to Gandhiji by the dalits describing their sub-human conditions, the harassment by caste Hindus, their helplessness and the need for Gandhiji's intervention. Gandhiji was deeply pained to learn about these unfortunate situations. He admonished the caste Hindus to treat the dalits with human diginity and promised to fight for the cause of the dalits.

After the meeting in the night Gandhiji and Kasturba were taken in a procession in the Chariot through the important streets of Tranquebar.

The next day on 1.5.1915 Gandhiji wanted to visit Thillaiyadi as per the request of T.A. Subramani Achariar. On his way to Thillaiyadi Gandhiji passed through the important streets of Porayar and a reception was accorded to him by the public of Porayar.

In Thillaiyadi an emotional and touching reception was given to Gandhiji under the leadership of Subramania Achariar. Gandhiji visited the families of Sathyagrahis and the house of Selvam and consoled the widow again and got her consent to take One of her sons named Naiker to Sabarmathi Ashram and promised to send her Rs.5 every month for her day to day expenses.

It is said that Thillaiyadi was the first village Gandhiji visited in Tamil Nadu

Incidentally at Thi1laiyadi Gandhiji had the opportunity to see for himself the sad plight of the Dalits. The sub-human conditions, the thatched mud huts devoid of any basic facility, their social segregation, their innocence and ignorance, their timidity and helplessness touched Gandhiji to the marrow. It is believed by historians that his visit to Thillaiyadi was instrumental in making him take a vow to dedicate himself for the upliftment and welfare of the Harijans in India.

It was 3 p.m. with a heavy heart Gandhiji took leave of his old friends and proceeded to Mayuram.

SOURCE:

 l. A. Ramasamy - "Thamizh Naatil Gandhi"
2. M. K Gandhi - "An Auto - Biography".