DHEEKSHITHAR THAATHAA ( 3 )

                           DHEEKSHITHAR THAATHA (3 )

                     Before plunging into political mainstream G had occasion to  work for a few years in one George Middle School at Kallidaikurichi ,started in honour of George V II who assumed charge as successor of Victoria Maharaniar..After resigning as a teacher ,he enrolled himself in the early years of 20th century as an official  member of the Indian National Congress which had been found in tne year 1885. At a stage the protesters even planned to kill the British administraters as their atrocities increased day by day..There was one Ash Durai who was the then Collector of Thirunelveli area  who was  giving a lot of pinpricks to all and  especially to V O C..He began to arrest protesters using forcces .About 12 persons including G volunteered to do away with him .They plotted to killl him  while travelling in a train but finally Vanchinathan of Shenkottai was chosen 'for the job..Sankarippaatti  did not like  the idea of choosing Vanchinathan since he was then  married for one and half years only and his wife was carrying .She preferred her own husband to go.But Vanchinathan prevailed and  ultimately shot Ash Durai inside the train at Maniyachi station near Thirunelveli and shot himself too. In memory of this great patriot  Maniyachi railway station has been named after him.In such a situation they were all wanted persons had to spend most of the time in jungles in  order to escape arrest.Women also played their roll in the freedom struggle either involving directly or giving valuable support to their kith and  kin.Sankarippaatti belonged to  the second category.. Ladies  headed by her collected groceries from available houses and  kept food ready for the suddenly appearing hiders with hungry stomachs and  fed them before they vanish back in to the forest. She was fondly called AKKAPPAATTI and  G  was called ANNATHAATHAA.( The names were coined by Sri.A.N Sivaraman ) 

                                  Mahathma Gandhi who was practicing as a lawyer in South Africa studied the sufferings undergone there by the Indians settled in South Africa engineered by the ruling British  on the basis of skin colour..Gandhi ,successfully faught against the injustice prevailing there with the help of some friends there and also by  his own high moral standards and principles. After mitigating the sufferings of South African Indians to a considerable extent, he returned to India which was waiting with the Freedom Movement already at hand ready to embrace him He joined the Congress and acted as catalist to give more strength to the organisation.He travelled through the length and breadth of the country and created a mass movement.He visited South India a number of times and held many Conventions with  the assistance of Sri.Rajagopalachari.Sathyamoorthy ,Kamaraj ,Bhakthavathsalam, C.Subramaniyam and others., G had the golden opportunity of mingling with these great stalwarts from whom  he learnt a lot of  things.From  Gandhi he learnt many good things. Being simple,wearing only hand spun and hand woven KHADI dress and not to wear shirts (  as Gandhi used  to be ) .The spirit of self service and at the same time serving others were  his moto. In  Kallidaikurichi , G introduced the system of Umber charka  which is a small mechanism to spin and produce thread from cotton with  thakli and spindle in Kallidaikurichi and got a number of local people involved in this process.The cotton thread spun were supplied to  the local  handloom  weavers and their economy was taken care of  thereby.In the year 1935 a building was raised at Ambasamudram to commemorate the completion of 50 years since the inception of .the Indian National Congress., . which was being called " Pon Vizha Mandapam " The Congress members used to have regular meetings there to  chart out their activities then and there. The name of  the school originally called George Middle School Kallidaikurichi was changed to THILAKAR VIDHYAALAYAM .In these and  other innumerable activities the roll played by G was stupendous.

                                                                                                       (to  be continued )