A seminar organised here recently has shone the spotlight on unsung heroes and lesser-known details of the freedom movement in south India.
Organised by the Department of History, Pondicherry University, as part of the 70th Independence Day anniversary, the series of events included academic, curricular and extra-curricular activities.
Saroja Sundararajan, former Principal and Director of Kanchi Mamunivar Centre for Post-Graduate Studies, Puducherry brought out the significant roles of many lesser known personalities such as V.V.S Iyer and Vanchinathan.
The two revolutionary leaders who fought tooth and nail against the British Raj had succeeded in inculcating revolutionary ideas among the educated youth of their times, Ms. Sundararajan pointed out.
She narrated in detail how V.V.S Iyer escaped from the British police by disguising himself as a Muslim and a Sikh. He had the audacity to inform the British government about his arrival in Pondicherry. Vanchinathan is another revolutionary youth who fought against the British rule. She also revealed little-known aspects of the roles of personages such as Sri Aurobindo and Subramanya Bharathi in stoking the nationalist fervour.
“These events show how the revolutionary ideas influenced the educated youth during the freedom movement in India,” said Ms. Sundararajan.
Claude Arpi, Director, Pavilion of Tibetan Culture, Auroville, spoke on the “Decolonization of Pondicherry”. In his presentation, he described some of the important events that took place in Pondicherry after August 15, 1947 and before the merger of Pondicherry into the Indian Union. Citing from the archival records of the period, he discussed the role of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in creating Pondicherry as a ‘window of French Culture’ in India.
He also highlighted the need to start a school of French in Pondicherry University to cater to the research needs of both India and French students. He stressed the importance of the discipline of history in the contemporary times of globalisation wherein the regional treasure-troves of knowledge was getting obliterated.
P.Raja, Former Head, Department of English, Kanchi Mamunivar Center for Post-Graduate Studies, stressed the need to study the folklore and other oral traditions of the region for a better appreciation and understanding of the freedom movement in these parts.
R.Natarajan, Former Head, Department of History, Kanchi Mamunivar Center for Post-Graduate Studies, emphasised the importance of encouraging historical research in vernacular languages so that regional histories can be created which will add to the larger canvas of national and global histories.
He too highlighted the need to have a thorough knowledge of the historical processes to understand the causes and effects of many of the social problems of the present day society.
Prof. Venkata Raghotham, Dean, School of Social Sciences & International Studies, presided over the seminar. Prof. G. Chandhrika, Department of History and seminar coordinator, also spoke.
Earlier, inaugurating the ‘Azaadi-70’ celebrations and the photo exhibition, Prof. Anisa Basheer Khan, Vice-Chancellor of Pondicherry University, urged students to be vigilant against divisive forces and remain united to serve the nation as enlightened citizens.
The exhibition hosted by M. Murugesan, archivist, National Archives, Puducherry Branch, showcased the documents and photographs of the freedom movement in South India in general and Puducherry in particular.
An essay writing competition on Envisioning India in 2047, a quiz competition on India’s struggle for Independence, rendering of patriotic songs; and dance performances were also held as part of the programmes. A documentary film on “The Life of Subhas Chandra Bose and his Indian National Army” was also screened.
