Students from the Harijan Sevalayam Boys Home led by members of Tamil Nadu Harijan Seva Sangam remembered freedom fighter A. Vaidyanatha Iyer by taking a procession on the Chithirai Streets around the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple here on Monday morning. The 155 student residents of the Sevalayam carried a portrait of Vaidyanatha Iyer and began their procession from their home premises at Shenoy Nagar and walked while singing Gandhian songs, including the bhajan ‘Raghupathi raghava raja ram.’
“If not for the struggles of Vaidyanatha Iyer to uplift the lower castes, Dalits would still not have been able to enter temples. Despite being from a higher caste himself, he did not worry about being ostracised from society and devoted himself to championing the cause of the downtrodden,” said R. Sreenivasan, secretary of Tamil Nadu Harijan Seva Sangam.
On July 8, 1939, the then president of Harijan Seva Sangam, A. Vaidyanatha Iyer, led a group of Dalits and Nadars into the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple. Following this, the entry of Dalits into Alagarkoil, Tirupparankundram, Palani, Srirangam and Srivilliputtur temples was made possible that year.
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The Temple Entry Authorisation and Indemnity Act was also passed by C. Rajagopalachari in 1939 where restrictions prohibiting Nadars and Dalits from entering temples were removed.
Awareness needed
“There is a need for awareness of the work of Vaidyanatha Iyer even in our own district from where he hails. When we were stopped by the police personnel during our procession, they said they did not know who he was,” Mr. Sreenivasan also noted.
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He further said that school students should be taught local history and about freedom fighters such as Vaidyanatha Iyer, who contributed towards Gandhiji’s freedom struggle by carrying forward his ideals in the State.
The students completed their procession at the statue of Vaidyanatha Iyer at East-North Chithirai Street junction and garlanded it.