A documentary commemorating the efforts of freedom fighters from the Thevar community was released on Sunday, on the 15{+t}{+h}anniversary of the Marathiya Manila Thevar Munnetra Peravai, an association of the community in Mumbai. Titled ‘Contributions of the Thevar Community to the Indian Freedom Movement’, the 20-minute documentary gives a glimpse of the role people from the community played in the freedom struggle.
At a function at Shanmukhananda auditorium, the contributions of five Thevar freedom fighters were commemorated in the presence of over 2,500 members from the community. Puli Thevar, for instance, is considered as the first south Indian to rebel against the British rule. He fought during the 1750s and until the late 1760s.
Varadarajan, founder president of Marathiya Manila Thevar Munnetra Peravai, said, “At a time when women were oppressed, Rani Velu Nachiyar valiantly fought in the 1740s, opposing the taxes levied by the British.” The Marudhu Pandiyar brothers — Periya Marudhu and Chinna Marudhu — who were hanged due to their revolutionary acts, issued a proclamation of independence from the British in 1801. Another freedom fighter, Pasumpon Muthuramalingam Thevar, was mentioned for the role he played in garnering support from south India for Subhash Chandra Bose.
Mr Varadarajan said Thevars had in fact vehemently opposed the British rule nearly a century before the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. Madhoo of Roja fame was felicitated at the event. The celebration began with a cultural programme, followed by the screening of the documentary. The photographs of the freedom fighters were also unveiled.
The writer is an intern with The Hindu
