Thoothukudi Collector lauds VOC’s courage on his 152nd birth anniv
The Collector along with officials paid a visit to the memorial of VOC built in his birth place of Ottapidaram in Thoothukudi district and garlanded the freedom fighter’s statue.
Selvi, great granddaughter of VOC, being honoured at Ottapidaram on Tuesday
MADURAI: On the 152nd birth anniversary of freedom fighter VO Chidambaram Pillai, freedom fighter VO Chidambaram Pillai praised his courage challenging the British monopoly in maritime trade and passenger vessels industry, during that era.
The Collector along with officials paid a visit to the memorial of VOC built in his birth place of Ottapidaram in Thoothukudi district and garlanded the freedom fighter’s statue.
The Collector recalled VOC’s courageous act of competing with the British, who had a monopoly in the seas, by launching the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company in 1906 between Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu and Colombo in Sri Lanka.
“VOC’s name will be etched forever in the history of the Indian freedom struggle,” he added.
The Collector then honoured VOC’s great granddaughter Selvi with a shawl on the occasion. The officials had a look at the portraits of VOC, highlighting the freedom fighter’s life history, displayed at the memorial.
The birth anniversary of VOC was celebrated in Madurai and across southern districts on Tuesday. At Simmakkal in Madurai, tributes were paid to the freedom fighter by garlanding his statue. The celebrations were more special in Ottapidaram, where he was born on this day in 1872.
After his schooling, VOC was employed as a clerk in Ottapidaram Taluk office for a brief while before going to Tiruchy to study law in 1894. He returned to his native district Thoothukudi to practise law in 1900.
He was also a member of the Madurai Tamil Sangam. MC Shunmugaiah, Ottapidaram MLA, C Ajay Srinivasan, District Revenue Officer, Maniyachi DSP Lokeshwaran, Kovilpatti RDO Jane Christy Bai and others were also present at the celebrations in Thoothukudi.
