That VOC
challenged the British Empire by running a ship, is a part of the history
books, confined of course to a few lines.
For that he has also been called ‘Kappalottiya Thamizhan’ (The Tamil man
who ran a ship)
But beyond
that, seldom we read through the events in detail.
A.R.
Venkatachalapathy has done extensive research for 40 years, of varied materials
from various places and persons and brought out the ‘SWADESHI STEAM’, recording
the turbulences that great man VOC, his family and compatriots faced in the
less than 4 years of the daring attempt to challenge the British on its waters –
just to run two ships between Tuticorin and Colombo.
The
partition of Bengal, the rise of the extremist faction in the Congress, advice
of Swami Ramakrishnananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa to
VOC to start a ship company, etc form the back drop.
The
unstinted support of Subramania Bharathi throughout the adventure, through his
articles, cartoons and appeals is well recorded.
The book
gives details of those persons and regions which contributed; hesitated to
contribute; or said would contribute, but did not.
VOC migrates
to Tuticorin after a tussle with a police man and coinciding with the death of his
first wife and re-marriage.
He starts
three Swadeshi organisations at Tuticorin: A weaving factory, a shipping line
and a Swadeshi emporium. His friends warn
him that starting a shipping line was tantamount to a common crow trying to imitate
a peacock.
His
undaunted spirit sees his negotiating the purchase of two ships, which face one
difficulty after another, in being run as well as when it runs. He is away at Bombay, with a vow to come back
only with the Ships, when his first son is seriously ill and his wife is
expecting to deliver his second child, any time. ‘In gratitude to
S.T.S.Arumugam Pillai, a Turicorin trader and director of SSNCo who assisted
the family at this crucial moment, VOC-following a Tamil convention-named his
son after him’, informs the author.
Though he is
not on the top of the list of Directors or Shareholders of the Swadeshi Steam
Navigation Company, perhaps deliberately, he was its very soul. It was he who mobilized support for the
company. It was he who did the publicity. It was he who conducted all negotiations and
took care of all requirements right from the Registration of the company to
purchase of the ships, to running its day to day affairs. It was he who also bore the entire brunt when
the Empire struck back. And more
humiliatingly, in spite of every one knowing that he was the chief protagonist of
the entire movement, to satisfy the ‘bosses’, he is forced to resign and yet
face legal proceedings for the losses of the company. At least the agony of Christ ends with
betrayal and crucification.
All of us
are somewhat aware of how much VOC was made to suffer at the Coimbatore
Prison. We do not know about the difficulties
faced by his family later. It requires a
stony heart to read through the ordeals faced by VOC’s wife, when he was
imprisoned at Cannanore. It is given in the Chapter ‘Running Aground’, in the
book.
The people gave
him support to run the steamers and when there was suppression by the Empire, corrupt
practices indulged in by the rival British steamer company and ultimately VOC
was got arrested, people revolted in a historic fashion. And for having shown the temerity to shut
down the shops and refuse food to the constables on duty, during the hartal when
VOC was arrested, hundreds of people were arrested and the people of the area
where forced to pay ‘punitive tax’ (‘Thimir vari’ in Tamil)
Right from
not having non-European people trained to run the ships (the Gallia and the
Lawoe), there were problems, unforeseen.
But it was surmounted by initially engaging Europeans and simultaneously
starting training centers to get Indians trained.
Competing
with English traders, that too on the seas and in which huge investments were
required, was no easy task. And getting
monetary support when particularly against the ruling establishment was all the
more daunting.
The book
also gives details of previous such indigenous shipping ventures which had been
commenced and had perished.
But, this
venture had a difference: ‘It seemed as though the Swadeshi Company was
propelled by patriotism and not steam’ says the author. VOC had prayed to Lord
Muruga at Tiruchendur before he embarked on his journey to procure the ships,
and when it was taking time, he wrote in a letter, ‘God has promised to give me
whatever money I require for the cause of the country’.
As is the
case in any organization, till date, the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company was
felled only by the division between two segments – one which wanted to stick to
the ideals for which the company was floated, i.e. to keep the flag of swadeshi
flying high - and the other which wanted to play moderate and protect the material
interests of the company alone. While
VOC was the vanguard of the first category, one K.R.Gurusamy Aiyar, who was
part of the project all along and up to its very end was the head of the second
category. But as is natural, the name of
Gururamy Aiyar has been consigned to the dust bin of history.
It appears
that every organization faces this problem.
First, it is created for a particular purpose, then some others who join
it want to run it only for its profit.
‘In his
autobiography, VOC states with pain that, as the company made steady progress,
those who had earlier discouraged him, now went to the extent of conspiring
with BI from at least the latter part of 1907 if not earlier’. This is another
typical phenomenon, faced by any organization with some ideals, till date.
The author
notes about Arthur Lawley during whose period as governor of the Madras Presidency
till 1912, the ‘movement’ had been crushed and that his repressive nature
notwithstanding, Lawley figures benignly in some of R.K. Narayan’s Malgudy
stories with a road named after him and a statute in his honour. (Incidentally, in Coimbatore we have a real
Lawley Road, though no statue of his is known to be there)
It is the
combination of this Lawley with Robert Willaim D’Escourt Ashe as collector and
magistrate of Tuticorin which conducted the entire suppression which lead to a
revolt and later the assassination of Ashe at Manayachi Railway Station by
Vanchi Nathan – again while there is a memorial for Ashe, none was made of
Vanchi, the author notes.
Those who
are desirous of knowing how any power, whether indigenous or foreign, imperial
or otherwise would act to suppress any force that rises against, what methods
would be adopted, who could be the victims of the scheme- siding with them and
opposing them, what are the pitfalls of organizing humans for any particular
purpose, should read this well researched document.
It will
demonstrate how history has to progress in spite of constant attempts at
betrayals.
