Rettamalai Srinivasan
| Rettamalai Srinivasan | |
|---|---|
| File:RettamalaiSrinivasan.JPG | |
| Born | 7 July 1859 Madras Presidency, India |
| Died | Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day Madras Presidency, India |
| Occupation | lawyer, journalist |
Diwan Bahadur R. Srinivasan (1860–1945), also known as Rettamalai Srinivasan, was a Paraiyar activist, politician and freedom fighter from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He is a Paraiyar icon and Mahatma Gandhi’s close associate,[1] remembered today as one of the pioneers of the Paraiyar movement in India.[2]
Early life
Rettamalai Srinivasan was born in 1860 in a poor Tamil family in Madras Presidency.[3] He was a brother-in-law of the famous Paraiyar activist Iyothee Thass. He worked as a translator in a South African court when Gandhi was practicing there as an advocate; he was instrumental in the father of the nation putting his signature in Tamil as ‘Mo.Ka. Gandhi’ (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in Tamil).[1][4]
Srinivasan established and led the Paraiyar Mahajana Sabha in 1891[5] which later became the Adi-Dravida Mahajana Sabha.[4][5] He founded a Tamil newspaper called Paraiyan in October 1893[4][6] which started selling as a monthly with four pages for the price of four annas.[7] However, Paraiyan experienced great difficulties in its early days.
Srinivasan was a participant in the freedom movement and an arrest warrant was issued against him claiming that he was fleeing the nation. In 1896, a case was filed against the newspaper and Srinivasan was dragged to the court citing a letter to the editor. The editor Srinivasan was fined Rs. 100 for his writings.[8]
Round Table Conference
Rettamalai Srinivasan represented the Paraiyars in the first two Round Table Conferences in London (1930 and 1931) along with Paraiyar leader Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.[9] In 1932, Ambedkar, M. C. Rajah and Rettamalai Srinivasan joined the board of the Servants of Untouchables Society established by Mahatma Gandhi.[10] However, shortly afterwards, the three of them withdrew from the Board.[10] In 1939, with Ambedkar's support, he established the Madras Province Scheduled Castes' Federation.[9]
Memorials
Commemorative stamps have been issued in memory of Rettamalai Srinivasan by the Department of Posts of the Government of India.[11] Cadres of the Viduthalai Siruthaigal party claimed to have discovered the remains of the Paraiyar leader in Otteri and constructed a memorial over his mortal remains and named it Urimai Kalam.[5] On 6 July 2011, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had directed that his birth anniversary on 7 July be observed as a government function and ministers to honour him by garlanding his statue located inside Gandhi Mandapam, Chennai.[1] Chief Minister Jayalailthaa has given a direction to this effect, according to an official release stated, The birth anniversary of Paraiyar leader Rettamalai Srinivasan (1859-1945) will be observed every year on 7 July by the State government.[12]
His grandson B. Parameswaran became a minister in the Government of Tamil Nadu and a member of the Indian parliament.
Notes
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Further reading
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Cotextualizing Dalit Movement in South India, Pg 10
- ↑ Talisman, Pg xxvi
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Thirumavalavan, Pg 227
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Thirumavalavan, Pg 44
- ↑ Talisman, Pg xxvii
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- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Cotextualizing Dalit Movement in South India, Pg 29
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