NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN A TOWN IN MADRAS PRESIDENCY BETWEEN 1900 TO 1947

Monish, A.S.K.

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From sending warriors to the battle of Soremati the greatest ever battle fought in early medieval South India to sending the child prodigy and famous philosopher of the twentieth century Jiddu Krishnamurthi with Annie beasant as the next world teacher or the Maitreya as the theosophists called which he later declined, this settlement has been all through, to remembering the warriors who have paid down their valour in the cause of their emperors, their land and cattle to the remembrance of translating and setting tune to the national anthem. This place has been all there through History. 

After the British came to India and started taking control of the coastal centers for trade and then later expanding their base and power through they have looked up to their eyes towards south India as that time was there was no presence of central administration, the only largest empire the Vijayanagara have fallen prey to its internal politics and panch padushah’s of Deccan the major part of South was Independent and autonomous ruled mostly by the Nayakas who were the military officials appointed by the erstwhile Vijayanagara emperors and the palegars who were the administrators of the palems which were under the control of these petty chiefs who had control over hundred villages and having their own army called as the kattubadi Inamdars ^[1] who used to supply the army to this palegar as there were more than some over five hundred palegars in the modern Rayalaseema area or the ceded area of the Nizam of Hyderabad through Subsidiary alliance. As the British got control over this area they appointed Sir Thomas Munro, a Scottish soldier, to take control over this region.

Madanapalle situated in the arid region of Rayalaseema in the modern-day Andhra Pradesh stands apart from the hot and arid other parts of this region standing over 2280 feet above the mean sea level is a colder place in much when compared to the others. This town, a serene one which literally means the hamlet of the cupid^[2] as most of the people say because of its weather which stands apart, has been a natural attraction to the British officials as it had more pleasant weather than other regions. It naturally became the summer capital of the Cuddapah district and a contingent of the British army used to stay here as there were many mischievous polygars who used to rebel against the company very often. The abundance of hills and picturesque weather has attracted many British officials to settle down in later parts of their life. The theosophical society headquartered at Adyar, Madras exercised the greatest influence in this region. 

The theosophical society had established schools and rural education centers and educated many people in this region, even though there were few movements by the palegars for their independence in between the nineteenth century. But the nationalist movement only began in a larger way only in the twentieth century only after Annie Beasant established a College here in 1913 and the establishment of the Andhra provincial congress committee. The congress meetings after its establishment and many debates and discussions have happened in the town and the idea of nationalism was widely encouraged and the idea of nationalism was taken into the masses. Later the third session of congress which was held in Madras saw attendees from the town attending one of the prominent ones are T.Narayana Sastry who was considered to be the first prominent nationalist a first-grade pleader and R.Giri Rao a later theosophist has participated in the session^[3]. In the later sessions, there was a steady rise of attendees to the congress sessions. The taluk congress committees have actively worked in the national movement.

The Theosophical college was established by Annie beasant in 1913 affiliated with the University of Madras. It was the first college established in this region. The college has started playing its role in the independence struggle. The first movement held in the college was on June 16th 1917, when Annie Beasant in Madras, the government was under the pressure to curb the Home rule movement which was being organised by her. The students of the college were outraged towards her arrest and organised a protest against the British administration and demanded the release of Mrs Beasant. This movement was the first of its kind in the country to organise student protests where students were directly involved in a movement. The Madras presidential government has unaffiliated the college from the University of Madras. Disappointed by such an act of government, Annie Beasant named the college, Woods National college, after the famous English poet, who is also a faculty of the college and affiliated college to the National University which had been established by Beasant and made Rabindranath Tagore Chancellor of the University.

As a part of his south Indian tour, Tagore visited Madanapalle between February 15 to March 2nd and by the request of the principal James cousins and his wife Margaret cousins Tagore translated Jana Gana Mana originally a Bengali piece to English and asked Margaret cousins who was a music composer too to set the tune for the song which he named as the morning song of India and that song was sung for the first time^[4] in the weekly activity on 26th of February 1919 it was sung in room no 204 by Tagore himself saying the geography of the lands and rivers. Later Margaret cousins tuned in and sang there along with the students. That's how the national anthem of India was sung for the first time.

He was so impressed by the college, the activities and serene beauty called it the Shantiniketan of the south. In the later years, the original copy of Tagore's handwritten national anthem was sold to an American art collector to run the college which was denied grants by the madras government. Only a photostat copy stands there today. Through the years the college has been a center for nationalist activity not only in this town but for the whole region many national leaders have visited the college. Mahatma Gandhi visited and participated in a large public meeting in 1927 at the college grounds. As part of his khaddar fund collection campaign. He urged the people of the town only to use khaddar clothes and asked for donations for the khaddar fund, responding positively people of the town donated Rs. 2475-14-0^[5]. Which was the greatest sum collected in the whole Rayalaseema region at that time.^[6]

Many nationalist leaders such as S. Radhakrishnan, Babu Rajendra Prasad, C.Rajagopalachari, Sarojini Naidu. These were some of many others who have visited the college and spoken at the iconic Beasant hall, a masterpiece designed and executed by Mrs. Beasant, the college has been playing an active role in the movement. In 1942 students of the college played an important role and participated in the protests of the Quit India movement and followed the Kurnool circular for the quit India movement which acted as a guideline manual for the quit India movement. The prohibited material by the British government was often found in the college and town ravaging the officials^[7]. 

On 7th June 1942, Chittoor District friends of soviet union and china conference was held at Gandhi maidan in the town, where the local legislator D. Sitaramaiah along with Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy, who went on to become president of Independent India, and Vidwan Viswam a famous Telugu poet has warned of the attack of Japan on India and said India should be independent by then to face it. Lathi charges, Fines, and imprisonments were common ones and many students and the local merchants have actively participated in rallies, protests and boycotted and burnt foreign goods. Telegraph lines were cut in 1942 to avoid faster passage of the messages and breaking the Bridges and culverts to interrupt transportation have become a regular practice to collide with the British^[8]. This practice has continued until the independence of the nation.

The protests only came down after the declaration of Indian independence which was celebrated in a grand way by bursting crackers and sharing sweets even though the disappointment of partition had been present. This town like many others has contributed to the independence of India like many others around the nation. This attempt was just to observe the nationalist movement in the very interior and rural region and its impact. Advertising the observation of microhistory and its prospects and vision.

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^[1] Seshan K S S, Early anti British Revolts in Andhra 1766-1857, Gyan Publishing House, New Delhi, 2018 p. 101.

 

^[2] Hunter Wiliam Wilson, The Imperial Gazetteer of India Vol.16, Oxford Press, Clarendon, 1908, p. 227.

 

^[3] G, Samba Siva Reddy, and A. Ramanjul Reddy Indian National Congress and Nationalist Consciousness in Colonial “Rayalaseema”, 1885-1947. Proceedings of the Indian History Congress 74 (2013) p. 654.

 

^[4] K S S, Seshan. 2014. A Historic Journey. The Hindu (Anantapur), July 24, 2014. https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/a-historic-journey/article6245726.ece.

 

^[5]  C.B. Dalal (comp.) Gandhi 1915-1948, pp 423-433

 

^[6]  Reddy, G. Samba Siva. "GANDHI TOUR AND NATIONALIST CONSCIOUSNESS IN COLONIAL RAYALASEEMA, A.D.1921-1934." Proceedings of the Indian History Congress 77 (2016): p. 422

^[7] K S S, Seshan. 2014. A Historic Journey. The Hindu (Anantapur), July 24, 2014. https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/a-historic-journey/article6245726.ece.

 

^[8] 8) P, Raju Y. 2002. Response to Quit India Movement in Rayalaseema with Special Reference to the Kurnool Circular. Proceedings of the Indian History Congress Vol. 63, no. 2002 (May): p. 667.