V.O.Chidambaram Pillai Freedom fighter of Tamilnadu fought against British Paramountcy

1. Dr.B.Athmanathan
Research Coordinator
Centre for Historical Research
Mannar Thirumalai Naicker College
Pasumalai
Madurai - 4
V.O.Chidambaram Pillai

3. Born On: September 5, 1872
Born In: Ottapidaram, Tamil Nadu, India
Died On: November 18, 1936
Career: Lawyer, Politician
Nationality: Indian

4. V. O. Chidambaram Pillai, popularly
known by his initials V.O.C, was one of the most
prominent lawyers in 19th century British India.
While V. O. Chidambaram Pillai provided a
strong leadership to trade unions functioning in
his native state Tamil Nadu and also fought for
India's freedom from the British, he is best
remembered as the man who set up the first
indigenous shipping service between Tuticorin
and Colombo.

5. Owing to V. O. Chidambaram Pillai's
rebellious attitude and his courage to act against
the British government, the English stripped the
title of barrister associated with his name. It was
his brave nature that won V.O.C the name
'Kappalottiya Tamilian' in Tamil Nadu, which
translates to 'The Tamil Helmsman' in English.

6. Childhood and Legal Career
V. O. Chidambaram Pillai was born on September
5, 1872 in the town of Ottapidaram in Tuticorin district
of Tamil Nadu. His father Olaganathan Pillai was one of
the most important lawyers of the country and it was in
his father's footsteps that V.O.C followed after
completion of his education. V. O. Chidambaram Pillai
enrolled in schools in his native Ottapidaram and nearby
Tirunelveli. V.O.C started working in the Ottapidaram
district administrative office after the end of his school
education.

7. Career in Politics
V. O. Chidambaram Pillai entered into
active politics in the year 1905 by becoming a
member of the Indian National Congress. The
Swadeshi movement in India was already at its
hilt during this time and leaders like Lala Lajpat
Rai and Bal Gangadhar Tilak were trying their
best to put an end to British Imperial coercion of
trade.

8. The same cause which would also ensure
the safety of traditional Indian industries and
communities dependent on them was being
championed by Aurobindo Ghosh, Subramanya
Siva and Subramanya Bharathi through the
Madras Presidency. V.O.C then decided to join
the Indian National Congress and fight along
with other members of the Madras Presidency.
He later presided over the Salem District session
of the INC.

9. Shipping Company
After joining the Indian National Congress, V. O.
Chidambaram Pillai wholeheartedly immersed himself
into Swadeshi work to secure independence for India. Part
of his Swadeshi work was to put an end to the monopoly
of British shipping in the coasts of Ceylon. Inspired by
freedom fighter Ramakrishnananda, he set up the
Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company on November 12,
1906. With the help of other Swadeshi members
Aurobindo Ghosh and Bal Gangadhar Tilak, V.O.C
bought two steamships S. S. Gaelia and S. S. Lawoe to
start his shipping company. Much to the annoyance of the
British government and British traders, V.O.C's ships
started regular services between Tuticorin and Colombo.

11. His shipping company was not only a commercial
venture, it was also the first comprehensive shipping
service set up by an Indian in British India. The
Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company gave stiff
competition to the British India Steam Navigation
Company, due to which the latter had to reduce fares per
trip. While V.O.C responded by reducing his rates even
further than that of the British India Steam Navigation
Company, he could not afford their tactics of offering
free rides and umbrellas to passengers, thus taking the
Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company on the verge of
bankruptcy

12. Nationalistic Spirit
V. O. Chidambaram Pillai aimed at expanding
the reach of Swadeshi in the country and making the
common Indian man aware of the faulty British
government. It is for this purpose that V.O.C took
the support of workers of Coral Mills in Tirunelveli.
The British authorities had already taken a disliking
towards Pillai and this act compelled them to arrest
V.O.C on March 12, 1908 on charges of sedition
against the government. Violence erupted in the
state after the arrest of V.O.C. Clashes between
police and common men followed, leading to the
death of four people..

13. Though his actions were vehemently
condemned by British authorities, V.O.C got the
support of the press in the country which praised
his nationalistic spirit elaborately. While the British
were trying their best to prosecute V.O.C, Indians in
the country as well as in South Africans were
accumulating funds to free him from prison.
Mahatma Gandhi, then staying in South Africa, also
had collected money and sent it to India to fund the
defense of V O C. After his arrest, Pillai was housed
at the Central Prison in Coimbatore from July 9,
1908 to December 1, 1910. The British had slapped
a sentence of life imprisonment on V.O.C, clearly
indicating that they were afraid of his rebellious
spirit

14. During his days in prison, V O Chidambaram
Pillai did not receive the treatment shown to other
political prisoners; rather he was made to engage in
hard labor in prison just like other convicts. The
hard work took a toll on his health and the gradual
deterioration of his condition forced the British
authorities to release him from prison on December
12, 1912. While in prison, V O Chidambaram Pillai
continued with his Swadeshi activities through legal
petitions. Cruel circumstances struck him when V O
Chidambaram Pillai was released from prison.

15. Instead of a large gathering of supporters
which he had expected in front of the jail gates,
there was an eerie silence. The title of barrister
was taken away from him, meaning that V.O.C
could not practice law anymore. The Swadeshi
Steam Navigation Company was also liquidated
in the year 1911, so V.O.C was left a poor man.
V O Chidambaram Pillai settled in Madras with
his wife and two children and became the leader
of various trade unions and labour welfare
organizations in Madras. In the year 1920, V O
Chidambaram Pillai presided over the Calcutta
session of the Indian National Congress.

18. Literary Works
Apart from his works as an eminent lawyer
and a politician, V O Chidambaram Pillai was
also a scholar. He started his autobiography
while in prison and completed it soon after his
release in the year 1912. V O Chidambaram Pillai
was the author of a couple of novels; he
translated several James Allen works in Tamil
and made compilations of important Tamil
works like the Thirukural and the Tolkappiam.

19. Personal Life
V O Chidambaram Pillai married Valliammai
in the year 1895, but she died prematurely in the
year 1901. He married Meenakshi Ammaiar a few
years later. The couple had four sons and four
daughters. His eldest son died when still a child, the
second son was a politician, the third son was the
employee of the American Embassy in Madras and
the fourth son, still alive is settled in Madurai. All
his daughters had been married in Madras. The
descendants of V.O.C Pillai still live in various
places across Tamil Nadu.

20. Death
V O Chidambaram Pillai spent such an
impoverished lifestyle after he was released from
prison that Justice Wallace who sentenced V O C
to prison restored his bar license. But V O C was
never successful in repaying his debts and lived
in poverty till the end of his life on November
18, 1936. V O Chidambaram Pillai breathed his
last at the Indian National Congress office in
Tuticorin.

21. Commemorations
Vallinayagam Olaganathan Chidambaram
Pillai is remembered as one of the most
important figures in India's struggle for
independence. He is much loved and celebrated
in the Tamil Nadu society till today.

23. • He was given the title of 'Kappalottiya Tamilan’, or the Tamil
Helmsman; or one who drives the ship and shows the direction.
• The Tuticorin port was renamed as V.O.C Port after independence in
fond remembrance of V.O.C.
• V.O.C has a college in Tuticorin named after him.
• A special postage stamp was released by the Indian Posts &
Telegraphs department to mark the birth centenary of Vallinayagam
Olaganathan Chidambaram Pillai on September 5, 1972.
• V.O.C Park and V.O.C Grounds are the most important public park
and meeting ground in Coimbatore.
• The Central Prison in Coimbatore where the revolutionary was
housed has a monument constructed inside the prison premises
dedicated to him.
• The connecting bridge between Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai has
been named the V.O.C Bridge.
• The 1961 Tamil movie 'Kappal’ottiya Thamizlan’ is based on the life
story of Vallinayagam Olaganathan Chidambaram Pillai. It stars
Sivaji Ganesan in the lead rol

24. Timeline
1872: Vallinayagam Olaganathan Chidambaram Pillai was
born on September 5.
1895: Married Valliammai.
1901: His wife died of illness.
1905: Joined politics by becoming a member of the Indian
National Congress.
1906: Started his shipping company Swadeshi Steam
Navigation Company on November 12.
1908: Was arrested on charges of sedition on March 12.
1908: Sent to the Central Prison in Coimbatore on July 9.
1911: His shipping company Swadeshi Steam Navigation
Company is liquidated.
1912: Released from prison on December 12.
1920: Presided over the Calcutta session of INC.
1936: Died on November 18.