Chennai Port Celebrates 154th Birth Anniversary of Kappalotiya Thamizhan V.O. Chidambaranar
Chennai:
Port Wings News Network:
Chennai Port Authority on 5 September 2025 celebrated the 154th Birth anniversary of Kappalotiya Thamizhan V.O. Chidambaranar.
Sunil Paliwal IAS, Chairperson, S. Murali Krishnan IDAS, Chief Vigilance Officer, Heads of Departments and Officers/Staff of Chennai Port Authority paid floral tributes to the photograph of Kappalotiya Thamizhan V.O. Chidambaranar at Chennai Port Premises.
Background about Kappalottiya Thamizhan
Vallinayagam Olaganathan Chidambaram Pillai, popularly known as Kappalottiya Thamizhan, was born on 5 September 1872, in Ottapidaram, Tamil Nadu, to Olaganathan Pillai and Paramayee Ammal. A lawyer by profession, he studied at various schools in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli, passing his pleadership exam in 1894 and practicing law in Ottapidaram and Tirunelveli.
Inspired by Swami Ramakrishnananda and influenced by Tamil poet Bharathiyar and freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak, he joined the Indian National Congress and entered politics after the 1905 Bengal partition.
In 1906, he founded the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company, the first indigenous Indian shipping service between Tuticorin and Colombo, challenging British trade monopoly, earning his iconic title.
He led the 1908 Coral Mill strike in Thoothukudi, securing better wages and conditions for workers. Charged with sedition in 1908, he endured rigorous imprisonment, including brutal labor, until his release in 1912, after which his barrister license was revoked, and he lived in poverty in Chennai, focusing on Tamil literature until his death on November 18, 1936. His legacy is honored with the V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority and numerous statues across Tamil Nadu.
About The Author
