. Swadeshi Movement The partition of Bengal ( ) led to the Swadeshi Movement and changed the course of the struggle for freedom. In various parts of India, especially Bengal, Punjab and Maharashtra popular leaders emerged. They implemented the programme of the Calcutta Congress, which called upon the nation to promote Swadeshi enterprise, boycott foreign goods and promote national education.
(a) Response in Tamilnadu V.O. Chidambaranar, V. Chakkaraiyar, Subramania Bharati and Surendranath Arya were some of the prominent leaders in Tamil Nadu. Public meetings attended by thousands of people were organised in various parts of Tamil Nadu.
Tamil was used on the public platform for the first time to mobilise the people. Subaramania Bharati’s patriotic songs were especially important in stirring patriotic emotions. Many journals were started to propagate Swadeshi ideals. Swadesamitran and India were prominent journals .
The extremist leader Bipin Chandra Pal toured Madras and delivered lectures which inspired the youth. Students and youth participated widely in the Swadeshi Movement. Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company ( ) One of the most enterprising acts in pursuance of swadeshi was the launching of the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company at Thoothukudi by V.O. Chidambaranar.
He purchased two ships Gallia and Lavo and plied them between Thoothukudi and Colombo. Tirunelveli Uprising V.O.C joined with Subramania Siva in organising the mill workers in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli. In , he led a strike in the European-owned Coral Mills. It coincided with the release of Bipin Chandra Pal.
V.O.C and Subramania Siva, who organised a public meeting to celebrate the release of Bipin, were arrested. The two leaders were charged with sedition and Prominent Nationalists of Tamil Nadu in the Moderate phase The early nationalists believed in constitutional methods. Their activities consisted of conducting hall meetings and deliberating the problems of the country in English. When, at the time of Partition of Bengal, Tilak and other leaders adopted popular methods such as mass public meetings, and used vernacular languages to address the larger public, the early nationalists came to be known as moderates.
The distinguished Tamil Moderates from Madras: V.S. Srinivasanar, P.S. Sivasamy, V. Krishnasamy, T.R.
Venkatramanar, G.A.