open fired, and four people were killed. On July , V.O.C. and Subramania Siva were found guilty and imprisoned on charges of sedition. Siva was awarded a sentence of years of transportation for his seditious speech whereas V.O.C.
got a life term ( years) for abetting him. V.O.C. was given another life sentence for his own seditious speech. This draconian sentence reveals how seriously the Tirunelveli agitation was viewed by the government.
In the aftermath of this incident, the repression of the British administration was not limited to the arrest of a few leaders. In fact, people who had actively participated in the protest were also punished and a punitive tax was imposed on the people of Tirunelveli and Tuticorin. Swadesamitran extensively reported nationalist activities, particularly the news regarding V.O.C. and his speeches in Tuticorin.
Subramania Bharati became the sub- editor of Swadesamitran around the time ( ) when Indian nationalism was looking for a fresh direction. Bharati was also editing Chakravartini , a Tamil monthly devoted to the cause of Indian women. Two events had a significant impact on Subramania Bharati. A meeting in with Sister Nivedita, an Irish woman and a disciple of Vivekananda, whom he referred to as Gurumani (teacher), greatly inspired his nationalist ideals.
The churning within the Congress on the nature of engagement with the British rule was also a contributory factor. As discussed earlier in this lesson, the militants ridiculed the mendicancy of the moderates who wanted to follow the constitutional methods. Bharati had little doubt, in his mind, that the British rule had to be challenged with a fresh approach and methods applied by the militant nationalists appealed to him more. For instance, his fascination with Tilak grew after the Surat session of the Congress in .
He translated into Tamil Tilak’s Tenets of the New Party and a booklet on the Madras militants’ trip to the Surat Congress in . Bharati edited a Tamil weekly India , which became the voice of the radicals. (e) Arrest and imprisonment of V.O.C. and Subramania Siva On March , , Bipin Chandra Pal