Kallara-Pangode Struggle

Last updated

Drawing of Pangode Police Outpost as in 1939 Pangode Police Station - Drawing by Rajesh Chirappadu.jpg
Drawing of Pangode Police Outpost as in 1939

The Kallara-Pangode Struggle is one of the 39 agitations declared by the Government of India as the movements that led to the country gaining independence from the British rule. [1] [2] [3] [4] It is listed alongside some of the most important movements of Indian independence such as Quit India Movement, Khilafat Movement, Malabar Rebellion, the Ghadar Party Movement and Hollwell Revolt Movement by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. It is ranked 26th among the 39 most revered movements that were part of Indian Independence Movement and culminated in the British rule ending over Indian territories in 1947. [5]

Contents

Kallara-Pangode

Memorial at Kallara Kallara Pangode Revolution Memorial 2021 February.jpg
Memorial at Kallara

Pangode and Kallara are adjoining villages 45 km northeast of the capital of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram. These villages had been in the attention of Travancore Royal Family and later that of the representatives of the British Raj because the area was known for spices such as pepper, ginger, areca nut and betel.

The Struggle

Kallara-Pangode Struggle took place as part of the Civil Disobedience Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi (M K Gandhi). People from the two villages who had moved to Thiruvananthapuram and other cities for education and trade, and people who had been in the Army, brought the messages of Gandhi to the villages in 1930s. This led to the people’s desire to have self-rule and the need to get rid of the British Raj. In addition, the oppressive rule of Diwan C. P. Ramaswami Iyer as the representative of the Viceroy of India, has accentuated the situation. Soon after his appointment as the Diwan in 1936, C. P. Ramaswami Iyer’s officers and secret police began enforcing stringent rules.[ citation needed ]

When the revenue authorities implemented a rule to collect more taxes for selling agricultural commodities in the markets of Kallara and Pangode, farmers began opposing it and implemented self-rule. [6] Initially, the revenue authorities enforced the new entry tax system with the help of police, but soon they found it difficult to handle. People who have been distressed with the oppressive rule of the Diwan joined the agitated farmers and it soon swelled into a large mass movement. Farmers cutting across religions and classes decided not to pay the increased entry tax for selling agricultural produces in the markets. [7]

The farmers under the leadership of Chellappan Vaidyan, Kochappi Pillai, Plankeezhil Krishna Pillai, Cheruvalam Kochu Narayanan Achary and a few others openly defied the revenue authorities and the police in the Kallara Market on 30 September 1938. This led to the detention and custodial torture of the movement leader Kochappi Pillai in the Pangode Police Outpost. Angered by it, agitators grouped and began collecting arms and ammunition to confront the police. They also blocked the access to Pangode from Trivandrum by cutting down trees into the roads to prevent any police reinforcement reaching the area. [8]

Confrontation

Kochappi Pillai was released the next day following an effective intervention by Pattalam Krishnan, a retired Army servant. The same day, a policeman who was out in Kallara to clear the obstacles erected on the road by the agitators was lynched to death by an agitated mob. In the afternoon, the agitators marched to the Pangode Police Outpost, with weapons including rifles. They started firing at the Police Outpost with the Police returning the fire. [8] In the ensued crossfire, two agitators – Plankeezhil Krishna Pillai and Cheruvalam Kochu Narayanan Achary – died on the spot. Police reinforcements reached Pangode a few days later and began searching house by house to locate the leaders of the agitation. The police cracked down on the movement, arresting all participants of the agitation. The case was investigated and tried; sentences awarded within one year. [8]

Verdict

First and 13th accused in the case – Kochappi Pillai and Pattalam Krishnan – were hanged till death on 17 and 18 December 1940 after the High Court confirmed the sentences awarded by the Sessions Court. A few of the accused were let off and the remaining accused were awarded rigorous imprisonment ranging from two to nine years. [9] One of the accused, Ramelikkonam Padmanabhan, committed suicide when the police surrounded his house. [8]

Fighters

Following is the list of agitators whose names appear in the case records of Kallara-Pangode Struggle, besides the agitators who were either killed in the fight or hanged. [8]

  1. Paluvalli Abbas Chattambi
  2. Abdul Latheef
  3. Madathuvathukkal Shankran Muthalai
  4. Manacode Haneefa Labba
  5. Driver Vasu
  6. Khathakan Gopalan
  7. Panachakkodu Jamal Labba
  8. Kallara Padmanabha Pillai
  9. Madhava Kurup
  10. Kochalummoodu Aliyaru Kunju
  11. Mohammadali
  12. Vavakkutty
  13. Kunjan Pillai
  14. Paara Naanan
  15. Koikkal.G.Narayanan

(List incomplete)

Memorials

The Pangode Police Outpost building which has historical significance because of its role in the agitation is kept intact as a heritage building, adjacent to the new building from where the police station currently functions. A martyr's memorial is at the centre of Kallara, where people from all political beliefs pay homage to the martyrs on days of national importance. The 75th anniversary of the Kallara-Pangode Struggle was celebrated by the villagers on 29 September 2013 and was inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. [10]

Related Research Articles

Travancore Kingdom in southern India from 1729 to 1949

The Kingdom of Travancore (/ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At its zenith, the kingdom covered most of the south of modern-day Kerala, and the southernmost part of modern-day Tamil Nadu with the Thachudaya Kaimal's enclave of Irinjalakuda Koodalmanikyam temple in the neighbouring Kingdom of Cochin. However Tangasseri area of Kollam city and Anchuthengu near Attingal in Thiruvananthapuram district, were British colonies and were part of the Malabar District until 30 June 1927, and Tirunelveli district from 1 July 1927 onwards. Travancore merged with the erstwhile princely state of Cochin to form Travancore-Cochin in 1950. The five Tamil-majority Taluks of Vilavancode, Kalkulam, Thovalai, Agastheeswaram, and Sengottai were transferred from Travancore-Cochin to Madras State in 1956. The Malayalam-speaking regions of Travancore-Cochin merged with the Malabar District and the Kasaragod taluk of the South Canara district in Madras State to form the modern Malayalam-state of Kerala on 1 November 1956, according to the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 passed by the Government of India.

Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma Last ruling Maharajah of Travancore from 1924–1949

Sree Padmanabhadasa Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, popularly known as Sree Chithira Thirunal, was the last ruling Maharaja of the Princely State of Travancore, in southern India until 1949 and later the Titular Maharajah of Travancore until 1991. Sree Chithira Thirunal was the eldest son of Junior Maharani of Travancore, H.H. Sree Padmanabhasevini Vanchidharmavardhini Rajarajeshwari Maharani Moolam Thirunal Sethu Parvathi Bayi, and Sri Pooram Nal Ravi Varma Koyi Thampuran of the Royal House of Kilimanoor. He was privately educated, and became the Maharajah of Travancore, at the age of 12, upon the death of his maternal great uncle, the then Maharajah of Travancore Sree Moolam Thirunal, on 7 August 1924.

Mannathu Padmanabha Pillai Indian social reformer and freedom fighter

Mannathu Padmanabhan was an Indian social reformer and freedom fighter from the south-western state of Kerala. He is recognised as the founder of the Nair Service Society (NSS), which represents the Nair community that constitutes 15.5% of the population of the state. Padmanabhan is considered as a visionary reformer who organised the Nair community under the NSS.

P. Krishna Pillai Indian Communist politician

P. Krishna Pillai was a communist revolutionary from Kerala, India. He was one of the founding leaders of the Communist Party of India in Kerala, and a poet.

Kilimanoor Town in Kerala, India

Kilimanoor is a panchayat and a town in the Chirayinkeezhu taluk of Trivandrum district in Kerala, India. It is located on MC/SH 1 Road, 33 kilometres (21 mi) North-west of the city of Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), 14 km east of Attingal and 20 km (12 mi) east of Varkala. The town area is administrated by Pazhayakunnummel gramapanchayath even though there exists Kilimanoor panchayath, which lies west to the town. Kilimanoor is the first main town in the Thiruvananthapuram district when one traveling from the north to the capital via the Main Central Road (M.C.Road). Kilimanoor town is an important business centre and one of the potential fast-growing towns in south Kerala. Kilimanoor is looking forward to become a municipality.

Kilimanoor Chandran is an Indian author, poet, and columnist from Kerala, India.

Punnapra-Vayalar uprising 1949 communist uprising in British India

The Punnapra-Vayalar killings was a militant communist movement in the Princely State of Travancore, British India against the Prime Minister, C. P. Ramaswami Iyer and the state.

Pangode is an Indian village and a Grama Panchayat located in the Trivandrum district in the state of Kerala. The village is known for its participation in the Indian Independence Movement, through the Kallara-Pangode Struggle. It is situated in the foothills of Western Ghats.

T. M. Varghese

T. M. Varghese (1886–1961) was an India freedom fighter, lawyer, statesman, former minister and politician from Kerala.

Freedom Fighters & Rehabilitation Division, a division of the Ministry of Home Affairs of India, manages the Swathantra Sainik Samman Pension Scheme - a national pension scheme introduced in 1972 for Freedom Fighters and their dependents. The division also handles rehabilitation assistance for refugees and migrants from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Tibet. However, there was significant resistance to implementing the scheme. For example, it took 24 years of legal fighting for S. M. Shanmugam to finally receive his pension in August 2006.

Accamma Cherian Indian independence activist (1909-1989)

Akkamma Cherian was an Indian independence activist from Travancore (Kerala), India. She was popularly known as the Jhansi Rani of Travancore.

Svadesabhimani (Swadeshabhimani) was a newspaper published in Travancore, which was banned and confiscated by the Government of Travancore in 1910 due to its criticisms against the government and the Diwan of Travancore, P. Rajagopalachari.

Kallara is a village and a Grama Panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram district in the state of Kerala, India. It is located near Karette, a junction in the MC road.

Bodheswaran, , was an Indian independence activist, social reformer and a poet of Malayalam literature. He was known for his nationalistic poems such as Keralaganam and for his involvement in social movements like Vaikom Satyagraha and other related events which led to the Temple Entry Proclamation of 1936.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee Indian political party

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee is the state unit of the Indian National Congress in Kerala. The Indian National Congress currently leads the United Democratic Front alliance, the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly.

The Kadakal Rebellion of 1938 or Kadakkal Revolt was a civil disobedience movement that happened against unfair toll collection in Kadakkal of Kollam district in the course of India's struggle. It is a unique event in the history of the princely state of Travancore. The event which started as a mass movement against excess tax or toll collection by authorities eventually culminated in the formation of a parallel administration named Kummil Pakuthi, perhaps the smallest in the world lasting for a short span of eight days. The event is also known as Kadakkal Riot Case and is recognized as an Indian independence movement by Ministry of Home Affairs (India).

Basanti Devi was an Indian independence activist during the British rule in India. She was the wife of activist Chittaranjan Das. After Das' arrest in 1921 and death in 1925, she took an active part in various political and social movements and continued with social work post-independence. She was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1973.

History of Kannur

Kannur, formerly known in English as Cannanore, Arabic as Kannanur, and Portuguese as Cananor, is a city and a Municipal Corporation in North Malabar region, state of Kerala, India. It is the largest city in North Malabar, which is the northernmost region of Kerala. It is sometimes identified Kolathunadu, which was ruled by the Kolathiris. In the 12th and 13th centuries there was trade with Persia and Arabia.

K. Kumar Indian orator and reformer

K. Kumar (1894–1973) was an Indian orator, reformer and writer of the Indian pre-independence era. He was one of the earliest socio-political leaders to have brought Gandhi's message and the spirit of the national movement to the erstwhile Travancore State. A gifted translator, he traveled with Gandhi during his Kerala tours, interpreting his English speeches in Malayalam. He was also an Advisor to the Nehru government. Kumarji was the President of the Travancore Congress Committee and was also in charge of Gandhiji's Travancore tour more than once. He served on the AICC and on the working committee of the AICC, TC-PCC/ KPCC heading its Constructive Work Committee during crucial years of the freedom movement.(Also known as: Travancore Kumar, Elanthur Kumarji; Kumarji, Elanthur Gandhi and Kuzhikala Kumar)

N. C. Sekhar alias Narayanan Pillai Sekhar Chandrasekharan Pillai was a freedom fighter, political leader, Rajya Sabha member and writer. He was a member of the first Communist group in Kerala. Sekhar was one of the four founding leaders of the Communist Party of India in Kerala who participated in the formation of the Communist League in Thiruvananthapuram in 1931.

References

  1. ↑ List of Movements, India's Freedom Struggle. "List of movements and struggles of India's Freedom Struggle" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  2. ↑ Pensioners Portal. "List of movements as part of India's Freedom Struggles". Government of India. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  3. ↑ Income Tax Department. "List of Agitations of India's Freedom Struggle". Income Tax Department, Government of India. Archived from the original on 2 July 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  4. ↑ Kerala, Government. "List of Kerala's Freedom Struggle Movements". Government of Kerala. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  5. ↑ India's Freedom Struggle, Agitations. "List of Agitations of India's Freedom Struggle" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  6. ↑ T. K., Oommen (1985). From Mobilization to Institutionalization: The Dynamics of Agrarian Movement in Twentieth Century Kerala. Bombay: Popular Prakashan.
  7. ↑ Kilimanoor, Chandran (2004). Chorappookkal viriyicha Kallara - Pangode - Freedom Struggle. Trivandrum: Chintha Publishers.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Kilimanoor Chandran
  9. ↑ Kallara-Pangode Struggle (6 October 2001). "Hanging of Fighters of Kallara-Pangode Struggle". The Hindu . Archived from the original on 4 February 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  10. ↑ Kallara-Pangode, Struggle. "75the Anniversary Celebrations". The Hindu. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.