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Sardar A Vedaratnam
Born in Vedaraniam on 25th February 1897 in an orthodox Saiva Vellala community, A.Vedaratnam Pillai was deeply influenced by Gandhiji, Vallabh Bhai Patel, Vinoba Bhave, Avinasilingam Chettiar, N.M.R. Subbarman, O.P.Ramaswami Reddiar and C.Rajagopalachari whom he accepted as his political guru.Impressed by the evocation call of the leaders of the National Movement, he joined the movement at the age of 19. He spun cotton for personal use, jointed the Khadi Movement and actively participated in the foreign cloth boycott. He closed down his own cloth shop and exhorted his people to take to Khadi and boycott foreign cloth. Vedaratnam Pillai at this young age, began to take an active part in the Congress agitations and courted arrest several times. His most outstanding contribution came in 1930. When Mahatma Gandhi launched his famous salt Satyagraha, Vedaratnam Pillai led the march in Vedaraniam at a great personal risk. This march was the firstof its kind in the South. Vedartnam Pillai incurred the wrath of the Government which confiscated and auctioned his salt lands.He was also arrested, tried and sentenced to six months rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs.200/- in 1931, he attended the meeting of the agriculturists in Tirunelveli when he was given the title of SARDAR to felicitate him on his part in the freedom struggle, particularly Salt Satyagraha.
When the leaders were arrested in the 1942 movement he carried on Gandhiji's constructive programme. In 1944, on the death of Kashurba Gandhi, he took an active part i raising funds for the Kashurba National Memorial Fund and organised several Women's Welfare Centres and Child Welfare Centres. In 1946, he founded in Vedaraniam, the Kasthurba Gandhi Kanya Gurukulam, a residential school for poor girl, to provide basic education with free board and loading.For his service in the field of Harijan Welfare he was awarded a Gold Medal by Government. He was thrice elected as a member of the Madras Legislative Assembly, during this period never missed a single session. He donated all his salaries as MLA, to Shri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya at Coimbatore. Sarkar A.Vedaratnam as he came to be known, continued to work for abolition of untouchability, women's right and reforms like widow remarriage and woman's upliftment. His Kashurba Gandhi Kanya Gurukulam was founded for the purpose of women's upliftment during 1946.As a nationalist he was opposed to regionalism and advocated the study of Hindi as the unifying language.
The Department of Posts is happy to issue a special commemorative postage stamp in the memory of Sardar A.Vedaratnam to mark his birth centenary.
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