Anjalai Ammal was born on June 1, 1891 in Kannambukkarath Street, Mung Nagar, Kadadar, South District, on the day of the birth of the first war veteran.  The ancestors of Muthumani have been in the weaving industry for a long time.  The Maratha kings who ruled the Thanjavur also inflicted pain on the family.  More than twenty horse-drawn carriages were running for rent at three o'clock.  He started building horses for his own horses and taught others' horses and repaired chariots.  Not only this but there were agricultural lands and he owned five houses on Limestone Street.  Muthumani, who was living comfortably, was accustomed to speaking English from the Yen people who were accustomed to teaching him lessons, including his first son Raji, second daughter Anjali, third skirt, fourth Singaram, fifth Samasamy,.  His own teacher, Palathu Anjayak, taught him Tamil and English, and from an early age he was accustomed to reading newspapers and reading books, and was fluent in English.  She was married in 1908 to Murugapparu and Anjadi, the son of a Ramu army chief from the village of Periya Nargunam, west of Sethiyathoppu in the same district.  Murugappan, who belonged to the common good era, used to work in Bhubaneswar before marriage.  Thus, after the marriage, Kannambukkarath Street house was razed to the ground.  He was accustomed to weaving mail to accompany him.  The couple has four daughters, Karumbu, Saraswati, Ammaponru and Kamiya.  Gandhi, Sons of Sail Run Banerjee, Bharatiyar who stayed in Pondicherry for ten years from 1908-4 to 1918 without enduring repression by the British during the freedom struggle.  He has been reading the newspapers he runs, writing letters to them and sometimes helping as much as he can financially.  There was a good acquaintance with the Muller Bharatiyar.  At that time, Anjali's brother Ramasamy was driving a car, in which Bharathiar had come to Arsala's house in Cuddalore three times from Pondicherry and sailed away.  This was reported by his relatives who later learned of the mail.  After this Bharathiyar left Pondicherry in 1918 and was brought to Cuddalore and imprisoned.  Even then, the Anjalaya-Murugappan couple served Bharathiyar.  Gandhiji had come to Kadawar on September 17, 1921, to travel across the country to meet the people in order to process the Congress party, which had been given half the name in a place where the prisoner had not been imprisoned.  Several thousand people had gathered to hear Gandhi speak at a grand public meeting on the Ketilam River.  Murugappan then listened to Gandhi and gave up his alcohol habit.  Thus the mail on Gandhi was valuable to the mother.  After this, Anjal Ammal became more and more interested in the Congress party, and in the then Chennai province, no women were involved in the freedom struggle on this day.  Congress leader N.  Seeravasa Iyengar's wife was one of the two women who took a direct part in the freedom struggle.  Thus Anchal was hailed as the first freedom fighter.  Amman has been actively campaigning for fears of kidnappings, such as the toddy picket against identity whites and the boycott of avaliyattuni. 

Her husband Murugappan was also arrested and taken away in a jeep.  From there they drove a few miles and dropped the mail off, Murugappan, chanting "My mail" to find Mayavi in ​​the dark in the cashew grove, chanting "Fear when you fall on your ears."  Step by step they identified each other.  Periyar came and his father Periyar was the beard of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee in 1922, when he campaigned for the need to go to the bar and wear kadar clothes.  Periyar, who had come to Kadavar for this purpose, came to the house of Anjana and explained to the people gathered there the need to ignore the Attiya cloth.  After this, Anchal Ammal with Periyar campaigned on the streets of Kaddur urging us to carry the bundle on our heads and buy Kadar Dargah.  At times like this, if you advertise that Kadarth is the seed in the big station, the police there will stop Y from selling baby clothes.  For this, Nila has diverted the attention of the police by saying that the post office is Ammal bus stand and has been selling clothes at the railway station.  Subramaniam Sivar from the Madurai district was the most active freedom fighter at the time of the incident.  He was suffering from leprosy while lodged in Salem Jail.  Anchal Ammal set up an ashram for him to stay in Siyamaya Kadar.  Subramaniam Siva, a resident of the area, was arrested and sentenced by the police who arrested 100 Congressmen involved in the 1923 toddy shop riots in Madurai.  They were sent to prison by the debtor about Bubble.  No meal in between.  The information about this was revealed to Anchal Amma by a railway employee.  Subramanian Siva and several other Congressmen immediately went to the Cuddalore railway station.  The train arrived at one o'clock at night.  All the Madurai Congress volunteers were with Bari.  But the police did not allow them to eat, and hundreds of people, including Anjali Amba, were told to lie down on the sidewalk of the train station and leave on their own.  Unable to do anything about it, the police allowed Anjana Aiol to feed them, and after the incident, the police closed the ashram in Kada's car.  Siva had gone to other mars, after which the Pembakam government issued an order that the lepers should not travel properly.  In 1925, he rode in a bullock cart arranged by a Congress leader from Badura and campaigned for Siva's car bar.  Here he is, the police have banned him from campaigning.  Subramaniam Siva arranged for Anjali Ammal Perumavu to speak with the help of volunteers and there was no room for anyone to stay as Zia was a worshiper at the time.  Anagala, annoyed to learn this, made him stay at home and work.  Dinarana Biva's health suffered.  He asked us to send him to the Bharat Mata inconvenience at Paparapatti near Sugarcane, and if he had the means to do it in the chariot Ilyanthal Anjali Ammal along with others arranged a motor car and sent him to Paparapatti where Subramania Siva had been for the past few weeks.

Today, the British government erected a 12-foot-high spare barrier at Anna Road in Chennai today for Martha Smith Neil, a white supremacist who was paralyzed by the Indian Royal Warriors in 1857 during the Papariya Sakya Mayanam today.  His atrocities were later exposed. In 1927, the Congress Party staged a protest demanding the removal of Neil.  Adisa Amiyar Kadakariya took the girl by train to Thiruvananthapuram and staged a protest.  Anjali Ambalu was sentenced to one year in jail and lodged in the Chennai Women's Prison.  Eleven-year-old Mum Ayyab, who was involved in a fight with him, was sentenced to four years in prison.  He was placed in the Juvenile Correctional School in Saidapet.  Murugappan, who was protesting in front of the statue of Barai Neil, was sentenced to six months in the Trichy Central Jail.  Next I was bathed because I struggled with the yodum of Samathakni.  Cheer was married to his mother in Sanmar, and the dog of the same family went to war in the fight against Medici.  It was in the family of Anjay Ion that Pathiyagam, who had come to Chennai in December 1927 to attend the Congress conference, went to jail and asked Anjali to be brave.  Gandhiji went to the Correctional School and met his father and asked him to come to his Wardha Ashram after the period was over.  Then he made the girl's name Vilavathi month.  After the imprisonment of Sondu, his mother took him home in Badapettai and stayed with the police.  This arrangement was made for the daughter Bayapathinayath to go and see, and at that time they were jumping on the money brought by Dua Murugappan who was rubbing on the Aysaya Ayana loom.  During Anjali Amman's stay in Chennai, two or four women from the Payroll Party were present at the conference.  The war was not initially allowed in the war, but the conference ended in defiance of Afghan Tatar.  Parole for childbirth In 1910, Amman ended his struggle to extract salt from Bay Arsenal in Dandi, Nazareth, Chennai by mobilizing Gold Congress volunteers at Cholingam Mar in the south to carry out a large-scale salt extraction struggle.  He was sentenced to three months in jail for this.  At that time, Murugappan and Jamathakni were detained in Saidapet for violating the ban.  Everyone in the crowd, including Asha, will be beaten to a pulp.  Lay was sentenced to six months' imprisonment by Anjaya Amiya, who was pregnant.  Similarly, the authorities asked Asalai Ambala to write a letter and leave.  Refusal to accept this led to an increase in the number of cops in prison, and the cruelty increased, regardless of whether they were guards.  He then returned to prison with the child he wanted to get on parole through the court.  Ankam named the child after the prison tree Seyaveeram), the only hero who came on leave and had a child among those imprisoned in Sierra during the freedom struggle |  Kattan ended up in solitary confinement and focused on the fight against alcoholism.  He found 1932-5 and on the sixth day of the dyeing made the Toad Moon Stir in the gutter.  The shopkeeper then suffocated in the attack, during which he was sentenced to six months in prison and imprisoned in Periyar Central.  He was forced to work hard all day.  விரகு பாடப்பது.  Flour around the machine bowl.

மகிறது உடைப்பது.  He did the work of grinding flour G 12 around the machine stone.  Badardham suffered and suffered, and Nadi was placed in a state of disrepair in the last list.  However, he refused to pay the fine for being involved in the riot and was sentenced to one month's imprisonment.  Chennai Central Syrian was sentenced to three months' rigorous imprisonment for fighting a child warrior against this.  Murugappan was also taken into custody.  Then a white officer looked at Peral Arsala Amo and your pawn wrote an apology letter and demanded his release.  He wrote to you and said he would release you.  The officer said that if he did so, he would pay off your debt. On hearing this, Ambakam became angry and told him that he would not send a letter even if he died.  He said that he had given a letter to Tang and his contribution and asked for his release.  Listening to this will give you anger and show liberation.  I will not do that. '  Thus one of the two was angry, and after being released from prison after serving his sentence, Murugappan and the mother of the mail were in Perikodia.  Best speaker struggle.  Adanal Ammai, who was watching Pora, was the best speaker.  Even though he was talking at the time, the crowd was still listening.  Thus a large number of women supported him, and his rescue stove was an unquenchable stove.  Congress executives and volunteers who came to the house all had the habit of putting on food.  There was a picture of Pali Yodi, which was always praised in Ayya's house.  Shivaji used to recite the story to his children and on public platforms.  Thus Ian's daughter Milapati named her son Siaji in Biennale.  Gandhiji arrived at Padamaru by train on the 17th when he was on fire.  At that time, no one should carry Gandhi.  Shocked by this, Arsala Ammal, dressed as an Islamic woman, went to the train station and brought Gandhiji to our bandwagon.  He was astonished to see Bharata and his ingenuity and praised Gandhiji as the southern visual master.  In the year 15- Deyanarkadu Geo was selected as the candidate for the post.  He lost his fortune as he struggled throughout the period.  Borrowed in many places and spent by the party.  Unable to repay the loan, his eye-popping street house was ten feet away in IP6.  Manu Bowe has intimidated the public not to give up the patama house.  Carter Carter, with her husband and children, led the settlement struggle in Atula.  After this, the Congressman, along with other friends, auctioned off the house with the help of Payachattira Chettiar and wrote in the name of Kathi and Jail Veeran, the sons of Anjali.  Returning home heartbroken, Qadar ML won the 1937 assembly elections in the constituency of Qadar by contesting on behalf of the Congress party in the women's constituency.  The total number of votes cast for the 45NI 4 postal service is 2600

2500 votes for one pa madhya.  In this G election, the Congress won most of the seats in Chennai province - and ruled by caste mercy.  After this you kayum removed.  The Pittam government engaged the Indian army in World War II.  In protest, the Congress neighborhood was ousted from power by the Maoist regime.  During this, the Dadayar Satyagraha struggle was announced.  Gandhiji, who chose the names of the participants, chose Anjali Appala as the first female respondent.  Accepting this, on November 11 of the 10th year, Ayakanaya was arrested for breaking the law and taken to the Copper Jail. Yes, the loom owners paid low wages to the sick on the night when the weavers' struggle was loosened west of Kadavar.  As a result, the Pavayam Wadi Towals fought for the rise of Kali with the large association of Anjal Ammal Guidance, and as if acting in support of the loom Mudayars on this issue, the Kars dragged Nesawak into the male and female rock pedestal Amara naked and humiliated him.  Anjana brought this to the attention of the lecturer and asked him to be patient if your psyche was dragged half naked.  The Collector immediately intervened and ordered Angirayangaka to stop and the concerned police officer was suspended.  14 The Podiatrist government, outraged by this, hated Ayodhya under the Prevention of Detention Act from the 14th to the 7th of April.  He was sentenced to months in jail in Vellore Jail.  The second daughter, Saravati, ended up paying for her son-in-law.  Saraswati Pooram period is very.  Anjana Appa and others will be interested to hear Italam Ayar Paaliya, who raised the third part of the Umpire at Borvati Gandhi's Patha Yarda Ashram.  Freedom fighter Jamatham, who was imprisoned in Murugappadal, used to hear what his father said about Vilavathi every day.  In the wound where Saiyan stayed in the fear of going to Badar |  1970 |  Had gone there.  If Jatakani was suffering from the rabies that had spread while he was in prison at that time, Arsala's mother, who was in pain after seeing the tea, went to Jamatakalinayan and rubbed his clothes at home.  Thus Samathakni, who was proud of Arsala Ammal, married his niece Miyavatiyamat.  Kalavathi was then working as a ceramic in the Puyalagich Government Medical College. He was again sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.  He was then sentenced to four months' imprisonment and imprisoned in Pongadam, Chennai.  He was released in April 1943 after serving four months in prison.  After that, he was sentenced to 19 months in prison and sentenced to life in prison.  Here is Mam Pal.T.  After saying that he did not want to get the first category given to him in the salu system, he stayed with the ordinary prisoners of the good lentil temple.  He did the daily grinding of cashew nuts.  He has served eight maximum terms of his life in prison.  Chennai, Vellore, Mr.  Periyar, spent in Kannana seeds.  He has been convicted of four counts of aggravated assault.

The ceremony was held under the leadership of Tamil scholar T.P. Meenakshi Sundaranar.  According to this, the bride and groom got married.  This raised the fear that the Khadar policy should be followed by those in the home as well.  Kalyani Ammana worked as a teacher in Vadalur.  2nd time MLA  After the end of World War II, Kangmaran Tamayar Kamaraj Iyadi was asked to contest in the Cuddalore Women's Constituency in the 1946 Assembly elections, which he contested for the second time.  He continued to speak out in the legislature on the issue of the novice, the issue of the agitators, and the persistent insistence that the traveler should be provided with a new tumor during the day, if the heart is deemed to be a papacy before the pavilion is provided in schools in the olden days.  Anjana.  The Murugappan couple lived as Gandhians throughout the period.  Thomai was observed in public life.  An angry businessman gave them a car as a gift and came home to ask the government to recommend a license.  At that time, the big man took the car and ran away.  This is the only example of his choice1.  Refusal to run in the election The Congress leaders urged him to contest the Cuddalore or Panruti Assembly constituencies during the 1952 and 1857 general elections, but he did not go to Telugu, Kaltim and Malayalam during his imprisonment.  Thus Kamaraj was asked to contest in the constituency where Imam Ya Poor was acting.  Terabai also refused, and Anjana, who was shocked by the assassination of Nathma Gandhiji, stayed with her husband Murugappal at 1. Deer Gandhi's house at 1. Mudr Ramath near Chidambaram.  The eldest daughter, Karumba, was married to a daytime pony net deer herd and was interested in the development of Rama.  The canal was needed to see the water from Iranam Li.  With the help of Aritam, Samiab Veter coordinated the farmers.  The coyote is now known as Parsa Ammam Canal.  |  Anjali, who was the first female athlete in Tamil Nadu to live a full life due to injury, passed away on Monday, February 20, 1961 at the age of 71 in the village of Almal Muthar.  Buried at Mutlur.  Kawa Murugappan died of natural causes on June 22, 1971.  We want to print this biographical book of Anjali Amman and give it to all parties.  Raja Vasudevan has written a 320 page book titled 'Anjalai Ammal' which is a book suitable for putting in wedding tambourine bags.  Contact Flaming Publishing.  9360860699

Anjalai Ammal was a social worker and reformer from Kadalur. She started her political activism in 1921 with the Non-Cooperation Movement and later took part in the Neil Statue Satyagraha, Salt Satyagraha and Quit India Movement. Her courage was so well known that Mahathma Gandhi called her South India's Jhansi Rani. When he came to Kadalur to meet Anjalai Ammal, the British government prohibited him their meet. But Anjalai Ammal still magaed to meet him by dressing up in a burqa. She also encouraged her nine-year-old daughter to participate in the protests, who was named Leelavathy by Gandhi himself. Granddaughter of Anjalai Ammal, Mangai A, explains, “My grandmother, Anjalai Ammal was in jail for more than four and half years and she gave birth to her last son in the jail itself. Her biography is included in the Class 8 second semester Tamil text book. My grandfather, Murugappa, my maternal aunt, Leelavathy, and her husband, Jamadhagni, were also freedom fighters.”

In 1931, she presided over The All India Women Congress Meet. In 1932, she took part in another struggle for which she was sent to Vellore prison. She was pregnant while she was sent to Vellore prison. She was released on bail on account of her delivery. Within two weeks after her son was born, she was sent back to the Vellore prison. Once Gandhi came to Kadalur, but the British government prohibited him to visit Anjalai Ammal. But Anjalai Ammal came in a horse cart wearing burqa and visited him. Due to her courage, Gandhi called her South India's Jhansi Rani. After India's independence in 1947, she was elected as the member of the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly thrice.  She died on 20th February PLE

Anjalai Ammal was a social worker and reformer from Kadalur. She started her political activism in 1921 with the Non-Cooperation Movement and later took part in the Neil Statue Satyagraha, Salt Satyagraha and Quit India Movement. Her courage was so well known that Mahathma Gandhi called her South India's Jhansi Rani. When he came to Kadalur to meet Anjalai Ammal, the British government prohibited him their meet. But Anjalai Ammal still magaed to meet him by dressing up in a burqa. She also encouraged her nine-year-old daughter to participate in the protests, who was named Leelavathy by Gandhi himself. Granddaughter of Anjalai Ammal, Mangai A, explains, “My grandmother, Anjalai Ammal was in jail for more than four and half years and she gave birth to her last son in the jail itself. Her biography is included in the Class 8 second semester Tamil text book. My grandfather, Murugappa, my maternal aunt, Leelavathy, and her husband, Jamadhagni, were also freedom fighters.”

In 1931, she presided over The All India Women Congress Meet. In 1932, she took part in another struggle for which she was sent to Vellore prison. She was pregnant while she was sent to Vellore prison. She was released on bail on account of her delivery. Within two weeks after her son was born, she was sent back to the Vellore prison. Once Gandhi came to Kadalur, but the British government prohibited him to visit Anjalai Ammal. But Anjalai Ammal came in a horse cart wearing burqa and visited him. Due to her courage, Gandhi called her South India's Jhansi Rani.[1] After India's independence in 1947, she was elected as the member of the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly thrice.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anjalai_Ammal 

‘Honour first woman MLA, Anjalai Ammal’

CPI(M) leader K. Balakrishnan on Tuesday asked the State government to erect a memorial for Cuddalore Anjalai Ammal, a freedom fighter and the first woman elected to the Assembly. He also wanted the government to distribute awards in her name on Independence Day.

In a letter to Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, Mr. Balakrishnan said Anjalai Ammal took part in the freedom struggle in 1921 when she was 31 and spent seven-and-a-half years in jail. “She was in jail even when she was pregnant and was released for delivery. After that she was again sent to jail,” said Mr. Balakrishnan. “Besides erecting a memorial in Cuddalore, the government should also name the sub-way after her,” he said.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/honour-first-woman-mla/article6677939.ece 

•  "Honour first woman MLA". thehindu.com. 10 December 2014. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022.

Anjalai Ammal was a social worker and reformer from Kadalur. She started her political activism in 1921 with the Non-Cooperation Movement and later took part in the Neil Statue Satyagraha, Salt Satyagraha and Quit India Movement. Her courage was so well known that Mahathma Gandhi called her South India's Jhansi Rani. When he came to Kadalur to meet Anjalai Ammal, the British government prohibited him their meet. But Anjalai Ammal still magaed to meet him by dressing up in a burqa. She also encouraged her nine-year-old daughter to participate in the protests, who was named Leelavathy by Gandhi himself. Granddaughter of Anjalai Ammal, Mangai A, explains, “My grandmother, Anjalai Ammal was in jail for more than four and half years and she gave birth to her last son in the jail itself.  

Anjalai Ammal was a social worker and reformer from Kadalur. She started her political activism in 1921 with the Non-Cooperation Movement and later took part in the Neil Statue Satyagraha, Salt Satyagraha and Quit India Movement. Her courage was so well known that Mahathma Gandhi called her South India's Jhansi Rani. When he came to Kadalur to meet Anjalai Ammal, the British government prohibited him their meet. But Anjalai Ammal still magaed to meet him by dressing up in a burqa. She also encouraged her nine-year-old daughter to participate in the protests, who was named Leelavathy by Gandhi himself. Granddaughter of Anjalai Ammal, Mangai A, explains, “My grandmother, Anjalai Ammal was in jail for more than four and half years and she gave birth to her last son in the jail itself. Her biography is included in the Class 8 second semester Tamil text book. My grandfather, Murugappa, my maternal aunt, Leelavathy, and her husband, Jamadhagni, were also freedom fighters.” In 1931, she presided over The All India Women Congress Meet. In 1932, she took part in another struggle for which she was sent to Vellore prison. She was pregnant while she was sent to Vellore prison. She was released on bail on account of her delivery. Within two weeks after her son was born, she was sent back to the Vellore prison. Once Gandhi came to Kadalur, but the British government prohibited him to visit Anjalai Ammal. But Anjalai Ammal came in a horse cart wearing burqa and visited him. Due to her courage, Gandhi called her South India's Jhansi Rani. After India's independence in 1947, she was elected as the member of the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly thrice. She died on 20th February 1961.  

Anjalai Ammal: A freedom fighter from Tamil Nadu who ought to be remembered more

“Queen Jhansi of South India” – Anjalai Ammal

Mahakavi Subabaramanya Bharatiyar, (1914) praised “Anjalai Ammal has come into public life at a time when women are afraid to step out of the house.”

This same lady was later hailed as ‘Queen Jhansi of South India’ by Mahatma Gandhi.

Thus, respected by leaders like Rajaji, and Kamaraj. Shall we spend some time to know more about Anjalai Ammal?

Born in a weavers family in Cuddalore district on June 1, 1890, Anjalai studied in Ammal village school till class 5. In 1908, she got married to Murugappa from the same district. Both the couple had a passion to join the independence movement. They were also attracted by the leadership of Gandhiji.

They participated in the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1921, and later in 1927 played an essential role in the history of liberation. From 1857, patriots who took an active part in the First War of Independence were brutally killed and hanged from trees by Colonel Neil, who thereby claimed to have sent a clear warning if anybody harbours an idea to raise against foreign rulers. Col. Neil was killed in the siege of Lakshmanapuri Palace within months, and in 1860 his statue was erected in Spencer Complex in the present-day Anna Salai in Chennai. In 1927, the Chennai Mahajana Sabha and the Indian National Congress jointly organized a great struggle for the removal of the. Not only Anjalai Ammal and her husband but also their 9-year-old daughter Ammakannu participated in it. The parents were sentenced to one-year imprisonment for vandalizing the statue. (Daughter confined to reform school for 4 1/2 years). Anjalai Ammal was one of the two (Madurai Padmasini Ammal being the other) women freedom fighters who were imprisoned by the British Raj.

Gandhiji heard about Murugappa-Anjalai Ammal during his tour of Tamil Nadu and visited them in jail in Cuddalore. praised their daughter Ammakannayam, and after her release named her Lilavati took her to Wardha Ashram and brought her up.

In Cuddalore, Anjalai Ammal was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment on January 10, 1931, for participating in salt satyagraha and was imprisoned in the Vellore Women’s Jail. She was 6 months pregnant at that time.

A month later, she was on parole and gave birth to a baby boy. After that, she went to jail with the infant for 15 days and served the remaining two months of her sentence. The child was born on parole from prison and was named ‘Jail Veeran‘. Later he was called ‘Jayaveeran‘.

Anjali presided over the All India Women’s Congress meeting in Chennai in 1931.

In 1932, she organized a Liquor shop picket to rally the public in support of Gandhi’s Prohibition policy and was sentenced to nine months of rigorous imprisonment in the Bellary Jail.

In 1933, she participated in the boycott of foreign goods protest and was sentenced to three months in prison.

In 1940, she participated in the individual satyagraha struggle and was sentenced to 6 months of rigorous imprisonment in Kannur Jail.

Anjalai Ammal participated in the Quit India Movement (1941-42) and traveled to many cities including Chennai and went to jail for giving speeches. Thus, she spent 4 years and 5 months in prison. Each time her fighting spirit only went up and never wavered.

The following example will confirm the above statement. When Gandhi came to Cuddalore in 1934, he tried to meet Anjalai Ammal but the government did not permit the meeting. However, Anjali Ammal came in a horse-drawn carriage wearing the burqa and met Gandhi. It was then that Gandhi ji called her the “Jhansi ki Rani of South India” pointing to Anjali’s bravery.

After India’s independence in 1947, she refused to receive the government’s pension announced for the freedom fighters who spent jail terms.

She was elected from the Cuddalore constituency as a member of the Chennai Provincial Legislative Assembly three times in 1937, 1946, and 1952.

Simple, blemishless, and self-sacrificing Anjalai Ammal’s life ended on 20th February 1961, and on this auspicious day let us honor her memory and pledge to rededicate ourselves to the national cause.

Anjalai ammal (1890 – 1961) – Part -1 Forgotten Freedom Fighters -Series – 18

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Bharatha matha is fortunate to have been bestowed with thousands of children who sacrificed their lives for her freedom, from the clutches of the white man’s oppression. But the memories of many have been buried deep under the ground along with their bodies. One such gritty woman hailing from the seaside town of Cuddalore deserves a special mention. I could lay my hands on very few references and write up until I chanced to read a monogram on her life history in Tamil by Vasudevan Raja, which made me stop writing the blog until I purchased the book to read. The book was so absorbing that I didn’t realize that I have passed way beyond the normal time to publish my blog on weekends. I would like to acknowledge the research the author has done and interviewed the family  members to get at complete facts. The information contained covers so many freedom fighters and incidences, that I thought it deserves more than one blog and I have decided to write on her in two parts.

Right from her childhood, she was annoyed at the way the  British treated our citizens. People who came to do business ultimately became our masters. The Dutch came around the 16 th century to Cuddalore, but the Marathas who were ruling this part at that time prevented them from settling down here as a colony. But after 1600 the British occupied Cuddalore to establish the headquarters for their trade here. Cuddalore’s proximity to Pondichery which was occupied by their arch-rivals the French; suited their grand scheme of things.

In Cuddalore lived Muthumani Padayatchi who had a thriving weaving business. Apart from this, he had many horses and horse-drawn carts which he used to rent out for people to go to the collectorate and for weddings. He started making horseshoes for his horses and ultimately started a small shop in front of his house to cater to the needs of the other horse owners including the police and the British establishment. The Englishmen came in search of him, and as an astute businessman, he learned the language which helped him expand his business. Muthumani had an elder son Raji, the second was a girl named Anjalai. Ramasami, Balaraman, and Singaram were the last three sons. He was very much fond of Anjalai as she displayed immaculate qualities of compassion and love to all especially the poor and enfeebled. Anjalai was home-educated and became fluent in both English and Tamil. With a penchant for reading, her brother Ramasamy used to buy her a lot of books. Ramasami was using his carts to transport men and goods between Cuddalore and Pondichery which was under French rule. Since Vavesu Iyer, Subramania Siva, Aurobindo, and Bharathi were in Pondy at that time, there was no dearth of anti-British writings emanating from that soil. Especially “India, and Vijaya” by Bharathiar influenced her thinking and slowly she started getting attracted to the freedom struggle.

W George, a white police security officer for the collector came to Padayatchi’s house in a horse-drawn carrier to change the horseshoe. Anjalai was sitting along with her father in the shop at that time. As the policeman’s cart was nearing it hit an old man crossing the road and the cart nearly capsized. Infuriated at this George got down and whipped the fallen old man until the lashes bled him profusely. The reaction of Anjalai was the opposite. She ran towards the old man and tended his wound, making him get up and slowly walk back. MutteringGeorge came to the shop and introduced himself and wanted a new horseshoe to be fixed. Anjalai was furious and confronted the white man with his cruel attitude. Both did not realize at that time that such encounters are going to happen many times in their lives. She cursed the onlookers for their lack of guts to resist, joining together and preventing the assault of the old man by the white. This gruesome assault left an indelible impression in her mind about the British cruelty and she vowed to fight injustice.

Anjalai’s parents especially her mother Ammakkannu insisted on getting her married immediately after this incident. Even though she agreed to get married Anjalai wanted to stay in Cuddalore so that she can continue to have access to books, periodicals, and freedom literature. Luckily Murugappa Padayatchi from the village “ Periya Nargunam” of Sethiyathope, also a weaver by profession married her and they settled in Cuddalore itself in a separate house gifted by her father. Murugappa was impressed by the intellect of his wife, her knowledge of worldly affairs, and her accommodative disposition to help him also in his weaving. They discussed in detail VOC, Subramania sivams arrests, and Tirunelveli riots. Aurobindo, Va Ve Su Iyer, Sivam, and Bharathiars Speeches were published from Pondichery and she was longing to meet them.

Anjalai gave birth to a girl baby who was named “Karumbu”(Sugar cane). One day when she along with her husband went to the fish market and found the same policeman George fighting with a fisherman who refused to give him a shark fish as he has already sold it to someone else. George tried to forcefully take it from him and in the melee lost his balance and fell. Known for his short temper he tried to kick the seller with his boot but Anjalai defended him with a basket. The policeman took a stick and attacked many fisherfolks. Anjalai caught hold of him with the help of others and tied him to a tree. The collector when informed rushed to the scene where the villagers were angrily shouting and after the inquiry found the policeman wrong and transferred him to Madras. This came as a piece of big news in the paper “ Cuddalore Anjalai ties a white man to tree”. Anjalai used to communicate with the Pondichery leaders mainly Bharathi through her brother. Bharathi was very much impressed by the way Anjalai kept George tied to a tree until the collector a relative of George apologized and was very keen to meet her. During one of his trips to Pondy brother Ramasamy clandestinely brought Bharathiar at night to Cuddalore and after spending a day with Anjalai’s family he left in the morning in a cart carrying vegetables back to Pondichery. From then on both Anjalai and Bharathiar became good friends and used to visit each other. Anjalai meanwhile had two more daughters, Saraswathi the second and Ammaponnu the third. When Bharathi decided to return to Madras at the end of world war I in 1918, police anticipated his entry and arrested him as soon as he crossed the border. Anjalai arranged for lawyers Sadagopachariar and Nataraja Iyer to defend him.

Rowlett act came into effect and on April 13th, 1919 Jalianwalabagh massacre took place that shook the nation’s conscience. Congress members met and decided to show their resistance. The first time Cuddalore congressmen listened to Anjalai and were surprised to hear a woman speaking clearly with firm conviction to fight the British. A true nationalist leader was born. In September 1920 Gandhi announced the non-cooperation movement which produced a magical effect in the country and the Gandhi wave swept across the Nation. Anjalai and congressmen were preparing to welcome Gandhi, and she decided to have a massive rally cleverly choosing the dry Kedilam riverbed that divides Cuddalore into two halves as the venue. During the preparation, for the meeting, Anjalai received a shocking message that Bharathiar was killed by an elephant in Triplicane. It dampened her enthusiasm to a great extent but typical of her character rose to the occasion and continued with the  First time for a congress meeting farmers, small traders, artisans, and daily wage laborers assembled in large numbers from Cuddalore, Vridhdhachalam, Thiruvannamalai, Kallakurichi, and Pondichery. A large gutter that was dug out was filled with a massive heap of foreign cloth and goods collected by Anjalai and were burnt in the presence of Gandhi. Gandhi took up the other burning issue of Alcohol addiction in rural areas which has destroyed many families. He smartly combined freedom struggle with satyagraha in front of toddy shops. He asked all who have assembled to promise not to touch toddy again. Murugappa who also got addicted to it lately promised Gandhi that he will give it up to the surprise of everyone. Anjalai who became a mass leader overnight heaved a sigh of relief. It is during this journey to Madurai from here after four days that Gandhi changed his attire to just a piece of cloth wrapped around his loin.

Anjalai and Murugappa were keen to take the fight against the liquor lobby to new levels. A group of satyagrahis went around led by Anjalai shouting “close the toddy shops” and “ don’t drink don’t drink liquor ever” and gave an ultimatum to owners of toddy shops to close failing which they will continue more vigorously. When one of them was adamant they demonstrated in front of his shop( It is a different story that the toddy shop was run by a lady a binami of a police superintendent). Both Murugappa and Anjalai were removed from the scene in a police van. They drove the van at night through the thick of Cashew forest and pushed Murugappa from the van and continued the journey with Anjalai alone for another mile and made her get down from the van in the middle of the forest. Murugappa in the dead of night kept running forward towards the way the van went singing “ Anjalai anjalai I am here not to worry” “reply me Reply me if you can hear me” Anjalai started running back shouting “I am here I am here I am also here, but the forest is thick and is really dark”. They ran towards each other, listening to the direction of the sound, and met. This became a standard song for them in later life.

On 4 February 1922 at Chauri Chaura in the Gorakhpur district of the United Provinces (modern-day Uttar Pradesh) in British India, when around five hundred protesters who participated in the non-cooperation movement, were fired upon by the police. In retaliation the demonstrators attacked the police who ran inside the police station, The protestors set fire to the station killing all of its occupants. The incident led to the death of three civilians and 22 policemen.,  Gandhi who was strictly against violence, halted the non-cooperation movement on the national level on February 12, 1922, as a direct result of this incident. Despite Gandhi’s decision, 19 arrested demonstrators were sentenced to death and 14 to imprisonment for life by the British colonial authorities. For a short period to avoid unnecessary arrests after Gandhi suspended the non-cooperation movement both Anjalai and her husband started weaving and selling Khadi goods in towns and villages. In 1923 more than 100 Satyagrahis who held a demonstration against toddy shops in Madurai were arrested and were being brought to Cuddalorevia Tanjore and were made to starve for the past two days. When Anjalai came to know of this she went to Subramania Siva’s Ashram, and he immediately arranged to cook food for all  ( when Siva contracted leprosy she helped him to stay in Cuddalore Ashram). Anjalai was prevented from giving food when the train reached Cuddalore. She immediately asked all the protestors to lie down on the road from the station. Even pouring cold water in the winter early morning did not deter them. The crowd started swelling up and the police didn’t have any alternative but to allow her to feed the protesters. Police started more vigil on Siva’s Ashram and prevented him from traveling on the train (Refer to blog on Subramania Sivam series 14 ). Anjalai arranged a bullock cart for him to travel and continue his struggle addressing people in villages. With multiple sores and the vast travel in the bullock carts, Siva developed a fever and was unable to move about. Unmindful of the stigma attached to Leprosy those days, she brought him home and nurtured him for some time before sending him to Papparapatti Bharathamathamatha ashram at his request in a motor car. He died in a couple of weeks in 1925.

In 1926, another unconnected incident was being played in a court of law that has a bearing on Anjalai’s life. A young man in Vellore by the name of Jamadhagni was sentenced to six months of rigorous imprisonment for throwing stones and damaging the main board of the administrative office of the Government at Vellore fort. Despite being given a chance as the son of a court clerk known to the judge, he refused to apologize for the act and shouted “ Down with British Hegemony and was sent to prison handcuffed.

September 1927, proved to be a month that exhibited women’s power in Tamilnadu’s freedom struggle in a big way. That too, the women were from villages who have never stirred out of their homes. They came in large numbers onto the streets of Madras from Cuddalore, Pannuruti, Ulundurpettai, and Vadalur. All of them responded overwhelmingly

to Anjalai Ammal’s call to take part in satyagraha to remove Neil’s statue from Mount Road   (See series -16 – Theerthagiri Mudaliar). For many, this was the first train journey. Anjalai told them on the train journey details of the Sepoy mutiny and the way army officer Major James George Smith Neil was brought from Madras to crush the agitation. He massacred Indians burnt 30 villages around Kasi and went towards Allahabad.  Which was under Indian soldiers. He used heavy arms and cannons to wipe out the resistance. Then from there went to Kanpur burning all villages on the way and hanging the corpse from trees to warn people. He was killed by the Indian soldiers the same way with a cannon.

In 1861 a statue was erected on mount road in his memory. None in the Madras presidency knew about his atrocity until T S Soundaram translated it into Tamil from all the writings about it in Hindi.

Nearly sixty villagers got down from the train and many more women joined them from various parts of Madras. More than two hundred fifty of them walked along railway tracks avoiding roads to reach mount road. The policemen on duty suddenly saw waves of women moving towards Neil’s statue and got worried. The crowd surged past them all had only one aim to damage the statue they ran to the base suddenly Ammaponnu the 11-year-old daughter of Anjalai got on top of her mother’s shoulder took a hammer from another woman and started hitting the right-hand middle two fingers. She was keen to break it as it was those two fingers that pulled the trigger to kill the freedom fighters. She almost broke it but before that, a policeman pulled Anjalai who fell along with her dear daughter. Mercilessly the women were beaten and 257 of them were taken to Egmore court. The leader Anjalai was sentenced to one year of rigorous imprisonment. The eleven-year Ammaponnu who damaged the statue was sentenced to four years of imprisonment in a reform home. The very next day her husband Murugappa and her friends were arrested as they attempted to damage the statue. Murugappa was shifted to  Trichy jail. All three of them were lodged in three different locations. Gandhi was fascinated by the act and came down to visit both the mother and the child Ammaponnu. Ammaponnu proudly displayed the injury sustained by her to Gandhi. He wanted to take her to Vardha ashram once the child’s remand period got over after four years.  Gandhi took her permission and changed her name to “ Leelavathy.

The hand of Neil’s statue that was damaged by her, will be finally broken by none other than the young man who was imprisoned in Vellore “ Jamadhagni” who will also ultimately hold her hand in marriage. ( Part 2 in Next Blog