Today we are living in a free country. We are enjoying this freedom for the past fifty six years. To enjoy this freedom a number of freedom fighters shed their blood and have given their lives for the flag and for the Tamil language.
Famous among them was Veerapandiya Katta Bomman, the great king of Pnajalankuruichi who fought against the British army only to get back our lost freedom. Likewise Rani Lakshmi Bai, Rani Magammal also fought against the British just that we may begin to breathe some freedom air. Inspite of all the efforts of these brave men and women and their followers yet the chain of slavery could not be broken. Mahatma Gandhi, Father of our Nation along with his followers like Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabai Patel, Jinna, Sarojini Devi etc started a revolution (ahimsa) against the British govt and fought for the freedom of our country.
In the meantime, in Tamil Nadu Kumaran of Thimpu and V.O. Chindambaram dedicated their lives for the freedom of the country and for the Tamil language. Bharathiar a Tamil poet enkindled the feelings of the people against the British through his poems.
Meanwhile Subash Chandra Bose formed an army called I.N.F. and tried to get independence for India in a separate way, which was against the principle of Mahatma Gandhi.
The unceasing revolutionary actions by Gandhi through Ahimsa against British government made them leave India and flee to their country. This was a great achievement for Mahatma Gandhi. India at last became free and celebrated its independence on August 15th 1947.
The Nation honours and pays homage to these great men every year on Independence day, for their immense sacrifice. It is the primary duty of the government both Central and State to look around for the freedom fighters who are still alive and bestow on them the honour and diginity they rightly deserve. The least the Governments can do for them today is provide sufficiently for them in their old age because they can be rightly called ‘The true sons of the soil’.
J. Vincent Gregory,
St. Mary’s Anglo-Indian Hr. Sec School, Chennai - 1.