Devendrar Jayanthi is a festival celebrated annually on 11 September. It is organised by various political parties, community organisations and civil societies in Southern Tamil Nadu to commemorate the memory of

Immanuvel Devendrar Immanuvel Devendrar (9 October 1924 – 11 September 1957), who later took the name Immanuel Sekaran, was a civil rights activist, former soldier and a party worker for the Indian National Congress in Tamil Nadu, India. Early life Immanuve ...

, a freedom fighter and

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

leader who took part in the Quit India movement during the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

era. He worked in the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

in independent India and later he fought for the rights of depressed class people of Southern Tamil Nadu, particularly for upliftment of

Pallar The Pallar, who prefer to be called Mallar, are an agricultural community from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. The Pallars traditionally inhabited the fertile wetland area referred to as ''Marutham'' in the literary ...

caste. He was a close associate of chief minister

K. Kamaraj Kumaraswami Kamaraj (15 July 1903 – 2 October 1975), popularly known as Kamarajar was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the Chief Minister of Madras from 13 April 1954 to 2 October 1963. He also served as the pr ...

Political background

Immanuel Devendrar was a member of the Indian National Congress and a close associate of its leader, K. Kamaraj. At that time, Congress was supported by influential communities of southern Tamil Nadu, such as the Pallars and Nadars, and opposed by the Forward Block, which was itself favoured by the

Maravar Maravar (also known as Maravan and Marava) are a Tamil community in the state of Tamil Nadu. These people are one of the three branches of the Mukkulathor confederacy. Members of the Maravar community often use the honorific title '' Thevar''. ...

community. The two sides clashed during elections. Violence erupted notably in the districts of

Ramanathapuram Ramanathapuram (), also known as Ramnad, is a city Municipal Corporation in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Ramanathapuram district and the second largest town (by population) ...

and

Madurai Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District, which is ...

which claimed over 40 lives. Devendrar was killed at this time and the anniversary of his death is today celebrated by various political parties and community organisations and civil societies as Devendrar Jayanthi.

Criticism

Devendrar Jayanti is among the celebrations sometimes criticised as being designed mainly as expressions of caste pride and political power, which sometimes turn into inter-caste violence. These critics are rebutted by people who say that every caste has its own leader and the people are celebrating the memories of their leaders. Despite these arguments every year the government is struggling to maintain the law and order during these celebrations.

References

{{Reflist Festivals in Tamil Nadu Annual events Unofficial observances Anniversaries Politics of Tamil Nadu