The Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company (SSNC) was one of the first indigenous Indian shipping companies set up during the
Indian independence movement
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed.
The first nationalistic ...
. It was started in 1906 by
V. O. Chidambaram Pillai to compete against the monopoly of the
British India Steam Navigation Company
British India Steam Navigation Company ("BI") was formed in 1856 as the Calcutta and Burmah Steam Navigation Company.
History
The ''Calcutta and Burmah Steam Navigation Company'' had been formed out of Mackinnon, Mackenzie & Co, a trading part ...
(BISNC). It sailed ships between
Tuticorin
Thoothukudi (formerly called Tuticorin) is a port industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. The city is capital and headquarters of the district. ...
and
Colombo
Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
until it was
liquidated
Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a company is brought to an end. The assets and property of the business are redistributed. When a firm has been liquidated, it is sometimes referred to as wound-up or dissolved, although di ...
in 1911.
Background
In the early 20th century, the
British India Steam Navigation Company
British India Steam Navigation Company ("BI") was formed in 1856 as the Calcutta and Burmah Steam Navigation Company.
History
The ''Calcutta and Burmah Steam Navigation Company'' had been formed out of Mackinnon, Mackenzie & Co, a trading part ...
(BISNC) had a monopoly over trade in the Indian Ocean region. The merchants of
Tuticorin
Thoothukudi (formerly called Tuticorin) is a port industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. The city is capital and headquarters of the district. ...
, a port city in
South India
South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...
, decided to break the monopoly. They hired a ship from the Shawline Steam Company to run between Tuticorin and
Colombo
Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
, the capital of
Ceylon
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
. After the intervention of 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 ...
, the hired company withdrew the lending.
During this time,
V. O. Chidambaram Pillai, a
pleader
A special pleader was a historical legal occupation. The practitioner, or "special pleader" in English law specialised in drafting "pleadings", in modern terminology statements of case.
History
Up to the 19th century, there were many rules, tech ...
from Tuticorin who was involved in the
Swadeshi movement
The Swadeshi movement was a self-sufficiency movement that was part of the Indian independence movement and contributed to the development of Indian nationalism. Before the BML Government's decision for the partition of Bengal was made public i ...
, which argued for self-reliance, started a navigation company as an act of political and financial opposition to the British.
Company
Pillai registered the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company on 16 October 1906 with a capital of 10 lakh (worth 2,000 crore in 2019 prices) from the issue of 40,000 shares.
Pillai formed the company not for profit but for ideals of nationalism. Any individuals in Asia were eligible to hold the shares.
''Haji Mohammed Rowther Sait,'' Landlord and Merchant bought indian rupees and purchased largest 8000 shares of company and he became secretary of the company.
Pandithurai Thevar, the
zamindar
A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...
of
Palavanatham, bought of shares by selling
Pambur, a village in his zamin; Thevar became the president and Pillai became the assistant secretary.
The objective of the company was to run a ship between Tuticorin and Colombo and also to train Asians in navigation and ship building.
Pillai toured throughout India to raise money for the company,
while poet
Subramanya Bharathi
Subramania Bharati (Born Chinnaswami Subramaniyan; 11 December 1882 – 11 September 1921) was an Indian writer, poet, journalist, teacher, Indian independence activist, social reformer and polyglot. He was bestowed the title ''Bharati'' for hi ...
wrote essays about its importance.
The first ship, the SS ''Galia'', was purchased from France
with the help of
Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Bal Gangadhar Tilak (; born Keshav Gangadhar Tilak (pronunciation: eʃəʋ ɡəŋɡaːd̪ʱəɾ ʈiɭək; 23 July 1856 – 1 August 1920), endeared as Lokmanya (IAST: ''Lokamānya''), was an Indian nationalist, teacher, and an independence ...
and
Aurobindo Ghose
Sri Aurobindo (born Aurobindo Ghose; 15 August 1872 – 5 December 1950) was an Indian yogi, maharishi, and Indian nationalist. He also edited the newspaper ''Bande Mataram''.
Aurobindo studied for the Indian Civil Service at King's ...
and arrived in Tuticorin in 1907. The ship travelled between Tuticorin and Colombo and could carry 1300 passengers and 40,000 bags of cargo.
The ship bore a flag with the slogan "
Vande mataram
Vande Mātaram (Bengali language, Original Bengali: বন্দে মাতরম্ ''Bônde Mātôrôm'' Devanagari script: वंदे मातरम्; , Transcreation: I Bow to Thee, Mother) is a poem that was adopted as the nati ...
".
It would later be joined by another French ship, the SS ''Lavo''.
A trade war broke out between the SSNC and BISNC; when the BISNC reduced the fare to one rupee, Pillai reduced the fare to 50
paisa
Paisa (also transliterated as ''pice'', ''pesa'', ''poysha'', ''poisha'' and ''baisa'') is a monetary unit in several countries. The word is also a generalised idiom for money and wealth. In India, Nepal, and Pakistan, the ''paisa'' currently equa ...
. The BISNC then gave free umbrellas to passengers. Due to nationalist sentiment, the SSNC received support from traders and passengers even when the BISNC offered free service.
The BISNC, with the help of 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 ...
, suppressed the activities of the SSNC by denying it the place and time schedule in the port and delaying the medical and customs clearance of SSNC passengers.
In 1908, Pillai was part of a group that planned to celebrate the release of independence advocate
Bipin Chandra Pal
Bipin Chandra Pal ( ; 7 November 1858 – 20 May 1932) was an Indian nationalist, writer, orator, social reformer and freedom fighter. He was one third of the " Lal Bal Pal" triumvirate. He was one of the main architects of the Swadeshi move ...
from prison as Swarajya (self-rule) day.
In response, on 12 March 1908, the British arrested
Subramania Siva
Subramaniya Siva (4 October 1884 – 23 July 1925) was an Indian freedom fighter, writer and pure Tamil movement activist during the Indian independence movement.
Life
Subramaniya Siva was born in a Tamil Brahmin Iyer family at Batlagundu ne ...
and Pillai on charges of sedition for organising meetings against the government. Pillai was sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment (40 years).
During his jail term, the British Raj further suppressed the activities of the company, and shareholders withdrew following harassment from the authorities.
The SSNC liquidated in 1911, and one of the ships was sold to its rival British company.
Impact
On 17 June 1911, the collector of
Tinnevely District,
Robert Ashe, was shot dead at
Maniyachchi Junction railway station by
Vanchinathan
Vanchinathan (1886 – 17 June 1911), popularly known as Vanchi, was an Indian independence activist. He assassinated Robert Ashe, then district collector of Tirunelveli district on 17 June 1911 at Maniyachchi railway station. Ashe was consid ...
, a member of a secret society.
During the trial, it was revealed that Vanchinathan considered Ashe to be responsible for the suppression of the SSNC.
In
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
, Pillai is remembered as ''Kapallotiyya Tamilan'' (the
Tamilan who sailed ships). The
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
changed the name of the
Tuticorin Port Trust to the V.O. Chidambaranar Port Trust to honour Pillai's contribution towards the
Indian independence movement
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed.
The first nationalistic ...
.
References
{{reflist
Indian independence movement
Defunct shipping companies of India
Maritime history of India
Indian companies established in 1906
1910s disestablishments in India