Lt Rangaswamy Madhavan Pillai: ‘Freedom demands sacrifice...'
Born on March 13, 1926, in the Saryan township of Rangoon district in Burma (now Myanmar), he is now 99. He joined the Indian Independence League as a civilian in 1942 under Rash Behari Bose.When Netaji arrived in Singapore, Lt. Pillai formally enlisted in the Indian National army, also known as the Azad Hind Fauj, on November 1, 1943, at the age of 17. He served as a recruitment and fundraising officer, mobilising support for INA across 32 locations in Burma.
'We would go to families and ask mothers and fathers to enlist their sons for the sake of the country. Freedom demands the sacrifice of blood, that is what Netaji said. We had a mission that could be accomplished only at a cost. We had to return to those families and inform them about the passing of their sons when they fought and paid with their lives,' said Pillai, now bedridden for the past six months.
He was imprisoned for eight months in Rangoon Jail in 1945. He returned to India with his family in 1971 and was officially recognised as a freedom fighter by the Government of India on August 1, 1980.
His son Ganesh Pillai said that around 1945-46, when most of his recruits died during World War II, Pillai was disturbed, took up Buddhism and learnt the Pali language.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
Trump-Putin meeting time in India: US and Russian Presidents all set to meet in Alaska shortly; check full schedule here
US President Donald Trump is all set to meet his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Friday to discuss a ceasefire deal for Ukraine to help end the deadliest war in Europe since World War II. According to Reuters, Trump has already left for Alaska, where the two are scheduled to meet soon. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not invited to the talks. However, Trump said that if the scheduled talks go well, they would organise a second three-way summit with Zelensky. Trump had earlier said he would end the war in Ukraine 'within 24 hours'. However, he agreed on Thursday that it had proven a tougher task than he had expected. Ukraine's European allies have expressed their scepticism about the Trump-Putin meeting, saying that the US President might sell out Ukraine by recognising the Russian control over one-fifth of Ukraine. Before boarding Air Force One on Friday, Trump, however, said, "I'm not here to negotiate for Ukraine, I'm here to get them to a table." Both Presidents would be meeting at a Cold War-era air force base in Alaska's largest city. Reports suggest that in addition to the ceasefire, Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev said the two would also discuss a full spectrum of bilateral relations. Trump is pressing for a truce in the war, which has been going on for over 3.5 years. For Putin, the meeting can be seen as a win and evidence that years of Western attempts to isolate Russia have not been as successful as they would have wanted. The two are scheduled to meet around 11 AM (Alaska time) on 15 August. According to Indian time, it will start around 12:30 AM on 16 August. Trump will initially meet Putin on his plane.
Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Indian Express
Escalating standoff with Raj Bhavan, Stalin says will skip Governor's At Home event, takes aim at Centre in I-Day speech
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin used his Independence Day address Friday to deliver one of his sharpest public critiques yet of the Union government, accusing it of 'snatching the rights of the State governments' and urging constitutional action to restore powers and fiscal autonomy to the states. Hours later, his government announced it would boycott Governor R N Ravi's customary 'At Home' reception, citing 'anti–Tamil Nadu acts' and escalating an already fraught standoff with Raj Bhavan. Speaking at Fort St. George after hoisting the national flag, Stalin said: 'State governments are forced to depend on the Union government due to the discrimination in devolution of funds and in welfare programmes through central Acts and court judgments.' Finding a constitutional remedy, he said, was 'the only solution to this issue' and would 'help in getting due authority and devolution of funds from the Union government'. The present practice of 'moving the courts to get the funds due to the state was not in line with the federal principles of the country,' he added. 'This would affect the state's development. It would also affect India's integration,' Stalin said. 'While the states increasingly needed more power, the rights of the state governments were being snatched in key sectors, such as education, and medicine, among others.' Stalin said that 'through Union laws, court judgments, and discriminatory treatment in financial allocations and schemes, the states are being pushed into dependence on the Union government.' The 'only solution to this situation,' he told the gathering, 'is to take constitutional measures to restore the states' rightful share in the division of powers and finances. It is high time for such initiatives'. This is believed to be the first time that Stalin has used his Independence Day speech to sharply criticise the Centre. He also used the address to urge citizens to reject bigotry, protect the marginalised and uphold democratic ideals. 'True freedom means every person can live with equality, dignity and respect,' he wrote in a post on X earlier in the day, calling for 'a democracy where every citizen's vote counts' and 'where diversity is cherished as the nation's greatest strength.' Stalin also announced the expansion of the free bus travel scheme to benefit persons with disabilities on routes in hilly areas; a Rs 22-crore, 33,000-square-foot hostel for ex-servicemen in Madhavaram, Chennai; and a Rs 15-crore skill training programme for college-going children of construction workers registered with the welfare board. The monthly aid for ex-servicemen from Tamil Nadu who served during World War II will be increased to Rs 15,000. The monthly pension for freedom fighters will rise to Rs 22,000, and for their families to Rs 12,000. He also announced a driving school in every district, two zonal-level driving academies in each region, and a state-level academy. Awards were presented to several recipients, including the 'Thagaisal Thamizhar Award' to IUML leader KM Kadhar Mohideen, the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Award to ISRO chairman V Narayanan, and the Kalpana Chawla Award for Courage and Daring Enterprise to Arjuna Award recipient Thulasimathi Murugesan. Later in the day, the government confirmed that Stalin would not attend the Governor's Independence Day reception at Raj Bhavan. Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy will also skip two upcoming university convocations. The boycott comes amid repeated confrontations between the DMK government and Governor Ravi over bills passed by the Assembly but kept pending at Raj Bhavan. The immediate flashpoint was the governor's decision to refer to President Droupadi Murmu a bill to establish Kalaignar University in honour of former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi — a move the DMK has described as a deliberate delay. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court ruled that such bills would be deemed assented to if not acted upon within three months, and that governors and the President have no discretionary powers in these matters. Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan has not publicly responded to the boycott.
NDTV
8 hours ago
- NDTV
How India's Choice Of August 15 As Independence Day Has A Japan Link
The last Viceroy of India under British rule decided that India would observe its Independence Day on August 15, a day which in 1947 marked the second anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II. This, Lord Mountbatten later said, represented the conclusion of imperial conflict and not nationalist jubilation. Just two years before August 15, 1947, Japan's emperor surrendered to the Allies, ending World War II. The country's war dead crossed 3 million. The date of Japan's surrender also held significance for Lord Mountbatten, who had fought against the Japanese in the War as a Navy officer in erstwhile Burma. The Indian Independence Bill was given Royal Assent in July 1947, which was to "make provision for the setting up in India of two independent Dominions, to substitute other provisions for certain provisions of the Government of India Act, 1947". Lord Mountbatten was appointed to chalk up a plan for the transfer of power from British hands to Indian control and for the partition of the erstwhile united India into two countries. The date decided for transfer of power and partition was decided to be no later than June 1948. Amid rising communal violence and worsening law and order, a change of plans came. The British Parliament decided that the colonial rule in India would end on August 15, 1947. As a result of the partition, India and Pakistan were born, although exact boundaries were disclosed only by August 17 to avoid unrest. Pakistan's official papers and its founding father, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, originally used the date August 15 to refer to the day of independence. But by 1948, Pakistan had moved its celebrations to August 14 for practical and symbolic reasons.
