Kathiresan V: Championing the Rights of India's Freedom Fighters and Their Families
Cutting through thick forests with heavy armoury and canteen on their backs, the Indian National Army (INA) soldiers silently cross rivers, barren lands, insect-ridden jungles, trekking to Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Burma to gather Indian troops to overthrow the British Empire.
'This was their journey, and it was difficult. With hardly any sleep or food and only the thought of a free India on his mind, my grandfather kept going despite all odds,' says Kathiresan V, a farmer cum activist from Madurai who works for the rights of freedom fighters.
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For Kathiresan, the fight for India's freedom never truly ended. The grandson of P M Ramu Konar, an INA soldier, Kathiresan has been working for the welfare of freedom fighters and their families since 1976, a cause he took up after growing up hearing stories of sacrifice and struggle from his grandfather.
'My grandfather always stood by INA veterans, and I would often accompany him to govt offices.
Many times, officials demanded bribes just to file or process pension applications. After everything they endured for the country, it was heartbreaking to see them being treated this way. That's when I decided to join my grandfather in this,' he says.
In 2009, when the INA veterans' association in Tamil Nadu was struggling to keep operations alive, Kathiresan stepped in to lead what is now the Tamil Nadu freedom fighters association.
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His early work was focused on ensuring pension access for INA veterans, helping them file applications and representing them in govt offices. 'Many of them were living in dire conditions, fighting to survive. We used to personally accompany them to the meetings and to the departments, as many were too old to go alone,' he says.
He says INA soldiers often donated money, jewels, and lands they owned to the cause of the freedom struggle and kept nothing for themselves.
This pushed several of these veterans and their families to poverty. The families didn't get the chance to study, and only about 10% of these families are in good positions. Others are struggling to make ends meet,' says Kathiresan.
One of the biggest issues he is tackling now is land rights. During the post-Independence years, many freedom fighters in Tamil Nadu were allotted land in recognition of their sacrifice.
But over the decades, some of these plots have been taken over by private parties or the govt. 'In the records, the land is in their name, but someone else is using it. We have to fight case by case, often with the district revenue officer,' he says.
The challenges are steep, from govt indifference to the rise of fraudulent claims from fake descendants, but Kathiresan works alone, refusing to give up. 'Right now, I have a small group of people who work for the cause, and I am on the lookout for someone who will take this cause forward. Their lives are over, but my work isn't. If we don't protect their legacy now, in a few years it will be erased from memory,' he says.
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