Thilakar Thidal a less talked about historical site on the Marina Premium

It was Subramania Siva (1884-1925), one of Tamil Nadu’s triumvirate of the freedom struggle, who got the place named after Bal Gangadhar Tilak in 1908. Tilak was among the towering personalities who addressed a public meeting here

Tamil Nadu has a number of less-talked about monuments. One of them is the [Bal Gangadhar] Tilak Ghat or Thilakar Thidal or Thilakar Kattam [Tilak Square] on the Marina, which is now symbolised in the form of a plaque.

It was once a site whence many tall leaders of the freedom struggle gave a clarion call for unity among people and social reforms. The plaque is in front of the Presidency College, though Thilakar Thidal’s actual location might have been slightly south of it. But some held the view about 40 years ago that the spot in front of the college was where the Ghat originally was.

Talking of the historical importance of the site, Kumari Ananthan, former president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC), says it was Subramania Siva (1884-1925), one of Tamil Nadu’s triumvirate of the freedom struggle, who got the place named after Tilak (1856-1920) in 1908. The other members of the triumvirate were V.O. Chidambaram and Subramania Bharati. “Like many other towering personalities, Tilak had addressed a public meeting there,” Mr. Ananthan says.

The Hindu had reported at least a couple of meetings addressed by Mahatma Gandhi at the Tilak Ghat — one in March 1925 and the other in December 1933. Communal amity and eradication of untouchability were some of the themes touched upon by him. At the first meeting, he said, “He who believes in the fundamental principles of Hinduism is a Sanatani Hindu. And, the fundamental principles of Hinduism are absolute belief in truth (‘Satya’), and Ahimsa (non-violence),” according to a report published by this newspaper on March 26, 1925.

Among others who took part at public meetings at the Ghat were Subhas Chandra Bose, S. Satyamurti and C.R. Das, all leading lights of the Congress. “There was no podium originally,” points out A. Gopanna, a senior Congress leader and author of biographies on Jawaharlal Nehru and K. Kamaraj. It was after the DMK came to power in 1967 that a permanent structure was put up and it was named ‘Seerani Arangam’. C.N. Annadurai, who was the DMK founder and Chief Minister, wanted to infuse social responsibility into his cadre and organised them into the “Seerani corps”. He had requested the volunteers to build a platform on the Marina. This was how the structure came up in 1970 and was named ‘Seerani Arangam’.

A popular spot for grand public meetings for nearly 30 years, ‘Seerani Arangam’ was demolished in August 2003 during a late-night operation when Jayalalithaa was the Chief Minister. Mr. Gopanna recalls a meeting jointly attended by Kamaraj and Rajaji during the 1971 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections and another meeting attended by Indira Gandhi and G.K. Moopanar in February 1976 when the Moopanar faction of the Congress (Organisation) merged itself with the Congress headed by Indira Gandhi.

On September 2, 1984, a galaxy of national leaders — Janata Party president Chandra Shekhar; BJP general secretary L.K. Advani; Farooq Abdullah, who was only two months earlier dismissed as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir; and DMK president M. Karunanidhi — was present there to condemn the Central government for having dismissed N.T. Rama Rao as the Chief Minister of the then Andhra Pradesh in mid-August 1984.