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 freedom fighter, civil rights activist, former soldier and a party worker for the Indian National Congress in Tamil Nadu, India, who was ...

, a freedom fighter and

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

leader who took part in the Quit India movement during the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

era. He worked in the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

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. The Pallars traditionally inhabited the fertile wetland area referred to as ''Marutham'' in the literary devices of the Sangam landsc ...

caste. He was a close associate of chief minister

K. Kamaraj Kumaraswami Kamaraj (15 July 1903 – 2 October 1975, hinduonnet.com. 15–28 September 2001), popularly known as Kamarajar was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the Chief Minister of Madras State (Tamil Nadu) ...

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''. T ...

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

Ramanathapuram Ramanathapuram (), also known as Ramnad, is a town and a municipality 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) in ...

and

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

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 of 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