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 with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947.
The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...
. It was started in 1906 by
V. O. Chidambaram Pillai
''V.'' is the debut novel of Thomas Pynchon, published in 1963. It describes the exploits of a discharged U.S. Navy sailor named Benny Profane, his reconnection in New York with a group of pseudo-bohemian artists and hangers-on known as the Who ...
to compete against the monopoly of the
British India Steam Navigation Company (BISNC). It sailed ships between
Tuticorin
Thoothukudi (formerly Tuticorin) is a port city, a municipal corporation and an industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city lies in the Coromandel Coast of Bay of Bengal. Thoothukudi is the capital and ...
and
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...
until it was
liquidated
Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a company is brought to an end in Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and many other countries. The assets and property of the company are redistr ...
in 1911.
Background
In the early 20th century, the
British India Steam Navigation Company (BISNC) had a monopoly over trade in the Indian Ocean region. The merchants of
Tuticorin
Thoothukudi (formerly Tuticorin) is a port city, a municipal corporation and an industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city lies in the Coromandel Coast of Bay of Bengal. Thoothukudi is the capital and ...
, a port city in
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...
, decided to break the monopoly. They hired a ship from the Shawline Steam Company to run between Tuticorin and
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...
, the capital of
Ceylon. After the intervention of 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 ...
, the hired company withdrew the lending.
During this time,
V. O. Chidambaram Pillai
''V.'' is the debut novel of Thomas Pynchon, published in 1963. It describes the exploits of a discharged U.S. Navy sailor named Benny Profane, his reconnection in New York with a group of pseudo-bohemian artists and hangers-on known as the Who ...
, 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 in ...
, 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.
Pandithurai Thevar
Vallal Pon Pandithurai Thevar (21 March 1867 – 2 December 1911), born Ukkira Pandian, also known as Pandi Durai Thevar, was the Zamindar of Palavanatham, Tamil Nadu, India. A scholar and poet belonging to the royal house of the Sethupathis o ...
, the
zamindar
A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as ...
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
C. Subramania Bharathi Birth name: C. Subramaniyan, the person's given name: Subramaniyan, father's given name: Chinnaswami. (C. Subramaniyan by the prevalent patronymic initials as prefix naming system in Tamil Nadu and it is Subramaniyan C ...
wrote essays about its importance.
The first ship, the SS ''Galia'', was purchased from France
with the help of
Bal Gangadhar Tilak and
Aurobindo Ghose
Sri Aurobindo (born Aurobindo Ghose; 15 August 1872 – 5 December 1950) was an Indian philosopher, yogi, maharishi, poet, and Indian nationalist. He was also a journalist, editing newspapers such as ''Vande Mataram''. He joined th ...
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 Mataram'' (Sanskrit: वन्दे मातरम् IAST: , also spelt ''Bande Mataram''; বন্দে মাতরম্, ''Bônde Mātôrôm''; ) is a poem written in sanskritised Bengali by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in th ...
".
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. 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 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 ...
, 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 ( bn, বিপিন চন্দ্র পাল ; 7 November 1858 – 20 May 1932) was an Indian nationalist, writer, orator, social reformer and Indian independence movement freedom fighter. He was one third of the “ ...
from prison as Swarajya (self-rule) day.
In response, on 12 March 1908, the British arrested
Subramania Siva 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
Vanchinatha Iyer (1886 – 17 June 1911), popularly known as Vanchinathan or Vanchi, was an Indian independence activist.
He is best remembered for assassinating Robert Ashe, the Tax Collector of Thirunelveli who was instrumental in closing ...
, 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 a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...
, Pillai is remembered as ''Kapallotiyya Tamilan'' (the
Tamilan who sailed ships). The
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
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 with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947.
The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...
.
References
{{reflist
Indian independence movement
Defunct shipping companies of India
Maritime history of India
Indian companies established in 1906
1910s disestablishments in India