Ministers Honour Freedom Fighters Sankaralinganar, Arya (Bashyam) and Chempakaraman on Thiyagigal Dhinam

On the occasion of Thiyagigal Dinam (Martyrs' Day), the Hon'ble Ministers paid floral tributes by garlanding the statues of Thiyagi Sankaralinganar, Thiyagi Arya (alias) Bashyam, and Thiyagi Chembagaraman. On behalf of the Government of Tamil Nadu, on the occasion of Martyrs' Day, today (17.7.2026), Hon'ble Ministers paid floral tributes at the statues of Thiyagi Sankaralinganar, Thiyagi Arya (alias) Bashyam, and Thiyagi Chembagaraman, situated at the Gandhi Mandapam Complex, Guindy, Chennai. Thiyagi Arya's real name was Bashyam. He was born in 1907 at Veranguelam, near Mannargudi, Thanjavur District. He studied at school in Mannargudi and pursued his degree at National College, Tiruchirappalli. He took keen interest in India's freedom struggle. Having listened to Mahatma Gandhi's speech at Needamangalam, he prepared himself to take up arms for the nation's freedom, and fully involved himself in the 'Vedanayagam Go Back' agitation held at Needamangalam. He was the valiant patriot who lowered the British Union Jack flag from the flagstaff at St. George Fort — where the Chennai Secretariat is located — and hoisted the Indian National Flag. An accomplished artist, he drew political cartoons, illustrations for stories, and cover pictures for journals. The portraits of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Mahakavi Bharathiyar were drawn by him. Thiyagi Sankaralinganar was born in 1895 as the son of Periya Karuppasamy Nadar and Valliammai at Manmadaimedu village, Virudhunagar. He served as the secretary of an association founded in 1914 for the advancement of women's education, and was also involved in Khadi movement activities. He joined the Congress Party in 1917 and was imprisoned for six months for participating in the Satyagraha held in Tiruchy. In 1920 he met Rajaji and became his disciple. When present-day Tamil Nadu was known as Madras Presidency, Thiyagi Sankaralinganar undertook a 76-day fast demanding that the name be changed to 'Tamil Nadu', and passed away at the age of 58. Thiyagi Chembagaraman was born on 15.9.1891 in Thiruvananthapuram. Even while studying in school, he raised his voice against British rule. He was the one who saluted the motherland with the slogan 'Jai Hind'. He raised the Indian National Volunteer Force, which was a precursor to the Indian National Army formed by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Thiyagi Chembagaraman passed away on 26.5.1934. The Thiyagigal Manimandapam at the Gandhi Mandapam Complex, Guindy, Chennai, was inaugurated on 2.10.1998. Subsequently, the bust statues of Thiyagi Arya (alias) Bashyam and Thiyagi Sankaralinganar, installed at the entrance of the memorial, were unveiled on 17.7.1999, and the statue of Thiyagi Chembagaraman was unveiled on 17.7.2008. In honour of the great service of freedom fighters Sankaralinganar, Arya (alias) Bashyam and Chembagaraman, who laid down their lives in India's freedom struggle, the Government of Tamil Nadu observes Martyrs' Day every year on 17th July. On this occasion, Hon'ble Minister for Rural Development and Water Resources Thiru N. Anand, Hon'ble Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Thiru P. Sengottaiyan (Sengodaraman), Hon'ble Minister for School Education, Tamil Development, Information and Publicity Thiru Rajmohan, Hon'ble Minister for Social Justice Thiru Senniarasu, Hon'ble Minister for Finance, Planning and Development Thiru N. Mariya Wilson, MLAs Thiru M. Arulprakasam and Thiru R. Abhishek, Secretary of Tamil Development and Information Department Thiru Ve. Rajaraman IAS, Director of Information and Public Relations Dr. A. Arun Thambhuraj IAS, and senior Government officials were present. Issued By: - DIPR, Secretariat, Chennai – 9