Continuing Gandhi's work

With Shri V.K. Sthanunathan

I met Shri V.K. Sthanunathan in Chennai on June 7, 2013. He is 91 years old and has been the honorary secretary of the autonomous private charitable trust ‘Thakkar Bapa Vidyalaya’.  I was introduced to him by Mr. George Simon, of BHEL, Chennai.  It has been 30 years since Shri Sthanunathan retired as a member of the Railway Board in 1980. Living in the premises of the Tamilnadu Harijan Sevak Samithi, he has devoted the rest of life after retirement working for the Vidyalalya that was established by Thakkar Bapa in 1933 under the directions of Mahatma Gandhi as a Harijan Industrial School to impart skill training.

Thakkar Bapa Vidyalalya

Amritlal V.  Thakkar or Thakkar Bapa was Gandhiji’s contemporary. He was a civil engineer from Gujarat and served the dalits and adivasis. He was an associate of Gokhale ji in the Servants of India Society and took deep interest in Gandhiji’s work. Thakkar Bappa became the secretary of the Harijan Sevak Sangh established by Gandhiji. Throughout his life he was no less committed a servant of the least than Gandhiji.  

Shri Sthanunathan reminisced about his father-in-law, A. Vaidyanatha Iyer who was born in Thanjavur in 1890 in a Tamil Brahmin family. In 1922 Iyer had participated in the non –cooperation movement, in 1930 in the Vedaranayam Salt Satyagraha and the Quit India Movement in 1942. 

On July 8, 1939, seventy five years ago he entered the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple in Madurai with six persons belonging to other oppressed castes. The temple entry team was led by Vaidyanatha Iyer and L.N.Gopalasamy, president and secretary of the Tamil Nadu Harijan Sevak Sangh respectively. At 8.45 a.m. a batch of five Dalits and a Nadar – P.Kakkan (who later became Home Minister in Kamaraj Ministry ), Swami Muruganandam, Muthu, V.S. Chinnah, V.R. Poovalingam and S. S. Shunmuga Nadar -- made their first entry into the Meenakshi Temple. Meenakshi Temple entry on July 8, 1939, was the forerunner of the State legislation which conferred on the suppressed section of Hindu society the right to enter temples. Following the temple entry, Chief Minister of Madras Presidency C.Rajagoplachari introduced legislation for the removal of the civil and social disabilities against the depressed classes.

The efforts of Vaidyanatha Iyer to mainstream Dalits transcended the question of patronising as his efforts were genuinely empowering. He not only worked among Dalits but also persuaded upper caste people to change the customs and treat Dalits as equals.

“I am delighted that my many-year-old desire has been fulfilled today.” This is how Mahatma Gandhi wrote in the visitors’ book shortly after offering worship at the Meenakshi-Sundareswarar temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, along with Dalits and members of certain other “excluded communities” on February 4, 1946.

During the Quit India movement Vaidyanatha Iyer was imprisoned from 1942-45 in Tanjore jail never hoping to come alive. In 1943 he was allowed one month’s leave to come out of the jail to celebrate his wedding and went back to jail. He was released in 1945. 

Shri Sthanunathan was married to his daughter and continues the tradition so set by his father in law. At 91, he wears no specs and has sharp memory while recounting this incident. All he wants now, is to lead a campaign for prohibition. Gandhiji had spoken ten days before his death about his wish that now that our government has come into place, prohibition must come into effect.