When I mention the abundance of bravery observed in Indian freedom fighters, the first thing that pops into your head is likely Mahatma Gandhi, Rani Lakshmi Bai, or maybe Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. But in order for our country to be in the state it is in right now, the contributions and sacrifices of not just these celebrated icons, but also of hundreds of thousands of other valiant and selfless patriots came to play. Buried deep in the pages of history is one such lioness, the Tamil queen, Velu Nachiyar, who’s credited for being the first Indian queen to fight against the British way back in the 18 th century.
Her kingdom, Sivagangai, was captured by the East India Company in 1772. Velu Nachiyar, brought up as a true warrior princess, deeply impressed Haider Ali, the then Sultan of Mysore, with her valour and perseverance. He, in return, gave her a shelter and provided her with monetary and military support. With this support, she managed to assemble an army which would eventually intrepidly banish the British away from their homeland of Sivagangai in 1780.
Velu Nachiyar’s intelligence gatherers discovered where the British stored their ammunition.
The path to this victory was to destroy this ammunition. Her adopted daughter carried out this brave task, making history. To commemorate her pluck, the queen built an all-women army and named it after her. These brave tactics of the queen and her army drove off the British and pressed resume on Tamil rule over Tamil territories.
This story made me realise that there were innumerable sacrifices made for us to enjoy the country we live in currently, but most of these sacrifices go unnoticed, because the ones who made them, did not look at them as sacrifices but rather as a duty towards their country and a thing of pride. Even the smallest gestures like taking part in rallies or movements paved the way for an independent India. The overlooked story of Velu Nachiyar changed my perspective on India’s independence. It made me, and hopefully many others, truly understand the well known saying, “Many drops of water make a mighty ocean.”
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