Mahatma Gandhi marched the streets from Sabarmati Ashram to the coastal town of Dandi to protest against the British Government’s salt tax. Damdami Taksal, an educational and religious organisation, held processions on the streets of the Malwa region of Punjab to defy the rules of emergency declared by the then Congress government. People protested on the streets leading to Shaheen Bagh, opposing the immediate implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
When the people come to the streets, the applause becomes the music, the demand for a change becomes a song, and the footsteps become a beat of collective will. These protests have brought about many a change.
Whenever people want authorities to hear their voices, they have taken to the streets — ones that become stages to rewrite the script of history. “If there is dissatisfaction, non-benefit, or some unrest among the collective consciousness of the community, where and how are they going to express? Because there are concerns — how a policy or development is going to affect and have an effect on their lives. If it is going to deter an individual and their activities, streets are the areas where they express,” notes Karmaveer Jyoti awardee Sumithra Prasad, founder and general secretary of DORAI foundation, which stands for an inclusive society.
She believes protesting is a freedom of individuals “to put forth your needs and your requirements and what you feel.” It is also a performance of people’s power. This performance has often found a stage near Valluvar Kottam.
In the 1970s, people in Chennai voiced their opinions with marches, meetings, and processions starting from the RBI subway to the Napier Bridge. “The crowd started reaching the Secretariat. Hence, the route was prohibited for meetings and processions. The government slowly started allotting earmarked places from the traffic point of view for people to hold their assemblies,” recalls Justice (Retd) Chandru, Madras High Court.
One such landmark was Valluvar Kottam. He recalls, “Initially, it was a garbage dump, and the whole area was built on the banks of a lake. The inauguration was held on February 1, 1976. After a series of court cases, the government made it open to conduct protests and meetings, from Valluvar Kottam leading up to Kodambakkam High Road.”
From students resisting bus fare hike in 1991, and the late CM J Jayalalithaa going on a day-long fast to condemn the Cauvery verdict in 2007 to the late CM M Karunanidhi arriving at the location to join his party members to voice against power crisis in the state in 2012 and ride-sharing platforms raising slogans for metre fair in 2018, Valluvar Kottam has seen all kinds of political and people-driven demonstrations unfold. Justice (Retd) Prabha Sridevan, Madras High Court, says, “The open space in front of the monument fosters equality during public gatherings, during which the statue of Thiruvalluvar lends moral weight and symbolic strength to the voices raised there.”
Beyond barricades
DORAI Foundation also held many protests for accessibility, elections, and disability rights. But, why Valluvar Kottam? “When a gathering is held at important monumental places, your voice converts into a very intense force because it’s coming from the physical energy of that place, which gives us a chance to sensitise and create awareness. People visit, learn, and spread the word,” she says.
This space also brought much-needed attention to her NGO. In 2014, they organised a mela. Her autistic son and another in a wheelchair were welcoming the gathering. “When my son offered a cookie to a man in a white shirt and pants, he refused. I said my son is not selling it, but giving it to everyone out of love. This gesture was noticed by many, even mediapersons. That was a turning point for our fight. The NGO was recognised and I was invited to various chat shows on television,” shares Sumithra.
Voices from the Valluvar Kottam protest keep echoing. In 2016, hundreds of trans people staged a demonstration here. “They were demanding their rights in education, employment, and dignified living,” says an auto driver from the area, who has been a witness to several such protests for 20 years. Numerous protests and visual noises across the country led to Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, including the definition of a transgender person. Prabha says, “Sometimes, all these public demonstrations have no effect. And especially when it comes to people in power, things don’t change. I must shout to be heard. I am a noise. A visual noise. That is a show of strength to change the status quo.” While many such changes were recorded, Prabha believes that the space is more meaningful with Thiruvalluvar’s statue and his kural carved. “I really hope people will be able to use it to its true meaning. Valluvar speaks of everything that is relevant today. Nobody can worry that kural is not relevant.” Pradeep Chakravarthy, author and historian, contrasts, “How many of his kurals have we actually followed in our lives. He has become more like a political propaganda machine. How can we make Thirukkural more relevant for our lives is a bigger conversation we need to have.”
A change in movement
Beyond the various fasts, protests, and dharnas, it is ideally a monument dedicated to poet Thiruvalluvar. Chandru says, “It was a memorial project undertaken by DMK in 1970.” Today, it is being renovated for the general public to learn more about the philosopher.
While the monument will stand as a Tamil Cultural Centre, on March 19, 2025, the city police declared that protests can no longer be held in Valluvar Kottam, owing to traffic and school bus congestion. Instead, the Greater Chennai Police has delegated the protests to be held in the future near Doordarshan Kendra on Sivananda Salai, Triplicane.
Sumitha shares, “Protest is the collective consciousness of vigilant citizens who come together and voice their requirements. Shift in place will not deter that, and we will continue to make noise to be heard.”
Notable protests at Valluvar Kottam
January 2014:
The Tamil Nadu Rainbow Coalition organised a rally protesting the Supreme Court’s verdict upholding Section 377, which criminalised homosexuality.
March 2013:
Around 1,000 people from 30 different unions affiliated to the Film Employees’ Federation of South India and Small Screen TV Actors Association protested to urge the Indian government to take action against alleged atrocities committed against Tamils in Sri Lanka and to advocate for the rights and dignity of Sri Lankan Tamils.
December 2019:
Despite the revocation of permission by Chennai police, over 1,200 people gathered at Valluvar Kottam to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Notable personalities like actor Siddharth and musician TM Krishna participated in the demonstration.
January 2021:
Following actor Rajinikanth’s announcement to withdraw from politics due to health concerns, over 1,000 of his fans gathered at Valluvar Kottam, urging him to reconsider his decision. Despite the Rajini Makkal Mandram’s advisories against such gatherings, fans from various parts of Tamil Nadu assembled, chanting slogans like “Vaa Thalaiva Vaa” (Come, Leader, Come).
May 2023:
The Society for the Rights of Backward Communities organised a demonstration advocating for a caste census, drawing approximately 4,000 participants.