CHENNAI: Historian AR Venkatachalapathy has bagged the Sahitya Akademi award for the year 2024 in the research category for his Tamil book Tirunelveli Ezhuchiyum Vaa Vuu Ciyum 1908 (Tirunelveli uprising and VO Chidambaram Pillai 1908).
Venkatachalapathy, a professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies told TNIE that he is delighted to be recognised for his two-decade-long of research work on VOC, a great and selfless leader.
“It gives me immense pleasure that my work on an event that assumed a significant place in history has been chosen for the award. Though the Sahitya Akademi bestows awards mostly on literary works, the Akademi has recognised the literary aspect of this book apart from it being a work of research.”
“The book covers the uprising that happened in Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi on March 13, 1908, following the arrest of VOC by the British. “It was ruthlessly crushed by the police. Four people were shot dead and hundreds were convicted,” he said.
“While the British termed it as Tirunelveli riots, it was in fact an uprising. A significant aspect of this uprising is that people belonging to all castes and religions opposed the arrest,” he added.
Congratulating the historian, Chief Minister MK Stalin, in his post on X, said he felt double delight that Venkatachalapathy, who was immersed in his research on VOC, has been recognised for his earlier work on the freedom fighter right when the author brought out his new work on the steam navigation company launched by VOC.
“I congratulate and appreciate Venkatachalapathy, who corrected the term ‘riots’ used by the British rulers and registered it rightly as our ‘uprising’,” he added. The award, carrying a copper plaque, a cash prize of `1 lakh and a citation will be presented at a function in Delhi on March 8.