Sankaralinganar Nadar (Aged 61) was born on January 26, 1895 in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, India, to Karuppasamy Nadar and Valliammai. He was an Indian independence activist and Gandhian who went on a hunger strike in an attempt to change the name of Madras State to Tamil Nadu. He was not a Tamil nationalist or a Dravidian nationalist.
After completing his schooling at Enadhinatha Nayanar Vidyalaya in Virudhunagar, he began a Khadi business in Paramakudi. In 1917, he joined the Indian National Congress and participated in the Indian independence movement. At the request of C. Rajagopalachari, he left his business and joined the Gandhi Ashram in Tiruchengode.
In 1930, Sankaralinganar participated in the Salt March led by Mahatma Gandhi from Ahmedabad to Dandi. For his involvement in the independence movement, he was imprisoned for six months in Trichy (Tiruchirappalli). He accompanied Mahatma Gandhi during his visit to Virudhunagar in 1933. In 1952, Sankaralinganar donated his two houses to a girls’ school and deposited money to provide food for the students.
In 1956, the Indian government reorganized states based on linguistic lines, resulting in Tamil-speaking people becoming the majority in Madras State. Tamil activists demanded a change in the state’s name. Sankaralinganar started a hunger strike on July 27, 1956 in Virudhunagar, with twelve demands, including renaming Madras State to Tamil Nadu (Tamizhagam), achieving electoral reforms, and enforcing alcohol prohibition in India.
Leaders like C. N. Annadurai, M. P. Sivagnanam, and Jeevanandham requested him to stop his hunger strike, but he continued. After 76 days of fasting, he was admitted to a hospital in Madurai where he died on October 13, 1956.
The name was officially changed to Tamil Nadu on January 14, 1969, by an amendment in the Parliament of India. The Tamil Nadu government built a memorial dedicated to Sankaralinganar in Virudhunagar in 2015.
Sankaralinganar
(1895 – 1956) – (Tamilnadu)
Sankaralinganar Nadar (Aged 61) was born on January 26, 1895 in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, India, to Karuppasamy Nadar and Valliammai. He was an Indian independence activist and Gandhian who went on a hunger strike in an attempt to change the name of Madras State to Tamil Nadu. He was not a Tamil nationalist or a Dravidian nationalist.
After completing his schooling at Enadhinatha Nayanar Vidyalaya in Virudhunagar, he began a Khadi business in Paramakudi. In 1917, he joined the Indian National Congress and participated in the Indian independence movement. At the request of C. Rajagopalachari, he left his business and joined the Gandhi Ashram in Tiruchengode.
In 1930, Sankaralinganar participated in the Salt March led by Mahatma Gandhi from Ahmedabad to Dandi. For his involvement in the independence movement, he was imprisoned for six months in Trichy (Tiruchirappalli). He accompanied Mahatma Gandhi during his visit to Virudhunagar in 1933. In 1952, Sankaralinganar donated his two houses to a girls’ school and deposited money to provide food for the students.
In 1956, the Indian government reorganized states based on linguistic lines, resulting in Tamil-speaking people becoming the majority in Madras State. Tamil activists demanded a change in the state’s name. Sankaralinganar started a hunger strike on July 27, 1956 in Virudhunagar, with twelve demands, including renaming Madras State to Tamil Nadu (Tamizhagam), achieving electoral reforms, and enforcing alcohol prohibition in India.
Leaders like C. N. Annadurai, M. P. Sivagnanam, and Jeevanandham requested him to stop his hunger strike, but he continued. After 76 days of fasting, he was admitted to a hospital in Madurai where he died on October 13, 1956.
The name was officially changed to Tamil Nadu on January 14, 1969, by an amendment in the Parliament of India. The Tamil Nadu government built a memorial dedicated to Sankaralinganar in Virudhunagar in 2015.
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