| Varahaneri Venkatesa Subramaniam Aiyar | |
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Portrait of V. V. S. Aiyar |
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| Born | 2 April 1881 Trichinopoly, Madras Presidency, India |
| Died | June 3, 1925 (aged 44) Papanasam Falls, Madras Presidency, India |
| Cause of death | Drowned in Papanasam Falls under mysterious circumstances |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Other names | V. V. S. Aiyar |
| Education | Lincoln's Inn, London |
| Known for | Indian Independence Movement, India House, literary works |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Varahaneri Venkatesa Subramaniam Aiyar (Tamil: வரகநேரி வெங்கடேச சுப்ரமணியம் அய்யர்) (April 2, 1881 – June 3, 1925), also known as V.V.S. Aiyar, was an Indian revolutionary from Tamil Nadu who fought against the British occupation of India. His contemporaries include Subramanya Bharathi and V.O. Chidambaram Pillai, who subscribed to the militant form of resistance against the British. He went into exile in Pondicherry, then under French rule, when his militant activities attracted a warrant for his arrest from the British colonial government.
V.V.S. Aiyar was also a Tamil writer and is considered as the father of modern Tamil short story. He also translated the Ramavatharam of Kambar and Tirukkural into English. V.V.S Aiyar is mentor of Vanchinathan.
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Venkatesa Subramaniam Aiyar was born on April 2, 1881 in a middle class Brahmin family in the suburb of Varahaneri in Tiruchi. After his early education,he studied in St. Joseph's College and took his B.A; he studied for the Law profession and passed the Pleader (junior lawyer) examination from the Madras University in 1902. He then practised as the pleader in the District courts of Tiruchi. Aiyar then moved to Rangoon in 1906 and started practising as a junior in the Chambers of an English Barrister. From Rangoon, he left for London in 1907 and enrolled in Lincoln's Inn aiming to becoming a Barrister at Law. While in London, V.V.S. Aiyar came into contact with Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, an Indian revolutionary, at the India House. Under Savarkar's influence Aiyar began to take an active role in the militant struggle for Indian independence.
Aiyar's militant attitude prompted the British Government in 1910 to issue a warrant for his arrest for his alleged involvement in an anarchist conspiracy in London and Paris. Aiyar resigned from the Lincoln's Inn and escaped to Paris. Although he wished to remain in Paris as a political exile, he had to return to India. Aiyar landed in Pondicherry on December 4, 1910 disguised as a muslim to escape arrest and remained there as exile. Aiyar remained in Pondicherry for over ten years. While in Pondicherry, Aiyar met with fellow revolutionaries Subramanya Bharathi and Aurobindo. In Pondicherry, Aiyar was involved in the plot to assassinate Mr. Ashe, the Collector of Tirunelveli. One of his students, Vanchinathan assassinated General Ashe. Thus more trouble arose for V.V.S. Aiyar and his companion Subramanya Bharathi.
On 22 September 1914 the German cruiser SMS Emden entered the Madras harbour and bombed the city. The British colonial government blamed this on the activities of the exiles in Pondicherry, and urged the French Governor to deport V.V.S. Aiyar and his companions to Africa. The French police brought several charges against the revolutionaries, but failed to convict them. During this period Aiyar translated the Tirukkural into English. He later revealed that he wanted to leave a legacy behind if he were forced to leave the country.
Aiyar returned to Madras after World War I and worked as the editor of the newspaper Desabhaktan (Patriot). He was arrested in 1921 on sedition charges and spent nine months in prison. While in prison Aiyar wrote the book A Study of Kamba Ramayana.
V.V.S. Aiyar drowned in the Papanasam Falls in June 1925 in circumstances which remain controversial.
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