imported>CodeMyGame Wiki: Fix 2 reference positions (district.He -> district. He; movement.Saminatha -> movement. Saminatha)

2021-08-02T18:51:26Z

Fix 2 reference positions (district.He -> district. He; movement.Saminatha -> movement. Saminatha)

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{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox person
|name = S. A. Saminatha Iyer
|image = Serugudi Anantharama Saminatha Iyer.jpg
|image_size =
|caption = A portrait of Iyer
|birth_date =
|birth_place =
|death_date = 1899
|death_place = [[Kumbakonam]]
|body_discovered =
|death_cause =
|resting_place =
|resting_place_coordinates = 
|nationality = [[British Indian]]
|ethnicity =
|citizenship =
|other_names =
|known_for =
|education =
|alma_mater =
|employer =
|occupation = lawyer
|years_active =
|home_town =
|title = [[Rao Bahadur]]
|salary =
|networth =
|height =
|weight =
|term =
|predecessor =
|successor =
|party = [[Indian National Congress]]
|opponents =
|boards =
|spouse =
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}}

[[Rao Bahadur]]<ref name="indiannationalcongress_encyclopaediap610">{{cite book | title=The Encyclopaedia of Indian National Congress| last=Zaidi| first=A. Moin|author2=Shaheda Gufran Zaidi | year=1976| pages=610| publisher=S. Chand}}</ref> '''S. A. Saminatha Iyer''' (died 1899), also known as '''Thanjavur Saminatha Iyer''', was an Indian lawyer, landlord, politician and theosophist who served as Chairman of the Tanjore municipality and a delegate to the 1885, 1886, 1887, 1889 and 1894 sessions of the [[Indian National Congress]]. He spoke against [[salt tax]] in the first session conducted in 1885 and in 1887, was a part of a 32-member team that wrote the constitution of the Congress. Christopher Baker and D. A. Washbrook describe him as the "most celebrated spokesman of the Tanjore gentry".

== Early life ==

S. A. Swaminatha Iyer was born in the [[Tanjore district]] of Tamil Nadu. He was the eldest of four sons of Sankaranarayana Dikshitar, the others being S. A. Subramania Iyer, S. A. Ayyaswami Iyer and S. A. Ananthanarayana Iyer. On completion of his education, Saminatha Iyer practised as a pleader in [[Negapatam]].<ref name="congressmen_list">{{cite book | title=Congress and Congressmen in the Pre-Gandhian Era 1885–1917 | last=Majumdar| first=Bimanbehari | pages=312| year=1967}}</ref><ref name="negapatam_pleader">{{cite book| title=Politics and Nationalist Awakening in South India, 1852–1891| last=Suntharalingam| first=R.| pages=[https://archive.org/details/politicsnational0000sunt/page/218 218]| year=1974| publisher=Association for Asian Studies by the University of Arizona Press| isbn=0816504474| url=https://archive.org/details/politicsnational0000sunt/page/218}}</ref><ref name="indiannationalcongress_encyclopaediap595">{{cite book | title=The Encyclopaedia of Indian National Congress| last=Zaidi| first=A. Moin|author2=Shaheda Gufran Zaidi | year=1976| pages=595| publisher=S. Chand}}</ref><ref name="indiannationalcongress_history">{{cite book | title=A History of the Indian National Congress: 1885–1918| last=Mehrotra| first=S. R.| year=1995| pages=372| publisher=Vikas Publishing House| isbn=0706980719}}</ref>Around 1887, Saminatha Iyer migrated to Tanjore where he served as Public Prosector at the Tanjore district court.

== Politics ==

Saminatha Iyer took an interest in politics during his practise as a pleader in Negapatam. During the early 1880s, he was elected to the Negapatam municipality and served as a member.<ref name="negapatam_pleader" /> In 1882, Saminatha Iyer took the lead in organizing the Madras Native Association branch in the district.<ref name="negapatam_pleader" /> He also set up a Negapatam branch of the [[Theosophical Society]] in 1883 and served as its Secretary. When the [[Madras Mahajana Sabha]] was formed in 1884, Saminatha Iyer became a corresponding member.<ref name="negapatam_pleader" /><ref name="kasturirangaiyengar">{{cite book | title=Kasturi Ranga Iyengar| last=Narasimhan| first=V. K.| year=1963| pages=18| publisher=Ministry of Information and Broadcasting}}</ref>

In September 1885, Saminatha Iyer moved to Kumbakonam and succeeded [[Sir A. Seshayya Sastri]] as President of the Tanjore People's Association.<ref name="negapatam_pleader" />He was the association's sole delegate to the first session of the Indian National Congress held in Bombay between December 25 and 28, 1885.<ref name="viduthalai_poril_tamilakam">{{cite book | title=History of Freedom Movement in Tamil Nadu: Vidutalai poril Tamilakam| last=Sivagnanam| first=M. P.| year=1988| pages=67| author-link=M. P. Sivagnanam| publisher=Tamil University|isbn=8170901146}}</ref><ref name="pregandhianp60">{{cite book|title=Madras Presidency in Pre-Gandhian Era: A Historical Perspective, 1884–1915|pages=60|author=Saroja Sundararajan|publisher=Lalitha Publications|year=1997}}</ref>Saminatha Iyer was subsequently made a "Rao Sahib".

At the session, Saminatha Iyer vehemently criticized the Salt Tax<ref name="raj">{{cite book | title=Indian National Movement and the Raj| last=Bakshi| first=Shiri Ram| year=1989| pages=56| publisher=Criterion Publications| location=India}}</ref><ref name="economic_policies">{{cite book | title=The Rise and Growth of Economic Nationalism in India: Economic Policies of Indian National leadership, 1880 to 1905| last=Chandra| first=Bipan| year=1966| pages=232| publisher=People's Publication House| location=India}}</ref><ref name="independence">{{cite book | title=Struggle for Independence| last=Bakshi| first=S R| year=1994| pages=181 & 182| publisher=Anmol Publications| location=India| isbn=8170417147}}</ref>

{{quote|It would be unjust and unrighteous if the tax on salt should be increased. It is a necessary article both for human as well as animal well-being... it would be bad policy and a retrograde movement to raise the tax, especially at a time when the poor millions of India are anxiously looking forward for a further reduction of the tax.... As any increase, therefore, of this tax will fall heavily upon the masses of the people of the land, I would strongly urge upon the attention of this Congress the necessity of its entering its strong protest against any attempt on the part of Government to raise the tax on salt}}<ref name="Salt_history">{{Cite web|url=http://www.mkgandhi.org/civil_dis/salt_tax.htm|title=Defiance of Salt Tax|access-date=28 September 2008|publisher=mkgandhi.org}}</ref><ref name="aryanstoswaraj">{{cite book | title=Early Aryans to Swaraj| last=Singh| first=Hari| author2=S Gajrani, S.R. Bakshi| year=2005| pages=16| publisher=Sarup & Sons| isbn=8176255378}}</ref>

During the third session of the Indian National Congress held at [[Madras]] in 1887, S. A. Swaminatha Iyer was appointed member of the 35-member committee which framed the constitution of the Indian National Congress.<ref name="Annie_Besant">{{cite book | title=How India Wrought for freedom | last=Besant| first=Annie | pages=52| author-link= Annie Besant| year=1915| publisher=Theosophical Publishing House| location=Adyar, Madras}}</ref><ref name="pregandhianp72">{{cite book|title=Madras Presidency in Pre-Gandhian Era: A Historical Perspective, 1884–1915|pages=72|author=Saroja Sundararajan|publisher=Lalitha Publications|year=1997}}</ref>He also participated in the 1886, 1889 and 1894 sessions, in the last along with his younger brother, S. A. Anantanarayanan, a [[Madras High Court|High Court]] ''[[vakil]]''.

In April 1888, serious disturbances broke out in the [[Madras Presidency]] when there were rumours that a [[Brahmin]] student in the [[Madras Christian College]] had expressed willingness to embrace Christianity<ref name="oddiep204">[[#Oddie|Oddie]], p 204</ref> In June 1888, Brahmin students in the town of [[Nannilam]] in [[Tanjore district]] began to agitate for the missionary school in the town to be shut down.<ref name="missionary_controversy_p163">{{cite book|title=Missionary controversy: Discussion, Evidence and Report, 1890|publisher=Wesleyan Methodist Book Room|pages=163|place=London|year=1890}}</ref><ref name="missionary_controversy_p176">{{cite book|title=Missionary controversy: Discussion, Evidence and Report, 1890|publisher=Wesleyan Methodist Book Room|pages=176|place=London|year=1890}}</ref> A meeting was held in the district and presided over by Swaminatha Iyer in which he gave a brief description of the [[Indian National Congress]] and exhorted the people to boycott the Christian school and instead start a national school for the education of children.<ref name="missionary_controversy_p163"/><ref name="missionary_controversy_p176" /> Swaminatha Iyer criticised the liberal spendings of the faculty of the missionary colleges while the people of the Presidency suffered from poverty.<ref name="missionary_controversy_p114">{{cite book|title=Missionary controversy: Discussion, Evidence and Report, 1890|publisher=Wesleyan Methodist Book Room|pages=114|place=London|year=1890}}</ref> The Christian school, eventually, became empty of students, a month before the inspection by the Madras government, thereby depriving it of a government grant of Rs. 200.<ref name="missionary_controversy_p163" /><ref name="missionary_controversy_p176" />Swaminatha Iyer prepared a list of prices of food items to illustrate the comparative poverty of the masses with regard to the affluent lifestyle of the missionaries.<ref name="missionary_controversy_p114" /> This was later supplied as evidence by Rev. [[Henry Simpson Lunn]] during the hearing of the Madras Christian College controversies.<ref name="missionary_controversy_p114" /><ref name="missionary_controversy_p117">{{cite book|title=Missionary controversy: Discussion, Evidence and Report, 1890|publisher=Wesleyan Methodist Book Room|pages=117|place=London|year=1890}}</ref>

Saminatha Iyer was elected to the District Board of Tanjore in 1886 and nominated Chairman of the Tanjore municipal council in 1887. The same year he was made a "Rao Bahadur". As Chairman, Saminatha Iyer presided over the [[Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria|golden jubilee celebrations]] of the reign of [[Queen Victoria]] in Tanjore city. He was also elected Secretary of the Rajah Mirasdar Hospital, Tanjore. In 1892, he became the President of the Tanjore branch of the Theosophical Society.<ref name="oddiep255">[[#Oddie|Oddie]], p 255</ref> In 1893, Saminatha Iyer was succeeded as Chairman of the Tanjore municipal council by [[K. Kalyanasundaramier]].

In 1892, when the mirasidars of [[Thanjavur district]] agitated against the rise of the land revenue from rupees 3.9 million to 5.6 million as per the newly introduced scientific settlement, Swaminatha Iyer led the movement.<ref name="indianreview">{{cite book | title=The Indian Review| year=1937| pages=535| publisher=G.A. Natesan & Co.}}</ref> Saminatha Iyer unsuccessfully stood for election to the [[Madras Legislative Council]] for the Municipalities seat.<ref name="madraslegislativecouncil">{{cite book | title=Madras Legislative Council: Its Constitution and Working Between 1861 and 1909: Being a Report, Submitted to the Madras University, as a Fellow in the Politics Department Between October 1952 and October 1953 | last=Markandan| first=K. C. | pages=53| year=1964| publisher=S. Chand}}</ref>

== Temple politics ==

Swaminatha Iyer showed an active interest in the administrative affairs of Hindu temples right from the time of his election to the Kumbakonam Temple Committee, which administered Hindu temples in the Kumbakonam division of Tanjore district comprising the taluks of [[Kumbakonam taluk|Kumbakonam]], [[Mayiladuthurai taluk|Mayavaram]] and [[Sirkazhi taluk|Shiyali]].<ref name="oddiep255" /><ref name="oddiep237">[[#Oddie|Oddie]], p 237</ref> Iyer was a member of the committee from 1885 till his death in 1899.

== Death ==

Swaminatha Iyer died on 12 August 1899.<ref name="hinduandchristianp72">{{cite book | title=Hindu and Christian in South-east India: Aspects of Religious Continuity and Change, 1800–1900 | last=A. Oddie| first=Geoffrey | pages=72| year=1991| publisher=Routledge|isbn=0913215554}}</ref>

== Family ==

Saminatha Iyer did not have natural offspring of his own. He adopted S. A. Venkatarama Iyer (1894–1961). His granddaughter is the noted [[ethnomusicologist]], [[S. A. K. Durga]].<ref name="sakdurga_thehindu">{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2008/12/12/stories/2008121251230300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219143323/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2008/12/12/stories/2008121251230300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 December 2008|title=For intellectual appeal|date=12 December 2008|last=Krishnamachari|work=[[The Hindu]]|first=Suganthy}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
* {{cite book | title=Hindu and Christian in South-east India: Aspects of Religious Continuity and Change, 1800–1900 | last=A. Oddie| first=Geoffrey | pages=255| year=1991| publisher=Routledge|isbn=0913215554|ref=Oddie}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swaminatha, S A}}
[[Category:1899 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian lawyers]]
[[Category:Indian Theosophists]]
[[Category:People from Thanjavur district]]
[[Category:Indian Hindus]]
[[Category:Indian independence activists from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Rai Bahadurs]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing]]

S. A. Saminatha Iyer - Revision history

imported>CodeMyGame Wiki: Fix 2 reference positions (district.He -> district. He; movement.Saminatha -> movement. Saminatha)