https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Amsi_NarayanapillaAmsi Narayanapilla - Revision history2026-08-02T04:22:37ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Amsi_Narayanapilla&diff=127934&oldid=prev>Monkbot at 01:55, 20 December 20202020-12-20T01:55:33Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Infobox person<br />
| name = Amsi Narayana Pillai<br />
| image = <!-- just the filename, without the File: or Image: prefix or enclosing [[brackets]] --><br />
| alt = <br />
| caption = Amsi Narayana Pillai<br />
| birth_name = Narayana Pillai<br />
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1896|05|}}<br />
| birth_place = Amsi, [[Travancore]] (Today as part of [[Kanyakumari District]])<br />
| death_date = {{Death date|1981|12|09}}<br />
| death_place = Amsi <br />
| nationality = {{IND}}<br />
| other_names = <br />
| known_for = Author of ''varika varika sahajare'', Freedom fighter<br />
| party = [[Indian National Congress]]<br />
| spouse = Thankamma<br />
| mother = Kunju Lakshmi<br />
| father = Thanupilla Uthampilli<br />
| relatives = children : Vasantha lakshmi Amsi, Chandrika Devi Amsi, Renuka Devi Amsi, Amsi Mukundan Nair, Murali Amsi, Amsi Madhu, Sudha Kumari Amsi <br />
| occupation = Founder of Mahathma News paper<br />
}}<br />
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'''Amsi Narayana Pillai''' (1896 {{spaced ndash}} 1981) was a well-known poet, journalist and freedom fighter in Kerala. Amsi Narayana Pillai's ''"'''varika varika sahajare'''"'' (Come on, come on time for hard times), captured the heart of the people of Kerala, during the Indian freedom struggle. He wrote this song for the salt satyagraha from Kozhikode [[Vatakara|Vadakara]] to [[Payyanur]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kumar.C.L|first=Vimal|date=September 2018|title=Salt Satyagraha in Malabar - A Historical Analysis|url=http://www.researchguru.net/volume/Volume%2012/Issue%202/RG144.pdf|journal=Research Guru|volume=12|issue=2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movies/news/lucifer-makers-revive-amsi-narayana-pillais-varika-varika-sahajare-song-for-the-mohanlal-starrer/articleshow/68532817.cms|title='Lucifer': Makers revive 'Amsi Narayana Pillai's ‘Varika Varika Sahajare’ song for the Mohanlal starrer - Times of India|website=The Times of India|language=en|access-date=2019-05-16}}</ref><br />
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== Biography ==<br />
=== Early life and background ===<br />
Narayana Pillai was born in 1896 in the small village of Amsi, [[Thengapattanam]], [[Kanyakumari district|Kanyakumari District]] to Thanu Pillai and Lakshmi Pillai. Amsi Narayana Pillai grew up hearing the tales of freedom fighters like [[Velu Thampi Dalawa|Veluthampi Dalava]], [[Aiyappan Pillai|Ayyappan Marthandan Pillai]] which influenced on him and inspired him in later years to renounce a Government job and dedicate his life towards the cause of Indian Independence {{Citation needed|date=May 2019}}. Narayana Pillai left the clerk in the Travancore Police Department and joined the [[Indian independence movement]].<br />
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=== Journalism ===<br />
He worked as sub-editor of Swaraj, a weekly published by A.K Pillai for some time. In 1924, he launched the ''Mahatma'' weekly at Trivandrum, with the blessings of [[Mahatma Gandhi|Gandhi]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5UJuAAAAMAAJ&q=Amsi+Narayanapilla&dq=Amsi+Narayanapilla&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjC056Zu-7iAhWESH0KHQn7BgsQ6AEINDAC|title=India's Freedom Struggle, Several Streams|last=Sarkar|first=Jagannath|last2=Bardhan|first2=Ardhendu Bhushan|last3=Bālar̲ām|first3=En I.|date=1986|publisher=People's Publishing House|isbn=9788170070283|language=en}}</ref> The Mahatma aimed at spreading Gandhian values among the general public. His early poems were published in Mahatma. The early Socialist Organization, ''Youth League'' under the leadership of [[K. Kelappan|Kelappan]], started with the song written by the Amsi. Amsi participated in [[Vaikom Satyagraha|Vaikom Sathyagraha]], [[Guruvayur Satyagraha|Guruvayoor Sathyagraha]] and actively encouraged the people to join via his weekly .<br />
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=== Salt March ===<br />
In 1930, a group of 25 people under leadership of ''Ponnara Sridhar'', N.C Shekhar and Amsi Narayana Pillai stated a march from Trivandrum to join the [[Salt March|Salt Satyagraha]] in Kozhikode. The group sang the ''"varika varika sahajare"'' song along the way. All three governments ([[Travancore]], [[Kingdom of Cochin|Cochin]] and [[Malabar District|Malabar]]) banned the song.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jkHtAAAAMAAJ&q=varika+varika+sahajare+Amsi&dq=varika+varika+sahajare+Amsi&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiVi-D4uu7iAhXSbCsKHQbyCZsQ6AEIKjAA|title=The history of trade union movement in Kerala|last=Nair|first=K. Ramachandran|last2=Employment|first2=Kerala Institute of Labour and|date=2006-01-01|publisher=Kerala Institute of Labour and Employment in association with Manak Publications|isbn=9788178271385|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Education and political consciousness in Kerala with special reference to Malabar (1900 To 1950 AD)|last=P|first=Sudheerkumar|publisher=Department of History, University of Calicut|year=2005|pages=241|chapter=Chapter-VII - The Role of Letters in the Development of Political Consciousness in Malabar|chapter-url=https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/20216/14/14_chapter%207.pdf|chapter-format=PDF}}</ref> On the basis of a ban, Amshi was sentenced to six months in prison in [[Central Prison, Viyyur|Viyyur]]. The Thrissur Magistrate Court has summoned Amshi for participation in the Salt Satyagraha and the writing of the revolutionary song. The song was also published in his '''Padayalikalude pattukal''' (Songs of Soldiers) book.<br />
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In 1941 Amsi started a high school ''Amsi High School'' in his native village to enable education to hundreds of illiterates in that area at that time.<br />
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== Literary works ==<br />
Amsi was a prolific writer/poet who wrote books on various subjects (songs of the soldiers, Gandhi Ramayana, poems from the prison etc.) novel, Dramas, Sanskrit plays and essays on Gandhism among others.<br />
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He composed the "''Gandhi Ramayana''" a modern version of the great Indian epic depicting Gandhiji as [[Rama]], the nation as [[Sita]] and the [[British Raj|British Government]] as [[Ravana]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tUBuAAAAMAAJ&q=Amsi+Narayanapilla&dq=Amsi+Narayanapilla&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjC056Zu-7iAhWESH0KHQn7BgsQ6AEIMTAB|title=Jallianwala Bagh Massacre|last=Datta|first=Vishwa Nath|last2=Settar|first2=S.|date=2000|publisher=Pragati Publications|isbn=9788173070693|language=en}}</ref> The poem that became highly popular among the Nationalists at that time.<br />
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During [[Indian independence movement]], Government of [[Madras Presidency|Madras State]] has banned many of his works.<br />
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== References ==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
<!--https://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsi_Narayanapilai --><br />
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== External links ==<br />
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnPyPpNWqow Varika varika sahajare Song]<br />
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZS4pnlPpD4 Documentary about Amsi Narayana Pillai]<br />
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{{authority control}}<br />
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[[Category:1896 births]]<br />
[[Category:1981 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:Indian poets]]<br />
[[Category:People from Kanyakumari district]]</div>>Monkbot