The story of the Lower Bhavani Project reads like a political drama in which the hero meets a tragic end. The first major irrigation project executed in Tamil Nadu after Independence, it turned Erode, Tiruppur, and Karur districts into a fertile landscape, irrigating 2,47,247 acres for the cultivation of paddy and other crops, besides generating 18 MW through two power generation houses. But M.A. Eswaran, the Erode MLA who was instrumental in securing the project, became a victim of power politics and died in poverty.
The letter he wrote to K.R. Nallasivan, MLA, requesting for rice. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The letter he wrote to K.R. Nallasivan, who succeeded him as the MLA, stands testimony to society’s indifference to a freedom fighter who worked tirelessly for the development of his constituency. “Dear Nallasivam, I saw you at the inauguration of the khadar shop. You left without talking to me. I do not know why you chose to do it. I request you to send some rice,” he writes in the letter.
A close associate of Gandhi
This was the plight of a leader who was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi. “When Gandhiji stayed for two days at the Tiruchengode Gandhi Ashram, M.A. Eswaran also stayed with him and became a close friend of Rajaji. After ‘Periyar’ (E.V. Ramasamy) quit the Congress, he filled the vacuum and became a dominating figure in the Congress of Erode,” writes S. Thilagavathy of Vellalar College for Women, Erode, in her thesis, ‘M.A. Eswaran-The Mascot of Freedom in Erode District’.
S. Nallasamy, the president of the Lower Bhavani Farmers’ Association and author of a monograph on Eswaran, says he became a victim of power politics. “Since he supported the candidature of Tanguturi Prakasam for the Prime Minister of the Madras Presidency, local Congress leaders did not nominate him in the 1952 election. Since he belonged to a small community, the Kongu region too failed to celebrate him,” he says. Omandur Ramasamy Reddiyar became the Chief Minister, followed by C. Rajagopalachari and K. Kamaraj, who inaugurated the canal in 1955.
The story begins with Prakasam, who was in need of one vote to become the Premier, approaching Eswaran. “Eswaran, who had been elected unopposed as an MLA, agreed to support his candidature, provided he would implement the Lower Bhavani Irrigation Project,” says Mr. Nallasamy. But Prakasam could not fulfil his promise since there was a demand for execution of the Upper Bhavani Project by MLAs representing the areas. Eswaran was upset. He sent his resignation letter to the Premier and left for Erode. When it reached Prakasam, he directed the Coimbatore Collector to meet him. The Collector persuaded Eswaran to meet Prakasam in Chennai. “When Prakasam asked Eswaran about the acres of land owned by him, he said he had 2,07,000 acres, though he did not own a piece of land. Prakasam was moved by his response and agreed to implement the scheme,” said Mr. Nallasamy, who met him regularly during his last days.
Faded from memory
When water from the Lower Bhavani Main Canal irrigated thousands of acres, Eswaran faded from the memory of people. “Eswaran remained a bachelor as he had vowed to marry only after India attained Independence. By the time the country became free, he was past the age of marriage. He never wore chappals. He lived in a small house on a poramboke land,” says Mr. Nallasamy. After reading Mr. Nallasamy’s book, B. Boopathy Sundaram, secretary of Namma Ooru, a trust, started organising the birth anniversary of Eswaran. ‘Kirukkanukku Piranthanaal’ (birthday of a cranky person) was the title of the event. “I have been conducting it for the last 14 years. I have also urged the Collector to allot land to the family members of Eswaran,” Mr. Sundaram said. In 2022, the DMK government ordered construction of a memorial for Eswaran.
Published - September 05, 2024 11:54 pm IST
