In news– The Government of India has recently approved a proposal to release a commemorative postage stamp to honour freedom fighter Ondiveeran, who had fought against British rule.
Who is Ondiveeran?
- Ondiveeran was a trusted lieutenant in the Pulithevan Army that had taken on the imperialist forces.
- Ondiveeran was a native of Nerkattum Seval near Sankarankoil in the erstwhile Tirunelveli district (since bifurcated and now in Tenkasi district).
- He came from the Arunthathiyar community and is viewed by them as a hero.
Arunthathiyar community-
- Arunthathiyar is a scheduled caste community mostly found in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, which is also a part and home to an ancient Chera Dynasty region.
- The term has two distinct usages: for the purposes of the state government’s positive discrimination program, in 2009 it was designated an umbrella term for the Arunthatiyar, Chakkiliyar, Madari, Madiga, Pagadai, Thoti and Adi Dravida communities.
- While the Office of the Registrar-General, which administers the census of India, does not recognise all of those communities as one.
