George Joseph | |
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| Born | 5 June 1887 (1887-06-05) |
| Died | 5 March 1938 (1938-03-06) (aged 50) |
| Occupation(s) | Indian independence activist lawyer |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Other political affiliations | Justice Party |
George Joseph (5 June 1887 – 5 March 1938) was alawyer andIndian independence activist. One of the earliest and among the most prominentSyrian Christians from Kerala to join the freedom struggle, George's working life inMadurai and is remembered for his role in the Home Rule agitation and theVaikom Satyagraha and for his editorship ofMotilal Nehru'sThe Independent andMahatma Gandhi'sYoung India.
George Joseph was born the eldest child of C. I. Joseph atChengannur, a town in theTravancore State and now a part of theIndian state ofKerala. His younger brother,Pothan Joseph, became a famous journalist and editor of several newspapers.[1] George studied at theMadras Christian College and did M.A. in philosophy at theUniversity of Edinburgh before doing law at theMiddle Temple, London in 1908.[2] During his time inLondon he came into contact with many prominentIndian freedom fighters there. Having completed his studies, he returned to India in January 1909.[3]
On George's return from London, he initially set up practice atMadras before shifting to Madurai. He hosted at his house in Madurai several leaders of the freedom struggle including Gandhi,C. Rajagopalachari,Srinivasa Iyengar andK. Kamaraj during their visits there.Subramania Bharati composed theViduthalai, a well known patriotic song while staying at George's residence.
In 1917, aged 29, George was invited byAnnie Besant to go to England along with her,Syed Hussain and BV Narasimhan to talk aboutHome Rule there. The British however foiled this bid, arresting them when the ship Besant had chartered reachedGibraltar, Subsequently, deporting them back to India.[4] WhenP. Varadarajulu Naidu was arrested for making a speech at the Victoria Edward Hall, George Joseph assisted C. Rajagopalachari who appeared for Naidu in the case. George was the leader of theRowlatt Satyagraha in Madurai, organising meetings, fasts and hartals during the satyagraha and during theNon-Cooperation Movement he relinquished his lucrative legal practice and joined the movement.[3][5]
George played an important role in setting up thetrade union movement in Madurai to organise the textile mill workers there. The union's initial struggles resulted in higher wages and reduced work hours for the mill workers but soon the mill owners and the government came together to bring about a collapse of the union.[3][6] George edited theNehrus'Allahabad based newspaperThe Independent during 1920-21 until his arrest on charges of sedition and the subsequent closure of the paper. He also succeeded Rajagopalachari to the editorship of Gandhi'sYoung India in 1923.[3][7]
George was an eager participant in theVaikom Satyagraha[8][9] that sought to achieve the right to temple entry for theDalits inTravancore. According toC. F. Andrews, the plan for a non violent agitation was arrived upon by George when he visited Gandhi who was convalescing inBombay. George and other Congressmen led the Dalits in walking through theBrahmin quarter of the town where they were met with violence. The police immediately arrested George and his accomplices who were sentenced to varying terms in prison.[10] George viewed the struggle atVaikom an issue of civil rights for all Indian citizens but this was in contrast to the views of most Congressmen who saw it as purely an issue between high and lowcasteHindus and to be settled by the Hindus themselves. Gandhi himself did not encourage George's participation in thesatyagraha.[11][12] Disillusioned by Gandhi's lack of support and the attitude of theCongress Party, George left the Congress Party to join theJustice Party. He however rejoined the Congress in 1935.[1][4]
George led Congressmen of Madurai in the agitation against theSimon Commission. In this he was supported by K Kamaraj and the duo mobilised thousands of volunteers at theTirumalai Nayak Mahal to demonstrate against the Commission when it visited Madurai in 1929.[13] Later, when Kamaraj was implicated inVirudhunagar Conspiracy Case in 1933, George and Varadarajulu Naidu argued on his behalf and succeeded in exonerating him of all charges.[3] He also agitated against the Criminal Tribes Act (CTA), an act that criminalised and negatively affected communities like thePiramalai kallar andMaravars. He fought for them in the courts and wrote extensively in the newspapers against the act and came to be calledRosapoo Durai by the grateful Kallars who continue to pay homage to him on his death anniversary.[3][5]
In 1929 George contested the municipal elections in Madurai on a Congress ticket but lost. In July 1937, he was elected to theCentral Legislative Assembly from Madura-cum-Ramnad-Tirunelveli constituency.[3]
Following a prolonged period of illness, George died at theAmerican Mission Hospital in Madurai on 5 March 1938. He was 50. He is buried at the East Gate Cemetery in Madurai.[3]George Joseph: The Life and Times of a Christian Nationalist is his biography by his grandson George Gheverghese George.[14]
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