Madras Mahajana Sabha was a Madras Presidency-based Indian nationalist organization. It is regarded as a forerunner of the Indian National Congress, along with the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha, the Bombay Presidency Association, and the Indian Association. M. Veeraraghavachariar, G. Subramania Iyer, and P. Ananda Charlu founded the Madras Mahajana Sabha in May 1884. In this article, we will learn more about the objectives and features of Madras Mahajan Sabha which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Madras Mahajan Sabha - An Overview

• The Madras Native Association, founded in 1851-52, ceased to exist in 1862.
• Lord Ripon's liberal policy resulted in the formation of numerous political organizations throughout the country. The Madras Native Association was also resurrected in these circumstances.
• The Mahajana Sabha was founded in Madras in May 1884, with Rangiah Naidu as president and Veeraraghavachari and Ananda Charlu as secretaries.
• In December 1884, approximately seventy delegates from the Madras Presidency's Tamil and Telugu districts attended the first conference.
• The following topics were discussed at this conference:
  • Legislative Council Reform.
  • Separation of the executive and the judiciary.
  • Changes in the structure of the Indian government.
  • The state of the agricultural classes.

Madras Mahajan Sabha - Background

• The Madras Native Association, founded in 1852 by publicist Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty, was the first organization in the Madras Presidency to advocate for Indian rights. This organization did not last long, and it was eventually disbanded.
• M. Veeraraghavachariar, G. Subramania Iyer, and P. Anandacharlu founded the Madras Mahajana Sabha in May 1884.
• The members of the sabha expressed their strong support for the idea at a conference held at the Adyar Theosophical Society, which was attended by many patriots and leaders, who later materialized it by forming The Indian National Congress.
• South Indians regarded the Madras Mahajana Sabha as a one-of-a-kind organization that paved the way for India's national liberation.
• Since 1884, the Sabha has advocated for Indians' fundamental rights, such as national freedom and other common social issues, for the benefit of our fellow citizens.
• On January 31, 1945, the Madras Mahajana Sabha celebrated its Diamond Jubilee.

Madras Mahajan Sabha - Features

• The Sabha's office was initially located at the office of The Hindu at Ellis Road Junction on Mount Road. In 1885, P. Rangaiah Naidu was elected President of the Sabha.
• In September 1885, the Sabha sent a delegation to England in collaboration with the Bombay Presidency Association and the Indian Association.
• The Mahajana Sabha convened for the first time between December 29, 1884, and January 2, 1885. In its early days, the Sabha pursued a moderate policy. Nonetheless, its goals and objectives were deemed seditious.
• On a visit to Madras in December 1895, Viceroy of India Lord Elgin refused to accept the welcome address from the Madras Mahajana Sabha.
• On October 24, 1896, the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, delivered a speech to the Mahajana Sabha.
• On April 22, 1930, the Sabha organized the Salt Satyagraha movement in Madras' George Town, Esplanade, High Court, and Beach areas. The Sabha members were brutally attacked by British police and shed their blood for the national cause.
• As the Sabha insisted on a legal investigation into the injustice done to Satyagraha participants, a three-member commission led by Justice T.R Ramachandra Iyer interviewed thirty people and submitted its report to the government.
• When the British Police launched a similar attack on the Bal Gangadhar Tilak Public Meeting at Pycrofts Road on April 27, advocate Sri Govindasamy was killed as the police opened fire.
• Again, it was the Madras Mahajana Sabha that took decisive action to establish an inquiry commission into the murders of Sri Govindasamy and Diwan Bahdur.
• The commission that revealed the truth to the world was led by Sri R. N. Arogyasamy Mudaliar. In 1942, many members of the Sabha participated in the Quit India Movement and were imprisoned.
• When the British government banned the Congress Party, the Madras Mahajana Sabha held a number of exhibitions to instill patriotic feelings in their countrymen, including the All India Khadi Exhibition and the Swadeshi Exhibition.
• On December 31, 1969, members of the Sabha's Executive Committee met with Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (Frontier Gandhi) at Raj Bhavan in Madras.
• Hindi was freely taught in the evenings at the Sabha. This service benefited both government and private sector officials who learned here.

Madras Mahajan Sabha - Objectives

• Members of the Mahajan Sabha felt the need to establish an organization at the All India level to relieve and free the nation from the clutches of British rule and to solve Indian problems.
• Members met on a regular basis, debated public issues in closed sessions, held town hall meetings, and communicated their views to the government.
• Its demands included simultaneous civil service examinations in England and India, the abolition of the Council of India in London, tax cuts, and cuts in civil and military spending.
• Many of its demands were later adopted by the Indian National Congress, which was founded in 1885.

Conclusion

Political organizations emerged in the first half of the nineteenth century. They were not operating on a pan-India scale, but rather on a regional scale. They had general demands such as increasing Indian representation in administration, implementing educational and military reforms, working for the development of modern industries in India, and so on. The Madras Mahajan Sabha was formed to peacefully oppose government policies. In its early days, the Sabha pursued a moderate policy.