Tyagis 29-year wait for pension ends

UDHAGAMANDALAM: Eighty-eight-year old L Ari Gowder, a native of Sholur Badaga village, is the most happiest man as he is perhaps the last one to receive the freedom fighter’s pension in the hill district thanks to a High Court direction.Going strong at the ripe age, Ari Gowder struggled actively for the past 29 years to make his dream come true. His requisition for freedom fighter’s pension was rejected by the authorities as he was not jailed though he actively participated in the freedom struggle against the British. He could only produce a certificate issued by prominent freedom fighter Dr SB Somayajulu, ex-MLA of Tirunelveli.According to Gowder’s claims, he had participated in the national freedom struggle from 1940 and took part in the Quit India Movement in 1942. Consequently, the British police issued an order of detention and tried to arrest him. But, he had evaded arrest, went underground and was hiding in a place called Bokkapuram from 1942 and joined his family only after India attained freedom. He neither tendered an apology nor gave any letter of regret to the British government.However, he could not produce an FIR regarding the arrest warrant issued by the British police. The only certificate he had was the one given by veteran freedom fighter Somayajulu.Ari Gowder said: “I made my first application for pension on March 25, 1983, and the second was in December 2, 1995.”