Accamma Cherian Biography 
Accamma Cherian, also written Akkamma Cherian was a great freedom fighter of Kerala, from Travancore. Popularly known as the Jhansi Rani of Travancore, she got associated with freedom struggle movement in the 1930s. She was hailed as ‘Jhansi Rani of Travancore’ by none other than Mahatma Gandhi, following her protests and mass rally against Diwan of Travancore to revoke a ban against Travancore State Congress. She was the wife of famous politician V. V. Varkey Mannamplackal, who served as an MLA in the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 1952–54. Accamma Cherian was associated with Indian National Congress during the freedom struggle movement.
Accamma was born into a Christian Nasrani family at Kanjirapally of princely state of Travancore on the Valentine’s Day of 1909. Thomman Cherian and Annamma Karippaparambil were her parents. Her schooling was completed at Kanjirapally and Changanacherry and later completed graduation from Ernakulam. She started her professional career as a teacher in 1931, where she continued for 6 years. When Travancore State Congress was formed in 1938, she gave up her job as school principal to join the party and the struggle for liberty against the Princely state of Travancore. She was one among the prominent leaders of Travancore State Congress who held agitations against the then Divan of Travancore, C. P. Ramaswami Aiyar.
When Travancore State Congress was banned by Diwan in 1938, it resulted in the civil disobedience movement and the arrest of many front leaders including its President Pattom A. Thanu Pillai. It resulted in the nomination of dictators and eleven dictators were put under the bar one after another. Accamma was elected as the twelfth one. She led a mass rally of 20,000 people from Thampanoor to the Kowdiar Palace to revoke the ban against Travancore State Congress. Though British officers ordered to fire against people, her courageous words ‘to shoot her first’ pulled them to back foot. M. K. Gandhi hailed her as 'The Jhansi Rani of Travancore' following this incident. She was arrested for violating the law. Once she got released she became a full-time worker of the State Congress.
Published: N/A
Updated: February 27, 2016
