V. O. Chidambaram Pillai

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V. O. Chidambaram Pillai
Chidambaram in 1919
Born	Vallinayagam Olaganathan Chidambaram Pillai 5 September 1872 Ottapidaram, Tirunelveli district, Madras Presidency, British India (present-day Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu, India)
Died	18 November 1936(1936-11-18) (aged 64) Thoothukudi, British India
Nationality	Indian
Other names	Kappal Ottiya Tamilzhan, Chekkilutta Chemmal
Organization	Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company
Political party	Indian National Congress
Movement	Indian Independence Movement
Spouse	Meenakshi
Children	4 sons, 4 daughters

Vallinayagam Olaganathan Chidambaram Pillai (5 September 1872 - 18 November 1936) was an Indian freedom fighter, lawyer, businessman and politician. He founded the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company in 1906 to compete against the monopoly of the British India Steam Navigation Company (BISNC).^{[1] [2] [3]}He launched the first indigenous Indian shipping service between Tuticorin in British India and Colombo in Ceylon. Once a member of the Indian National Congress, he was later charged with sedition by the British government and sentenced to life imprisonment, and his barrister license was revoked. He is known by the epithet Kappalottiya Tamizhan ("Tamil helmsman"). Tuticorin Port Trust, one of India's thirteen major ports, is named after him.