Tiruppur Kumaran (Kodi Kaatha Kumaran) – Civil Disobedience 1932, Tiruppur Flag Procession, Martyrdom & Memorials | TNPSC Notes

தமிழ் English

Tiruppur Kumaran (born Kumarasamy, 1904–1932) was a young freedom fighter from the Kongu region of Tamil Nadu who died after a police lathi charge on a protest procession in Tiruppur in January 1932, during the Civil Disobedience Movement. He was holding the nationalist tricolour flag and did not let it go even as he fell, so he is remembered as Kodi Kaatha Kumaran – "Kumaran who protected the flag". He was only 27 when he died on 11 January 1932.

தமிழில் படிக்க

These notes are written for TNPSC Group 1, 2/2A and 4 aspirants and are meant to be complete on their own. Kumaran comes under the syllabus unit History, Culture, Heritage and Socio-Political Movements in Tamil Nadu (Tamil Nadu's part in the freedom struggle) and under History, Culture of India and Indian National Movement (the second phase of the Civil Disobedience Movement, 1932). Only a limited number of facts about his short life are firmly documented, so this page keeps strictly to well-sourced facts and also explains the national and Tamil Nadu background that examiners use to frame questions. Read each section, then use the tables, the quick revision table and the key points at the end.

At a Glance

Item	Fact
Popular names	Tiruppur Kumaran; Kodi Kaatha Kumaran ("Kumaran who protected the flag"); Thiyagi Kumaran
Original name	Kumarasamy (Kumarasamy Mudaliyar)
Born	4 October 1904, Chennimalai (now in Erode district)
Parents	Nachimuthu Mudaliyar and Karuppayi
Family occupation	Handloom weaving
Wife	Ramayi (Ramayi Ammal)
Organisation	Desa Bandhu Youth Association, Tiruppur
Movement	Civil Disobedience Movement – second phase (1932)
Event	Police lathi charge on a flag procession on the banks of the Noyyal river, Tiruppur, January 1932
Died	11 January 1932, Tiruppur, aged 27
Stamp	Rs 5 commemorative stamp, 4 October 2004 (birth centenary)
Memorial	Tiruppur Kumaran Memorial, near Tiruppur railway station

Early Life, Family and Work

Birth: 4 October 1904 at Chennimalai, a town now in Erode district (then part of Coimbatore district in the Madras Presidency).
Parents: Nachimuthu Mudaliyar and Karuppayi.
Name: his original name was Kumarasamy; he is also referred to as Kumarasamy Mudaliyar.
Family: a family of handloom weavers of modest means.
Schooling: poverty forced him to leave school after the fifth standard (Class 5); he learnt weaving to support the family.
Marriage: he married Ramayi (Ramayi Ammal) at a young age (sources differ on whether he was 17 or 19).
Tiruppur: to earn a living he moved to Tiruppur, where he worked in a spinning / cotton mill. Because he lived and died there, he became known as "Tiruppur" Kumaran.

Kumaran's life shows how the freedom movement reached ordinary working people in small towns. He was not a lawyer, a writer or a party office-bearer – he was a young weaver and mill worker who chose to take part in Gandhian protest.

Gandhian Influence and the Desa Bandhu Youth Association

Kumaran was drawn to Mahatma Gandhi's ideas of non-violent struggle and took part in the programmes of the national movement.
He was a leading member of the Desa Bandhu Youth Association (also called the Desabandhu Youth League) of Tiruppur, a group of young nationalists who organised protest marches against British rule. Some sources describe him as its founder.
Members of his family were worried about the danger and tried to stop him, but he continued to take part in the protests.

Background: The Civil Disobedience Movement and the 1932 Crackdown

To answer questions on Kumaran, a candidate must place him correctly in the national timeline.

Date	Event
1930	Gandhi begins the Civil Disobedience Movement with the Salt Satyagraha (Dandi March).
March 1931	Gandhi–Irwin Pact; civil disobedience is suspended and the Congress agrees to attend the Round Table Conference.
7 September – 1 December 1931	Second Round Table Conference, London; Gandhi attends as the Congress representative; no settlement is reached.
1 January 1932	After Gandhi returns, the Congress Working Committee calls for civil disobedience to be resumed.
4 January 1932	Gandhi is arrested at Mani Bhavan, Bombay, and taken to Yerawada Central Prison, Pune. New ordinances are issued and Congress organisations are declared unlawful.
January 1932	Protests across the country against Gandhi's arrest – including the flag procession at Tiruppur in which Kumaran is fatally injured.

The second phase of the movement (1932–34) faced much harsher repression than the first: the government issued emergency ordinances, declared Congress organisations unlawful and broke up processions by force. Kumaran's death is one of the best-known examples of this repression in Tamil Nadu.

Civil Disobedience in Tamil Nadu – The Wider Picture

Vedaranyam Salt Satyagraha (1930): led by C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji), the march went from Tiruchirappalli (13 April 1930) to Vedaranyam (reached 28 April 1930); the marchers sang a song by Namakkal V. Ramalingam.
26 January 1932: Bhashyam (Arya) hoisted the national flag on Fort St. George, Madras.
S. Satyamurti led picketing of shops selling foreign cloth, processions and the distribution of pamphlets in Madras.
Tiruppur, January 1932: the police attacked a procession carrying national flags; Tiruppur Kumaran fell holding the flag aloft – the Tamil Nadu Class 10 History textbook records this in its lesson on the freedom struggle in Tamil Nadu.

The Tiruppur Procession of January 1932

Purpose: to protest against the arrest of Mahatma Gandhi (4 January 1932) and the repression that followed.
Organisers: young nationalists of Tiruppur associated with the Desa Bandhu Youth Association; Kumaran was among the flag-bearers.
Character: a peaceful, non-violent procession carrying the nationalist tricolour; many accounts describe the flag as banned at the time.
Place: along the banks of the Noyyal river in Tiruppur.
Date: the India Post stamp brochure and The Hindu give the procession as 10 January 1932; some accounts place it on 11 January. All sources agree that Kumaran died on 11 January 1932.
Police action: the police lathi-charged the marchers. Kumaran received severe blows on the head and fell unconscious, but kept his grip on the flag.

Exam tip: the river is the Noyyal (a tributary of the Cauvery that flows through Coimbatore and Tiruppur) – not the Amaravathi or the Bhavani.

Death and the Title "Kodi Kaatha Kumaran"

Kumaran died of his injuries on 11 January 1932 at Tiruppur, the day after the assault according to most accounts, while under treatment. He was 27 years old.
Because he held on to the flag even as he fell, people began to call him Kodi Kaatha Kumaran (கொடிகாத்த குமரன்) – "Kumaran who protected the flag".
His act became a lasting symbol in Tamil Nadu of respect for the national flag and of non-violent courage. Leaders – including the Prime Minister (2025), the Vice President (2026) and the Governor of Tamil Nadu (2022) – have paid tribute to him on his birth anniversary as the young freedom fighter who held the Tricolour until his last breath.

Memorials and Honours

Honour / memorial	Details
Tiruppur Kumaran Memorial (Ninaivu Mandapam)	Near the entrance of Tiruppur railway station; listed among the memorials maintained by the Tamil Nadu Information and Public Relations Department
Commemorative postage stamp	Issued by India Post on 4 October 2004 for his birth centenary; denomination Rs 5 (500 paise)
Government function	In September 2015 the Tamil Nadu government announced in the Assembly that his birth anniversary (4 October) would be a government function; it is held at Tiruppur and at Chennimalai
Thiyagi Kumaran Road, Erode	Sampath Nagar Main Road, opposite the Erode Collectorate, renamed "Thiyagi Kumaran Road" (G.O. of 3 October 2021; name board unveiled on 4 October 2021)

Exam tip: the stamp came in 2004 for the birth centenary (1904 + 100) – not in 1982 (the 50th death anniversary) or 1997.

Timeline

Year / date	Event
4 October 1904	Born at Chennimalai to Nachimuthu Mudaliyar and Karuppayi
Childhood	Leaves school after Class 5; learns handloom weaving
Youth	Marries Ramayi; moves to Tiruppur and works in a spinning mill
1930–31	Civil Disobedience Movement; active in Gandhian protest in Tiruppur through the Desa Bandhu Youth Association
4 January 1932	Gandhi arrested in Bombay after the Second Round Table Conference
10 January 1932	Flag procession at Tiruppur, Noyyal river bank; lathi charge (date per India Post brochure)
11 January 1932	Dies of his injuries at Tiruppur, aged 27
4 October 2004	Rs 5 birth-centenary stamp by India Post
September 2015	Birth anniversary declared a Tamil Nadu government function
4 October 2021	Thiyagi Kumaran Road named in Erode

Who's Who

Person	Link with the topic
Nachimuthu Mudaliyar and Karuppayi	Kumaran's parents
Ramayi (Ramayi Ammal)	Kumaran's wife
Mahatma Gandhi	His arrest on 4 January 1932 provoked the Tiruppur procession
C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji)	Led the Vedaranyam Salt Satyagraha, 1930
Bhashyam (Arya)	Hoisted the national flag on Fort St. George, 26 January 1932
S. Satyamurti	Led picketing and processions in Madras during the movement

Writing Mains Answers on Tiruppur Kumaran (Group 1 / Group 2)

Kumaran is usually asked as part of "Tamil Nadu's role in the freedom struggle" or as a short note. Build your answer around these points and support each with a fact from the notes above.

Short note: Tiruppur Kumaran (about 100–150 words)

Identity: born Kumarasamy, 4 October 1904, Chennimalai (Erode district); weaver family; mill worker in Tiruppur.
Movement: Gandhian; Desa Bandhu Youth Association; second phase of the Civil Disobedience Movement.
Event: procession against Gandhi's arrest (4 January 1932); lathi charge on the Noyyal river bank; held the tricolour even as he fell.
Death: 11 January 1932, aged 27.
Legacy: "Kodi Kaatha Kumaran"; memorial at Tiruppur; Rs 5 stamp (2004); birth anniversary a State function since 2015.

Tamil Nadu in the Civil Disobedience Movement (about 150–250 words)

Introduction: Tamil Nadu responded strongly to both phases of the movement (1930–34).
1930: Vedaranyam Salt Satyagraha under Rajaji (Tiruchirappalli to Vedaranyam, 13–28 April 1930); boycott of foreign cloth and picketing in Madras.
1932: after Gandhi's arrest – Bhashyam hoists the flag on Fort St. George (26 January); Satyamurti leads picketing and processions.
Tiruppur: the flag procession and the death of Tiruppur Kumaran show the depth of popular participation, even among young workers in small towns.
Conclusion: the movement in Tamil Nadu combined leadership from Madras with mass participation in the districts.

Significance of the national flag in the freedom movement (about 100 words)

The tricolour was the visible symbol of the demand for Swaraj; carrying it was itself an act of protest.
Flag hoisting at Fort St. George (1932) and the Tiruppur procession show how the flag became the focus of resistance.
Kumaran's refusal to let the flag fall made "Kodi Kaatha Kumaran" a lasting example of non-violent courage.

Practice: Match the Following

Item	Match
Chennimalai	Birthplace of Kumaran (4 October 1904)
Noyyal river bank, Tiruppur	Site of the 1932 lathi charge
11 January 1932	Death of Kumaran
4 January 1932	Arrest of Gandhi in Bombay
Yerawada	Prison to which Gandhi was taken in 1932
Desa Bandhu Youth Association	Tiruppur youth group of Kumaran
4 October 2004	Rs 5 birth-centenary stamp
Thiyagi Kumaran Road	Sampath Nagar, Erode (2021)
Bhashyam	Flag on Fort St. George, 26 January 1932
Vedaranyam	Salt Satyagraha led by Rajaji, 1930

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Birthplace: Chennimalai (Erode district) – not Tiruppur. "Tiruppur" is attached to his name because he lived and died there.
Movement: second phase of the Civil Disobedience Movement (1932) – not the Salt Satyagraha (1930), Non-Cooperation (1920–22) or Quit India (1942).
Cause of the procession: the arrest of Gandhi in January 1932 after the Second Round Table Conference – not the Simon Commission (1928) or the Jallianwala Bagh massacre (1919).
River: Noyyal – not Bhavani or Amaravathi.
Dates: born 4 October 1904; died 11 January 1932. The procession is usually dated 10 January 1932.
Name confusion: do not confuse Tiruppur Kumaran with J. C. Kumarappa, the Gandhian economist.
Stamp year: 2004 (birth centenary).

Quick Revision Table

Question	Answer
Original name	Kumarasamy
Title	Kodi Kaatha Kumaran
Born	4 October 1904, Chennimalai
Parents	Nachimuthu Mudaliyar, Karuppayi
Wife	Ramayi
Family trade	Handloom weaving
Studied up to	Class 5
Work in Tiruppur	Spinning / cotton mill
Youth group	Desa Bandhu Youth Association
Movement	Civil Disobedience (1932)
Reason for procession	Arrest of Gandhi, 4 January 1932
Place of assault	Noyyal river bank, Tiruppur
Died	11 January 1932, aged 27
Stamp	Rs 5, 4 October 2004
Memorial	Near Tiruppur railway station (TN IPR Department)
Government function	From 2015; Tiruppur and Chennimalai
Road in Erode	Thiyagi Kumaran Road, Sampath Nagar (2021)

TNPSC Key Points (PYQ-style facts)

Tiruppur Kumaran = Kodi Kaatha Kumaran = "Kumaran who protected the flag".
Born 4 October 1904 at Chennimalai (Erode district); original name Kumarasamy.
Parents: Nachimuthu Mudaliyar and Karuppayi; family of handloom weavers.
Left school after Class 5; worked in a spinning mill in Tiruppur.
Member of the Desa Bandhu Youth Association, Tiruppur.
Gandhi arrested 4 January 1932 (Mani Bhavan, Bombay → Yerawada) after the Second Round Table Conference.
Tiruppur flag procession, January 1932, Noyyal river bank; police lathi charge.
Died 11 January 1932, aged 27.
Civil Disobedience Movement in Tamil Nadu: Vedaranyam (1930, Rajaji); Bhashyam's flag on Fort St. George (26 January 1932); Tiruppur Kumaran (January 1932).
Stamp: Rs 5, 4 October 2004 (birth centenary).
Memorial: near Tiruppur railway station; maintained by TN Information and Public Relations Department.
Birth anniversary = Tamil Nadu government function since 2015 (Tiruppur, Chennimalai).
Thiyagi Kumaran Road, Sampath Nagar, Erode – named 4 October 2021.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Tiruppur Kumaran called "Kodi Kaatha Kumaran"?

"Kodi Kaatha Kumaran" means "Kumaran who protected the flag". During a protest procession in Tiruppur in January 1932, in the Civil Disobedience Movement, the police beat the marchers with lathis. Kumaran was holding the nationalist tricolour flag; though badly injured on the head, he did not let go of it. He died of his injuries on 11 January 1932, and the people of Tamil Nadu have remembered him by this title ever since.

When and where was Tiruppur Kumaran born?

He was born on 4 October 1904 at Chennimalai, now in Erode district, to Nachimuthu Mudaliyar and Karuppayi in a family of handloom weavers. His original name was Kumarasamy. He is called "Tiruppur" Kumaran because he lived and worked in Tiruppur and gave his life there.

What happened at Tiruppur in January 1932?

Mahatma Gandhi was arrested on 4 January 1932, soon after he returned from the Second Round Table Conference and the Congress resumed civil disobedience. In protest, young nationalists of Tiruppur, including Kumaran of the Desa Bandhu Youth Association, took out a peaceful procession carrying the national flag along the banks of the Noyyal river. The police lathi-charged the procession; Kumaran suffered severe head injuries and died on 11 January 1932, aged 27.

In which movement did Tiruppur Kumaran lose his life?

In the second phase of the Civil Disobedience Movement (1932). It is not the Salt Satyagraha of 1930, the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–22) or the Quit India Movement (1942). The Tamil Nadu Class 10 History textbook mentions him in its account of the Civil Disobedience Movement in Tamil Nadu.

How have the governments honoured Tiruppur Kumaran?

India Post issued a Rs 5 commemorative stamp on 4 October 2004, his birth centenary. The Tiruppur Kumaran Memorial near Tiruppur railway station is maintained by the Tamil Nadu Information and Public Relations Department. Since 2015 his birth anniversary (4 October) has been a Tamil Nadu government function, held at Tiruppur and Chennimalai. In 2021 a main road in Sampath Nagar, Erode, was named Thiyagi Kumaran Road.

Practise this topic with our free Tamil quizzes, follow daily current affairs (English) and Tamil current affairs, and see our TNPSC PYQ books such as the Tamil Nadu Administration PYQ book and the General Tamil PYQ book. For classroom and online TNPSC coaching at Gandhipuram, Coimbatore and Anna Nagar, Madurai, see our TNPSC course page or call 99941 46662 (Coimbatore) / 73059 47122 (Madurai).

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Practice questions (25)

Tap an option to see the answer and a one-line explanation.

1. Where was Tiruppur Kumaran born?

(B) Chennimalai
Kumaran was born on 4 October 1904 at Chennimalai, now in Erode district.

2. What is the date of birth of Tiruppur Kumaran?

3. What was the original name of Tiruppur Kumaran?

(D) Kumarasamy
His original name was Kumarasamy (Kumarasamy Mudaliyar).

4. Who were the parents of Tiruppur Kumaran?

(A) Nachimuthu Mudaliyar and Karuppayi
His parents were Nachimuthu Mudaliyar and Karuppayi.

5. What was the traditional occupation of Kumaran's family?

(B) Handloom weaving
He was born into a family of handloom weavers of modest means.

6. Up to which class did Kumaran study at school?

(A) Class 5
Poverty made him leave school after Class 5; he then learnt weaving.

7. What does the title "Kodi Kaatha Kumaran" mean?

(B) Kumaran who protected the flag
He held on to the flag even as he fell under the lathi blows – "Kumaran who protected the flag".

8. During which movement did Tiruppur Kumaran lose his life?

(D) Civil Disobedience Movement
He died in January 1932, in the second phase of the Civil Disobedience Movement.

9. On which date did Tiruppur Kumaran die?

(B) 11 January 1932
He died of his injuries on 11 January 1932.

10. The procession in which Kumaran was assaulted went along the banks of which river?

(D) Noyyal
The lathi charge took place on the banks of the Noyyal river in Tiruppur.

11. The Tiruppur procession of January 1932 was a protest against what?

(B) The arrest of Mahatma Gandhi
It protested against Gandhi's arrest on 4 January 1932.

12. When was Gandhi arrested after his return from the Second Round Table Conference?

(A) 4 January 1932
He was arrested in Bombay on 4 January 1932, after the Congress resumed civil disobedience.

13. To which prison was Gandhi taken after his arrest in January 1932?

(D) Yerawada
He was arrested at Mani Bhavan, Bombay, and taken to Yerawada Central Prison, Pune.

14. With which youth organisation was Tiruppur Kumaran associated?

(B) Desa Bandhu Youth Association
He was a leading member of the Desa Bandhu Youth Association of Tiruppur.

15. How old was Tiruppur Kumaran when he died?

16. In which year did India Post issue a commemorative stamp on Tiruppur Kumaran?

17. What was the denomination of the 2004 Tiruppur Kumaran stamp?

18. Where is the Tiruppur Kumaran Memorial located?

(A) Near Tiruppur railway station
The memorial stands near the entrance of Tiruppur railway station.

19. Which Tamil Nadu department maintains the Tiruppur Kumaran Memorial?

(D) Information and Public Relations Department
It is one of the memorials maintained by the Information and Public Relations Department.

20. In which year was Tiruppur Kumaran's birth anniversary declared a Tamil Nadu government function?

21. The road named "Thiyagi Kumaran Road" in 2021 is in which city?

(D) Erode
Sampath Nagar Main Road, opposite the Erode Collectorate, was renamed on 4 October 2021.

22. Who hoisted the national flag on Fort St. George, Madras, on 26 January 1932?

(B) Bhashyam (Arya)
During the Civil Disobedience Movement, Bhashyam (Arya) hoisted the flag on the Fort.

23. Which of the following statements about Tiruppur Kumaran are correct? 1. He was born at Chennimalai. 2. He died during the Quit India Movement. 3. The procession in which he was assaulted went along the Noyyal river.

(B) 1 and 3 only
Statement 2 is wrong – he died in 1932 during the Civil Disobedience Movement.

24. Match: (a) Chennimalai (b) Noyyal river bank (c) Yerawada (d) Sampath Nagar, Erode — (1) Gandhi's prison in 1932 (2) Thiyagi Kumaran Road (3) Kumaran's birthplace (4) Site of the 1932 lathi charge

(A) a-3, b-4, c-1, d-2
Chennimalai – birth; Noyyal – lathi charge; Yerawada – Gandhi's prison; Sampath Nagar – Thiyagi Kumaran Road.

25. What was the name of Tiruppur Kumaran's wife?

(A) Ramayi
His wife was Ramayi (Ramayi Ammal); Karuppayi was his mother.