Were there any Indian Christians who participated in India's freedom struggle?

Thevarthundiyil Titus (Titusji)

Curtsy Jerin Joseph's answer to Who are the little known people to Indians?

Everyday millions of Indians use the Indian 500 ₹ note with the image of the historic Dandi Salt March by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930 that triggered the wider Civil Disobedience Movement leading to India’s freedom from the British. This image is based on the sculpture made in tribute of the march in the heart of Delhi city, on the Sardar Patel Marg.

The sculpture shows ten Indian people following Gandhi on his path-breaking civil disobedience protest, hence the name “Gyarah Murti” (Eleven Statues). Among the marchers that would change India’s destiny is Shri Thevarthundiyil Titus also known as ‘Titusji’. He is represented* on the Indian 500₹ note as a “Christian Priest” (circled in red in the image above).

Titus, born on 18 February 1905, was born to a farming family, (Theverthundiyil, Maramon) in Travancore. After his high school graduation, he taught in a school in Vadaserikara (a village about 20 km away from Maramon), for a few years. Then he joined the Allahabad Agriculture University and passed an Indian Dairy Diploma course with distinction. After that he joined Mahatma Gandhi in Sabarmati Ashram.

Titus got married in 1933, and his wife Annamma joined the Sabarmati Ashram. The newly married Annamma donated her gold wedding ornaments to the ashram.

The Salt Satyagraha was a campaign of non-violent protest against the British salt tax in colonial India which began with the Salt March to Dandi. It was the first act of organised opposition to British rule after Purna Swaraj, the declaration of independence by the Indian National Congress.

When Mahatma Gandhi decided to break the salt law, Titus was one of the 78 people he chose to accompany him. On 12 March 1930. Gandhiji, Titusji and the others marched from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi beach, in Gujarat to make salt in the symbolic way. Titus was the only Christian in that group.

A growing numbers of Indians joined them along the way. When Gandhi broke the salt laws in Dandi at the conclusion of the march on 6 April 1930, it sparked large scale acts of civil disobedience against the British Raj salt laws by millions of Indians.

Gandhi and the others were beaten up and arrested by the British.

During one of his visits to Kerala, Titusji burnt the British clothes (foreign clothes) in Kottayam and gave a fiery speech to thousands of Keralites.

Gandhi's visit to Kerala

On 15 March 1925, Mahatma Gandhi visited Titusji’s house in Maramon (Theverthundiyil) on his way to the famous Hindu temple in Aranmula near Chengannur. This was considered one of the greatest events in Central Travancore. In and around Maramon, thousands witnessed his visit.

Later life

After Independence, Titusji settled in Bhopal. In 1970, he published the book "The Bharat of my Dreams".

He died on 8 August 1980, at the Kasthurba Hospital in Bhopal.