O. Thanikachalam Chetti was an Indian lawyer and politician who is considered to be one of the pioneers of the Dravidian Movement.

Early life

Thanikachalam Chetti graduated in law and worked as a lawyer with the Short, Bewes & Co Short, Bewes and Co later became Bewes and Thanikachalam, one of the first Indo-British collaborations. Thanikachalam Chetti participated in the early sessions of the Justice Party

Justice Party (India)

The Justice Party , officially known as South Indian Liberal Federation, was a political party in the Madras Presidency of British India. The party was established in 1917 by T. M. Nair and Theagaroya Chetty as a result of a series of non-Brahmin conferences and meetings in the presidency...

 and was responsible for drafting the resolutions in the Madras Legislative Council

Madras Legislative Council

Tamil Nadu Legislative Council is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It began its existence as Madras Legislative Council, the first provincial legislature for Madras Presidency. It was initially created as an advisory body in 1861, by the British...

 which eventually became the Communal G. O. of 1928.

B & C Mills Strike of 1921

In 1921, there was a major strike by the factory workers at the Buckingham and Carnatic (B & C) Mills in Madras. When Dalit

Dalit

Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...

 workers in the factory called off the strike and tried to negotiate with the police, the strike took a communal turn. Thanikachalam Chetti and the Raja of Panagal took the side of caste Hindu workers and strongly criticized the actions of the Dalit workers and police.