<span style="color: #222222;">Today is the 148th Birth Anniversary of V O Chidambaranathan Pillai (VOC), also known as the "Indian Helmsman". He paved a new path in the annals of Indian History by starting the first ever indegenous shipping service between Tuticorin and Columbo.<br />''<br />''The Swadeshi Navigation Company that he started in 1906 was in direct competition against the British monopoly of this highly profitable route. The Tuticorin port in Tamilnadu is named as VOC Port Trust in his memory.<br />''<br />''VOC also played a major role in the freedom movement in Tamil Nadu. Tourism Minister Vellamandi N Natarajan will be garlanding his statue and offering tributes to VOC in Trichy today.</span><br />