On 1 May 1938, a young man named Stalin Jagadeesan went on a fast demanding the withdrawal of compulsory हिंदी teaching. He became a symbol for the हिंदी-विरोधी agitators. In an interview published in Periyar's magazine "Viduthalai" he declared that his fast was to prove that "Tamil thai" (lit.Mother Tamil) still had loyal sons. On 1 June, another man named Ponnusamy began a fast in front of Rajaji's house. Periyar did not approve of fasting as a form of protest. But other leaders of the agitation like C. N. Annadurai used Jagadeesan as an example. Annadurai declared in an हिंदी-विरोधी meeting that "If Jagadeesan dies, I am ready to take his place, and die along with ten others. As soon as Jagadeesan dies, you should also be prepared to die". Jagadeesan's fast was called off after ten weeks and it was reported that he had been eating regularly during the nights.

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