The Lokmanya Tilak Smarak Trust, Pune, has undertaken the work of researching into the history of freedom movement in India in different parts of the country, with special emphasis on finding out the particulars regarding the contributions made by the common people and their leaders at the local level. The work covers the whole of India. Dr. V. D. Divekar has taken up the responsibility of organizing this work, on behalf of the Trust.As part of this work, freedom fighters who were transported to the Andamans under the British rule, and who are still alive, were personally interviewed by him by visiting their places of residence in different parts of the country, including Bangladesh. A conference of them was convened at Bombay on 26-27 February 1991, wherein 55 of them, with their families, participated. A follow-up correspondence with them is continuing.The official brochure brought out by the Andaman Administration lists about 25 freedom fighters who were transported to the Andamans in 1857. The research at the Tilak Smarak Trust in this regard has now uncovered more than 800 such names who were sent there from different regions in India and who belonged to different communities, for taking part in the 1857 War of Independence.When work was taken up in hand, more and more events and names from South India started coming to light for the first time. It was, therefore, decided to pay particular attention to this rather research wise 'neglected' region.