P. Varadarajulu Naidu

Perumal Varadarajulu Naidu (4 June 1887 – 23 July 1957) was an Indian physician, politician, journalist and Indian independence activist.[1] He was also the founder of The Indian Express, a major English-language daily, in 1932 in Madras.[2] He was described as, "a distinguished labour leader, an eminent journalist, an ardent champion of the causes of handloom weavers, small-scale and cottage industries and a spirited advocate of interests of politically and socially disadvantaged sections of society".[3]

Perumal Varadarajulu Naidu
Personal details
Born(1887-06-04)4 June 1887
Rasipuram, Madras Presidency, British India
Died23 July 1957(1957-07-23) (aged 70)
Political partyIndian National Congress

Early life

Varadarajulu Naidu was born into the Balija Naidu family of Rasipuram near Salem on 4 June 1887.[4][5][6][7] His father Perumal Naidu was a rich landlord.[8] He had his early education in Madras and trained as an Ayurvedic physician.

Politics

Varadarajulu Naidu entered politics at an early age and joined the Indian National Congress. In 1917, he gave up medical practice. He participated in the Indian Home Rule Movement and was President of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee at the time of the Cheranmahadevi school controversy.

Cheranmadevi school controversy

Varadarajulu joined Periyar and Kalyanasundara Mudaliar and strongly opposed the practice of separate dining for Brahman and non-Brahman students in Shermadevi Gurukulam, a national school run by V. V. S. Aiyar. The issue was brought to the notice of Gandhi and Aiyar later resigned. When the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee met in April 1925 to discuss the issue, the recommendation of C. Rajagopalachari and Rajan that Congress should not interfere and that the school should instead be advised to eliminate the practice was swept aside. The resolution which prevented gradations of merit based on birth should not be observed by nationalist parties moved by Ramanathan passed. Rajagopalachari and six of his associates resigned from TNCC citing that caste prejudices could not be overcome by coercion.[9] However, Varadarajulu Naidu stayed on in the Congress even as Periyar left the party.

Temple entry

In his later years, Varadarajulu Naidu actively participated in the temple-entry movements in Madras Presidency.

Journalism

Varadarajulu started the weekly Tamil newspaper Tamil Nadu in 1925. In 1931, Varadarajulu Naidu started The Indian Express but had to sell off the newspaper within a year due to financial difficulties.[3]

Personal life

Naidu had three daughters and six sons. His eldest son, Krishnadas, died in June 2012. Three of the his sons had served the Armed Forces. His son Dayanandan retired in 1993 as a Colonel from the Army. Naidu's son-in-law, K.L.K. Row, rose up to the level of Vice-Admiral in the Navy.[3]

Notes
  1. http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article3487237.ece Varadarajulu Naidu, a committed nationalist with varied interests
  2. "Namasutra". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  3. Ramakrishnan, T. (4 June 2012). "Varadarajulu Naidu, a committed nationalist with varied interests". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  4. Irschick, Eugene F. (1969). Politics and Social Conflict in South India. University of California Press. pp. 270. Varadarajulu naidu balija.
  5. Vicuvanātan̲, Ī Ca (1983). The political career of E.V. Ramasami Naicker: a study in the politics of Tamil Nadu, 1920-1949. Ravi & Vasanth Publishers. pp. 23, 32.
  6. Arnold, David (7 April 2017). The Congress in Tamilnad: Nationalist Politics in South India, 1919-1937. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-315-29419-3.
  7. Copley, Antony R. H. (1986). C. Rajagopalachari, Gandhi's southern commander. Indo-British Historical Society. p. 240.
  8. Cambridge South Asian Studies. 1965. p. 335. ISBN 978-0-521-20755-3.
  9. David Arnold (1977). The Congress in Tamilnad: Nationalist politics in South India, 1919-1937. Manohar. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-908070-00-8.

References
  • Dr. P. Varadarajulu Naidu commemoration volume. Birthday Celebration Committee. 1955.

Further reading
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