Chakravarti Rajagopalachari | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Rajagopalachari | |
| Governor-General of India | |
| In office 21 June 1948 – 26 January 1950 | |
| Monarch | George VI |
| Prime Minister | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| Preceded by | Louis Mountbatten |
| Succeeded by | Rajendra Prasad as President of India |
| Minister of Home Affairs | |
| In office 17 December 1950 – 5 November 1951 | |
| Prime Minister | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| Preceded by | Vallabhbhai Patel |
| Succeeded by | Kailash Nath Katju |
| Minister without portfolio | |
| In office 15 July 1950 – 17 December 1950 | |
| Prime Minister | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 1st Governor of West Bengal | |
| In office 15 August 1947 – 21 June 1948 | |
| Premier | Prafulla Chandra Ghosh Bidhan Chandra Roy |
| Preceded by | Position established Frederick Burrows as Governor of Bengal Presidency |
| Succeeded by | Kailash Nath Katju |
| 2nd Chief Minister of Madras State | |
| In office 10 April 1952 – 13 April 1954 | |
| Preceded by | P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja |
| Succeeded by | K. Kamaraj |
| 2nd Premier of Madras Presidency | |
| In office 14 July 1937 – 9 October 1939 | |
| Governor | The Lord Erskine |
| Preceded by | Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu |
| Succeeded by | Tanguturi Prakasam |
| Constituency | Leader of the State Legislative Council |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Chakravarti Rajagopalachari 10 December 1878 Thorapalli, Madras Presidency, British Raj |
| Died | 25 December 1972 (aged 94) Madras, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Resting place | Mootharignar Rajaji Ninaivaalayam |
| Nationality |  British Raj (1878–1947) India (1947–1972) |
| Political party | Swatantra Party |
| Other political affiliations | Indian National Congress (1906-1942,1944-1957) Indian National Democratic Congress (1957–1959) |
| Spouse |
Alamelu Mangalamma
(m. 1897; died 1916) |
| Relations | Devdas Gandhi (son-in-law) Mahatma Gandhi (co-in-law) Rajmohan Gandhi (grandson) Ramchandra Gandhi (grandson) Gopalkrishna Gandhi (grandson) |
| Children | 5, including C. R. Narasimhan |
| Alma mater | Bangalore University Presidency College, Chennai |
| Profession | |
| Awards | Bharat Ratna (1954) |
| Signature |  |
| Writing career | |
| Language |
|
| Notable works | Chakravarti Thirumugan (Ramayana)[1] Vyasar Virundhu (Mahabharata) Stories for the Innocent Hinduism; Doctrine and Way of Life |
| Notable awards | Sahitya Akademi Award |
| C. Rajagopalachari |
|---|
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari BR (10 December 1878 – 25 December 1972), popularly known as Rajaji or C.R., also known as Mootharignar Rajaji[2] (Rajaji, the Scholar Emeritus), was an Indian statesman, writer, lawyer, and Indian independence activist.[3] Rajagopalachari was the last Governor-General of India, as when India became a republic in 1950 the office was abolished. He was also the only Indian-born Governor-General, as all previous holders of the post were British nationals.[4] He also served as leader of the Indian National Congress, Premier of the Madras Presidency, Governor of West Bengal, Minister for Home Affairs of the Indian Union and Chief Minister of Madras state. Rajagopalachari founded the Swatantra Party and was one of the first recipients of India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna. He vehemently opposed the use of nuclear weapons and was a proponent of world peace and disarmament. During his lifetime, he also acquired the nickname 'Mango of Salem'.[5]
Rajagopalachari was born in the Thorapalli village of Hosur taluk in the Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu and was educated at Central College, Bangalore, and Presidency College, Madras. In the 1900s he started legal practice at the Salem court. On entering politics, he became a member and later Chairperson of the Salem municipality.[6] One of Mahatma Gandhi's earliest political lieutenants, he joined the Indian National Congress and participated in the agitations against the Rowlatt Act, joining the non-cooperation movement, the Vaikom Satyagraha, and the Civil Disobedience movement. In 1930, Rajagopalachari risked imprisonment when he led the Vedaranyam Salt Satyagraha in response to the Dandi March. In 1937, Rajagopalachari was elected Prime minister of the Madras Presidency[6] and served until 1940, when he resigned due to Britain's declaration of war on Germany.[citation needed] He later advocated co-operation over Britain's war effort and opposed the Quit India Movement.[citation needed] He favoured talks with both Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the Muslim League and proposed what later came to be known as the C. R. formula. In 1946, Rajagopalachari was appointed Minister of Industry, Supply, Education and Finance in the Interim Government of India, and then as the Governor of West Bengal from 1947 to 1948, Governor-General of India from 1948 to 1950, Union Home Minister from 1951 to 1952 and as Chief Minister of Madras state from 1952 to 1954. In 1959, he resigned from the Indian National Congress and founded the Swatantra Party, which fought against the Congress in the 1962, 1967 and 1971 elections. Rajagopalachari was instrumental in setting up a united Anti-Congress front in Madras state under C. N. Annadurai, which swept the 1967 elections. He died on 25 December 1972 at the age of 94 and received a state funeral.
Rajagopalachari was an accomplished writer who made lasting contributions to Indian English literature and is also credited with the composition of the song Kurai Onrum Illai set to Carnatic music. He pioneered temperance and temple entry movements in India and advocated Dalit upliftment. He has been criticized for introducing the compulsory study of Hindi and the Madras Scheme of Elementary Education in Madras State, dubbed by its critics as Hereditary Education Policy put forward to perpetuate caste hierarchy.[7] Critics have often attributed his pre-eminence in politics to his standing as a favourite of both Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Rajagopalachari was described by Gandhi as the "keeper of my conscience".
- ^ "Ramayana aka Chakravarti Thirumagan". www.goodreads.com. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ Raman, Mohan V. (25 November 2013). "All's in a letter". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ^ "C. Rajagopalachari: The icon India needs today". 8 December 2016. Archived from the original on 10 December 2016.
- ^ "How Rajendra Prasad (and not Rajaji) became India's first president". 26 January 2016. Archived from the original on 30 November 2016.
- ^ "Mango of Salem: C. Rajagopalachari". siliconeer.com/current/. 4 October 2019. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Remembering C Rajagopalachari: 10 interesting facts about India's last Governor-General". India Today. 10 December 2015. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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