Krishnasamy Veeramani (born 2 December 1933 in

Cuddalore Cuddalore, also spelt as Kadalur (), is the city and headquarters of the Cuddalore District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Situated south of Chennai, Cuddalore was an important port during the British Raj. While the early history of Cudda ...

) is an Indian

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

Personal

Veeramani was born in

, South Arcot District,

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

, his original name was Sarangapani. He had his primary education at Cuddalore and entered

Annamalai University , logo = CampusmapofAU.jpg , image = Annamalai University logo.png , image_size = 225px , motto = "With Courage and Faith" , established = , type ...

for higher education. He obtained his master's degree in

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

in 1956 . He received his Bachelor of Law degree from

Madras University The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...

in 1960.

Public life

K. Veeramani came into limelight when as a boy of just 10, he was allowed to address the gathering in the Justice Party Salem conference in 1944. He was introduced as an activist by Annadurai. Apart from the one year in which he practiced as a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

in Cuddalore, his career has been as a

social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

. He began working with Periyar in 1956, and assisted Periyar in editing Viduthalai, the rationalist daily of Dravidar Kazhagam. In 1962, he was made the executive editor of Viduthalai and since 1978 has been the editor. On 16 March 1978, Maniyammai died. The Managing Committee of the Dravidar Kazhagam elected K. Veeramani as General Secretary of the Dravidar Kazhagam on 17 March 1978. He was active in the social campaigns and agitations launched by Periyar for support of ’socially discriminated people,’ and was incarcerated forty times for his activities. He was jailed under MISA for a year in 1976 for opposing The Emergency. He was again jailed in 1978 for showing black flags against

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...

for imposing Emergency while in power. While he was in jail, his father, C. S. Krishnasamy, died.

Awards

Alagappa University conferred the Doctor of Law on him (

Honoris Causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

) on 4 April 2003. Periyar International Inc., (USA) gives an annual award for outstanding contributions to Social Justice, which is named his honor. Mr.

V. P. Singh Vishwanath Pratap Singh (25 June 1931 – 27 November 2008), shortened to V. P. Singh, was an Indian politician who was the 7th Prime Minister of India from 1989 to 1990 and the 41st Raja Bahadur of Manda. He is India's only prime minister to ...

, former Prime Minister of India, was the first recipient of the award. K.Veeramani is an Honorary Associate of

Rationalist International {{More citations needed, date=September 2007 Rationalist International is an organization with the stated aim to represent a rational view of the world. External linksRationalist International Homepage Rationalist groups based in India Organiza ...

. Lifetime Achievement Award In recognition and praise of Dravidar Kazhagam President Asiriyar K.Veeramani's humanist services, the American Humanist Association conferred the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for the year 2019 at the International Conference held on 21 and 22 September 2019. American Humanist Association, a group of self-less, service-oriented humanitarians, has been promoting the cause of humanism for the past 75 years striving tirelessly for social justice and the welfare of the people.

List of K. Veeramani Awardees for Social Justice

Periyar International

References

External links

Periyar
- Official homepage of Periyar
Dravidar Kazhagam
- Official homepage of Dravidar Kazhagam
Rationalist International

Magazines

Viduthalai

Unmai

The Modern Rationalist

Periyar Pinju
{{DEFAULTSORT:Veeramani, K. 1933 births Living people Tamil Nadu politicians Dravidian movement Annamalai University alumni Indian atheists Indian rationalists People from Cuddalore district Periyarists