Perumal Varadarajulu Naidu (4 June 1887 – 23 July 1957) was an Indian physician, politician, journalist and Indian independence activist. He was also the founder of
The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split be ...
, a major English-language daily, in 1932 in Madras. 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".
Early life
Varadarajulu Naidu was born into a
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
...
Balija
Balija is a caste of the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala.
Origins
Variations of the name in use in the medieval era were ''Balanja'', ''Bananja'', ''Bananju'', ''Banajiga'' and ''Banijiga'', with probable co ...
Naidu family of
Rasipuram near
Salem on 4 June 1887. His father Perumal Naidu was a rich landlord.
He had his early education in
Madras
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
and trained as an
Ayurvedic
Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population repo ...
physician.
Politics
Varadarajulu Naidu entered politics at an early age and joined the
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...
. 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
Cheranmahadevi is a panchayat town in Tirunelveli district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.
Etymology
The name "Cheranmahadevi" is combination of Three words "Cheran" + "Maha" + "Devi" (Translation: Cheran's daughter Devi).
Geograp ...
school controversy.
Cheranmadevi school controversy
Varadarajulu joined
Periyar
Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy (17 September 1879 – 24 December 1973), revered as Periyar or Thanthai Periyar, was an Indian social activist and politician who started the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam. He is known as the 'F ...
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
Varahaneri Venkatesa Subramaniam Aiyar (2 April 1881 – 3 June 1925), also known as V. V. S. Aiyar, was an Indian revolutionary from Tamil Nadu who fought against British colonial rule in India. His contemporaries include Subramanya Bha ...
. The issue was brought to the notice of
Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
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.
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
The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...
.
Journalism
Varadarajulu started the weekly Tamil newspaper ''Tamil Nadu'' in 1925. In 1931, Varadarajulu Naidu started ''
The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split be ...
'' but had to sell off the newspaper within a year due to financial difficulties.
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 Balachandra was a World War 2 veteran, and spent more than 30 years as an officer in the Indian Army. His youngest son Dayanandan also retired in 1993 as a Colonel in the Indian Army. Naidu's son-in-law, K.L.K. Row, rose up to the level of Vice-Admiral in the Navy.
Notes
References
*
Further reading
Varadarajulu Naidu profilein
Dina Mani
{{DEFAULTSORT:Naidu, P. Varadarajulu
1887 births
1957 deaths
Indian male journalists
Indian independence activists from Tamil Nadu
People from Salem district
Journalists from Tamil Nadu