Tiruppur Subrahmanya Avinashilingam Chettiar (5 May 1903 – 21 November 1991) was an Indian lawyer, politician, freedom-fighter and Gandhian. He served as the Education Minister of

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 ...

from 1946 to 1949 and was responsible for introducing Tamil as the medium of instruction. He is also credited with having commissioned the creation of the first Tamil encyclopedia. Avinashlingam Chettiar was born to K. Subrahmanya Chettiar at Tiruppur. He was a nephew of politician

T. A. Ramalingam Chettiar Tiruppur Angappa Ramalingam Chettiar (18 May 1881 – 1952) was an Indian lawyer, politician, member of parliament and businessman from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Early life Ramalingam was born to Tiruppur Angappa Chettiar and his wife Me ...

. Avinashilingam had his early education at Tiruppur, Coimbatore and Madras and graduated in law from Madras Law College of the University of Madras. He joined the

Indian Independence Movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...

and participated in

Civil Disobedience Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be called "civil". Hen ...

and the

Quit India Movement The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Kranti Movement, was a movement launched at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi on 8th August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British rule in ...

. He also served as a member of the

Imperial Legislative Council The Imperial Legislative Council (ILC) was the legislature of the British Raj from 1861 to 1947. It was established under the Charter Act of 1853 by providing for the addition of 6 additional members to the Governor General Council for legislativ ...

and later, education minister of Madras. He is also credited with introducing reforms in Indian society. Avinashlingam was a devout Gandhian and was a strong follower of Gandhian economics. He was also a renowned social reformer and follower of the

Ramakrishna Mission Ramakrishna Mission (RKM) is a Hindu religious and spiritual organisation which forms the core of a worldwide spiritual movement known as the ''Ramakrishna Movement'' or the ''Vedanta Movement''. The mission is named after and inspired by th ...

. He also a father of library movement in Tamilnadu.

Early life

Avinashlingam was born in Tiruppur in the then

Coimbatore district Coimbatore district is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. Coimbatore is the administrative headquarters of the district. It is one of the most industrialized districts and a major textile, industrial, commercial, educ ...

on 5 May 1903 to K. Subrahmanya Chettiar, a rich and prominent merchant of Tiruppur and his wife, Palaniammal. Avinashlingam was a nephew of Indian National Congress politician and freedom-fighter, T. A. Ramalingam Chettiar.

Education

Avinashilingam had his schooling at Tiruppur High school, Tiruppur and London Mission High School, Coimbatore. He graduated from Pachaiyappa's College, Madras in 1923 and studied law at Madras Law College. In 1926, he commenced practice as an assistant to his uncle Ramalingam Chettiar before entering the

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...

In the Indian Independence movement

Avinashilingam participated in the

Civil Disobedience Movement The Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagraha, Dandi March and the Dandi Satyagraha, was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience in colonial India led by Mahatma Gandhi. The twenty-four day march lasted from 12 March to 6 April 1930 as a di ...

and the

. He joined the Indian National Congress and adopted Gandhi's philosophy. He also served as the President of the Coimbatore District Congress Committee. When Gandhi visited South India in 1934 to collect money for the Harijan Welfare Fund, Avinashilingam assisted him by collecting and donating rupees two and a half lakhs to the fund. He also bore the expenses for the entire tour. Avinashilingam was arrested four times, in 1930, 1932, 1941 and 1942. When his final prison term came to an end in 1944, he entered provincial politics and was elected to the

Madras Legislative Council Tamil Nadu Legislative Council was the upper house of the former bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It began its existence as Madras Legislative Council, the first provincial legislature for Madras Presidency. It was initia ...

in 1946. He was also a member of the Imperial Legislative Council from 1935 to 1945.

As Minister for education

Avinashilingam served as the Education Minister of Madras Presidency from 1946 to 1949 under premiers Tanguturi Prakasam and

O. P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar Omandur Ramasamy Reddiyar (1 February 1895 – 25 August 1970) was an Indian freedom-fighter and politician of the Indian National Congress. He served as the Premier of Madras Presidency from 23 March 1947 to 6 April 1949. Early life Oma ...

. One of his most remembered acts as minister was the introduction of Tamil as the medium of instruction in secondary schools all over the Presidency. He established the Tamil Valarchi Kalagam or Tamil Academy in 1946 which created a 10-part encyclopedia, the first in Tamil, between 1954 and 1968. He was also a proponent of the empowerment of women and introduced education for senior citizens and reforms in libraries. Avinashilingam nationalized the poems of freedom-fighter,

Subramania Bharati C. Subramania Bharathi Birth name: C. Subramaniyan, the person's given name: Subramaniyan, father's given name: Chinnaswami. (C. Subramaniyan by the prevalent patronymic initials as prefix naming system in Tamil Nadu and it is Subramaniyan C ...

and created the professorship for Tamil and other Indian languages at the University of Madras. Thirukkural was introduced as a part of the curriculum from the 6th grade onwards.

Later life

Avinashilingam was elected to the Lok Sabha from Tiruppur and served as a member of parliament from 1952 to 1957. Avinashilingam also served as the Member of the Rajya Sabha from 1958 to 1964. In his later life, Avinashilingam served as the chairman of the committee which brought out a 10-part Children's Encyclopedia in Tamil in 1975. Avinashilingam died on 21 November 1991 at the age of 88.

Reforms

Avinashilingam was a deeply religious Hindu. Early in life, he came under the influence of

Swami Shivananda Swami Shivananda (1854–1934), born Tarak Nath Ghosal, was a Hindu spiritual leader and a direct disciple of Ramakrishna, who became the second president of the Ramakrishna Mission. His devotees refer to him as Mahapurush Maharaj (Great So ...

and Swami Brahmananda of the

. Inspired by the patriarchs of the mission, Avinashilingam started the Ramakrishna Vidyalaya school at Race Course, Coimbatore in 1930. Later, he moved the school to a plot of land in Perianaickenpalaiyam. Avinashilingam also worked for the upliftment of untouchables and campaigned for widow remarriage. While Dalits and low caste Hindus were not permitted to study in most schools at that time, Avinashilingam admitted children of all castes in his school. Avinashilingam also started a Home Science College in Coimbatore. Avinashilingam was also an ardent Gandhian and was a staunch Gandhian economics. He strongly advocated that reforms in agriculture and industry should be complementary with Indian culture.

Works

Avinashilingam has also written a few notable works in Tamil. One of his books is an account in Tamil about his pilgrimage to Tirukeedaram. Avinashilingam also wrote books on economics, Gandhi's education policy and the Wardha scheme.

Honours

Avinashilingam was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour for his contribution to education and literature in the year 1970. He is also the recipient of the G. D. Birla award and the 1985 Jamnalal Bajaj Award. Avinashilingam established the Avinashilingam Home Science College for Women in 1957 In June 1988, this college became the Avinashilingam University for Women. In 2007, the Chancellor T. K. Shanmughanandam released a CD in memory of Avinashilingam Chettiar.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chettiar, T. S. Avinashilingam 1903 births 1991 deaths Indian National Congress politicians from Tamil Nadu 20th-century Indian lawyers Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in literature & education Indian independence activists from Tamil Nadu Lok Sabha members from Tamil Nadu Rajya Sabha members from Tamil Nadu People from Coimbatore Tamil Nadu ministers Members of the Imperial Legislative Council of India Members of the Central Legislative Assembly of India