Ganapathi Agraharam Annadhurai Ayyar Natesan (25 August 1873 – 29 April 1948) was an Indian writer, journalist, publisher, politician and freedom-fighter from the erstwhile

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 ...

. He was the founder and proprietor of G. A. Natesan & Co. which published nationalist books, the most prominent among whom was ''The Indian Review''.

Early life

Natesan was born in the village of Ganapathi Agraharam in Thanjavur district on 25 August 1873. He had his

schooling A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

Kumbakonam Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum) or Kudanthai is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the headq ...

He graduated in arts from the Presidency College, Madras and started a career as a publisher. He first apprenticed under Glyn Barlow before starting his own publishing company, G. A. Natesan & Co. in 1897.

Indian independence movement

Natesan was involved with the Indian independence movement right from his early days. In 1900, he started ''The Indian Review'', a monthly publication in English. While covering mostly nationalistic themes, ''The Indian Review'' also included literary reviews, illustrations and sections on economy and agriculture. Natesan advertised on the front page that his publication was "devoted to the discussion of all topics of interest". When Mahatma Gandhi visited

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 ...

for the first time since his arrival in India in 1915, he stayed at Natesan's house at Thambu Chetty Street, Georgetown. His stay lasted from 17 April 1915 to 8 May 1915.

Later life

In his later life, Natesan underwent a change of

ideology An ideology is a set of beliefs or philosophies attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely epistemic, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones." Formerly applied pri ...

and joined the

Indian Liberal Party The Liberal Party of India was a political organization espousing liberalism in the politics of India. History and organization The Liberal party was formed in 1910, and British intellectuals and British officials were often participating members ...

. He was elected Joint Secretary of the Liberal Party in 1922. He was first nominated as a non-official member to the Council of State in 1923 and for a second time in 1931. During his tenure as a member of the Council of State, Natesan served as member of the Indian Delegation to the

Empire Parliamentary Association The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organisation which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights. In 1989 the patron of the CPA was the Head of ...

in Canada. He also served as the member of the Indian Iron and Steel Tariff Board in 1933-34. Natesan was appointed Sheriff of Madras in 1938.

Death

Natesan died on 29 April 1948 at the age of 74. He was extremely active until the time of his death.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Natesan, G A 1873 births 1948 deaths Presidency College, Chennai alumni People from Thanjavur district Indian independence activists from Tamil Nadu Sheriffs of Madras Members of the Council of State (India)