{"id":3775,"date":"2025-08-28T14:02:36","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T08:32:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vivechanaias.com\/?p=3775"},"modified":"2025-08-28T14:02:36","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T08:32:36","slug":"c-rajagopalachari","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vivechanaias.com\/?p=3775","title":{"rendered":"C. RAJAGOPALACHARI"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Early Life and Education<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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    Born:<\/strong> 10 December 1878, Thorapalli, Salem district (now Krishnagiri district), Tamil Nadu.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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    Family:<\/strong> He was born into a devout Tamil Brahmin family. His father, Chakravarti Venkataryan, was a munsiff (judge) at Thorapalli.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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    Education:<\/strong> Rajagopalachari studied at Central College, Bangalore, and later pursued law at Presidency College, Madras. He established a successful legal practice at Salem but soon became active in public affairs.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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    Entry into Public Life<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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    • \n

      Initially a member of the Indian National Congress<\/strong>, he was drawn into the national movement after being inspired by Mahatma Gandhi<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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      He gave up his legal practice to join the freedom struggle<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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      Role in the Freedom Movement<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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        Non-Cooperation Movement (1920):<\/strong> Actively participated, encouraging Indians to boycott British goods and institutions.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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        Vaikom Satyagraha (1924):<\/strong> Supported the movement for temple entry rights for lower castes in Kerala.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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        Civil Disobedience Movement (1930):<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \n
        • \n

          He led the famous Vedaranyam Salt March<\/strong> in Tamil Nadu, similar to Gandhi\u2019s Dandi March in Gujarat.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n

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          Imprisonments:<\/strong> Like most Congress leaders, he was repeatedly imprisoned by the British for his nationalist activities.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          \n

          Political Career<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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          • \n

            Chief Minister of Madras Presidency (1937\u20131939):<\/strong><\/p>\n

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            • \n

              Implemented prohibition of alcohol.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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              Introduced reforms in education, especially compulsory elementary education.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n

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              Governor of West Bengal (1947\u20131948):<\/strong> After independence, he was appointed the first Indian Governor of West Bengal.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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              Governor-General of India (1948\u20131950):<\/strong><\/p>\n

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              • \n

                After Lord Mountbatten left, Rajagopalachari became the last Governor-General of India<\/strong> and the only Indian<\/strong> to hold this post.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n

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                Home Minister (1951):<\/strong> Served under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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                Chief Minister of Madras (1952\u20131954):<\/strong> Introduced the controversial Hereditary Education Policy (Kula Kalvi Thittam)<\/strong>, which faced criticism and was eventually scrapped.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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                Later Years and Opposition to Congress<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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                • \n

                  Disillusioned with the direction of the Congress under Nehru, Rajagopalachari founded the Swatantra Party in 1959<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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                  The party opposed socialism and state control, advocating free enterprise, individual liberty, and minimal government interference<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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                  The Swatantra Party gained significant popularity, especially among zamindars, businessmen, and conservative sections, and became the largest opposition party in the 1960s<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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                  Intellectual and Literary Contributions<\/strong><\/h2>\n
                    \n
                  • \n

                    Rajagopalachari was also a writer, translator, and thinker<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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                    He wrote extensively in Tamil and English.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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                    His most famous works include:<\/p>\n

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                    • \n

                      Retellings of the Mahabharata and Ramayana<\/strong> (in simple Tamil and English, widely read even today).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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                      Translations of Indian classics like the Bhagavad Gita<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

                    • \n

                      Essays on politics, philosophy, and culture.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n

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                      He was respected as a moral and intellectual authority<\/strong> in Indian politics.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                      \n

                      Personal Life<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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                      • \n

                        Married Alamelu Mangamma, who passed away early, leaving him with five children.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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                        He was known for his simple lifestyle, sharp intellect, and integrity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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                        Gandhi often called him his “conscience keeper.”<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                        \n

                        Death<\/strong><\/h2>\n
                          \n
                        • \n

                          C. Rajagopalachari passed away on 25 December 1972<\/strong> in Madras (now Chennai) at the age of 94.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

                        • \n

                          His death marked the end of an era \u2014 he was the last surviving major leader of India\u2019s freedom struggle<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                          \n

                          Legacy<\/strong><\/h2>\n
                            \n
                          • \n

                            Remembered as:<\/p>\n

                              \n
                            • \n

                              A freedom fighter<\/strong> and close associate of Gandhi<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

                            • \n

                              The last Governor-General of India<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

                            • \n

                              A statesman who valued democracy, individual liberty, and ethics in politics<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

                            • \n

                              A great writer and cultural interpreter<\/strong> of Indian epics.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n

                            • \n

                              Though sometimes criticized for being conservative, his foresight on economic liberalization and governance is seen as ahead of its time.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                              Early Life and Education Born: 10 December 1878, Thorapalli, Salem district (now Krishnagiri district), Tamil Nadu. Family: He was born into a devout Tamil Brahmin family. His father, Chakravarti Venkataryan, was a munsiff (judge) at Thorapalli. Education: Rajagopalachari studied at Central College, Bangalore, and later pursued law at Presidency College, Madras. He established a successful […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,33,41,44],"tags":[82,81,67,80,22,37,36,34],"class_list":["post-3775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education","category-ias-preperation","category-mppsc","category-upsc","tag-crajagopalachari","tag-india","tag-science","tag-worship-2025","tag-education","tag-mppsc","tag-upsc","tag-vivechana-ias"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivechanaias.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivechanaias.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivechanaias.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivechanaias.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivechanaias.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3775"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivechanaias.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3777,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivechanaias.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3775\/revisions\/3777"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vivechanaias.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivechanaias.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vivechanaias.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}