Sir Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar (14 October 1887 – 17 July 1976) was an Indian

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, and

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who was the first president of the

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and the 24th and last

Diwan of Mysore The diwan of Mysore, also spelled dewan of Mysore, synonymously the prime minister of Mysore, was the ''de-facto'' chief executive officer of the government of the Kingdom of Mysore and the prime minister and royal adviser to the Maharaja of ...

. He also served as a senior leader of the Justice Party and in various administrative and bureaucratic posts in pre- and

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. He was a prominent orator and was known for his inspiring speeches. Encyclopedia of Political Parties, Pg 153

Early life

Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar was born in the town of

Kurnool Kurnool is a city in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It formerly served as the capital of Andhra State (1953–1956). The city is often referred to as "The Gateway of Rayalaseema".Kurnool is also known as The City of Gem Stones. It also s ...

in then-

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, in a

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-speaking Tuluva Vellala (Agamudaya Mudhaliyar) family. He was the eldest of a pair of

twins Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...

, the other being Arcot Lakshmanaswamy Mudaliar. He had his schooling at Municipal High School,

. He graduated from

Madras Christian College Madras Christian College (MCC) is a liberal arts and sciences college in Chennai, India. Founded in 1837, MCC is one of Asia's oldest extant colleges. The college is affiliated to the University of Madras but functions as an autonomous insti ...

and studied law at Madras Law College. On completion of his studies, he practised as a lawyer before joining the Justice Party and entering politics. Mudaliar was nominated to the Madras Legislative Council in 1920 and served from 1920 to 1926 and as a member of the

Madras Legislative Assembly The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It has a strength of 234 members of whom are democratically elected using the First-past-the-post system. The presiding officer of the Assembl ...

from 1931 to 1934, losing to S. Satyamurti in the 1934 elections. He 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 ...

from 1939 to 1941, as a part of

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's war cabinet from 1942 to 1945, and as the Indian representative in the

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. He was India's delegate to the San Francisco Conference and served as the first president of the

. He also served as the last

from 1946 to 1949. He was an uncle to Cmdr. V.S.P. Mudaliar, a veteran of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Political career

Justice Party

Mudaliar was a part of the Justice Party ever since its inception in 1917 and served as its general secretary. Encyclopedia of Political Parties, Pg 152 In July 1918, he went to England along with T. M. Nair and

Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu Rao Bahadur Sir Kurma Venkatareddy Naidu KCSI (1875–1942) was an Indian lawyer, professor, politician and Justice Party leader who served as the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency from 1 April 1937 to 14 July 1937. He was the last Chief Mi ...

as part of the Justice Party delegation to argue in favour of communal representation and offer evidence before the Reforms Committee. Encyclopedia of Political Parties, Pg 69 The evidence was taken just before Nair's death on 17 July 1919.

All India Non-Brahmin Movement

Mudaliar rose in stature gradually and began to be regarded as the "brain of the Justice Party". He assisted in coordinating between non-

Brahmins Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

in different parts of India and organising non-Brahmin conferences. Mudaliar maintained friendly relations with

Shahu Maharaj Shahu (also known as Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu, Shahu IV, Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, Kolhapur's Shahu) (26 June 1874 – 6 May 1922) of the Bhonsle dynasty of Marathas was a Raja (reign. 1894 – 1900) and the first Maharaja (1900–1922) of ...

and non-Brahmin leaders from

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...

and parts of

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and helped coordinate between and uniting leaders from different parts of India and in organising non-Brahmin conferences. Encyclopedia of Political Parties, Pg 48 He was a participant in the Satara Non-Brahmin Conference held on 18 December 1922, presided over by Raja Rajaram II. He also participated in the All-India Non-Brahmin Conference held at

Belgaum Belgaum ( ISO: ''Bēḷagāma''; also Belgaon and officially known as Belagavi) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka located in its northern part along the Western Ghats. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Belagavi ...

on 26 December 1924 where his oratory was appreciated. At the Seventh Non-Brahmin Conference held on 8 February 1925, he appealed for unity amongst non-Brahmins. Encyclopedia of Political Parties, Pg 49 Following the death of Sir P.T. Theagaroya Chetty in 1925, Mudaliar functioned as the sole link between Shahu Maharaj's

Satya Shodhak Samaj Satyashodhak Samaj (''Truth-seekers' Society'') was a social reform society founded by Jyotiba Phule in Pune, Maharashtra, on 24 September 1873. It espoused a mission of education and increased social rights and political access for underprivileg ...

and the Justice Party. He assisted Raja P. Ramarayaningar in organising an All-India Non-Brahmin Confederation at Victoria Hall, Madras, on 19 December 1925. He supported the candidature of B.V. Jadhav who was eventually appointed president. On 26 December 1925, he organised a second conference at Amaravati. The conference comprised two sessions: Rajaram II presided over the first while P. Ramarayaningar presided over the second. In the second session of the Conference, Mudaliar said: Mudaliar's utterances at this conference became the target of ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the sec ...

'', which criticised him by saying that "the speaker was desiring to produce an effect in another province, forced him to draw rather freely on his imagination". In the elections 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 initi ...

held on 8 November 1926, the Justice Party lost the elections, winning just 21 of the 98 seats in the council. Encyclopedia of Political Parties, Pg 189 Mudaliar was one of the many who met with failure in the elections. He took a temporary retirement from politics and replaced P. N. Raman Pillai as the editor of ''Justice'', the mouthpiece of the Justice Party. Under Mudaliar, there was a tremendous growth in its circulation, and ''Justice'' became widely popular. On 1 March 1929, he appeared before the

Simon Commission The Indian Statutory Commission also known as Simon Commission, was a group of seven Members of Parliament under the chairmanship of Sir John Simon. The commission arrived in India in 1928 to study constitutional reform in Britain's largest a ...

along with Sir A. T. Paneerselvam, another important leader of the Justice Party, to provide evidence on behalf of the Justice Party.

Administrative career

Mayor of Madras

Mudaliar served as the mayor of Madras from 1928 to 1930. In 1935, he resigned as the chief editor of ''Justice'' following his appointment to the Tariff Board. On 25 February 1937, he was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the G ...

in the 1937 Coronation Honours List, by which time he was a member of the Council of the

Secretary of State for India His (or Her) Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for India, known for short as the India Secretary or the Indian Secretary, was the British Cabinet minister and the political head of the India Office responsible for the governance of th ...

Member of Churchill's war cabinet

Shortly before the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

broke out in 1939, Mudaliar was appointed a member of the

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. In June 1942, he was knighted again with KCSI. In July 1942, he was appointed to Winston Churchill's war cabinet, one of the two Indians nominated to the post.

President of the UN Economic and Social Council

Mudaliar served as India's delegate to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

at the San Francisco Conference between 25 April and 26 June 1945, where he chaired the committee that discussed economic and social problems. He was elected as the first president of the Economic and Social Council during its session at

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, on 23 January 1946. Under his presidency, the council passed a resolution in February 1946 calling for an international health conference. At the conference which was eventually held on 19 June 1946, inaugurated by Mudaliar, the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...

came into being, and the constitution for the new organisation was read out and approved by delegates from 61 nations. On the expiry of his one-year term, he returned to India and became

Diwan of Mysore

Mudaliar was appointed as the Dewan of Mysore in 1946 by Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, succeededing

N. Madhava Rao Sir Nyapathi Madhava Rau (8 June 1887 – 28 August 1972) was an Indian civil servant, administrator, and statesman who served as the 23rd dewan of Mysore from 1941 to 1945 and later as a member of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Asse ...

. He presided over a very turbulent period in Mysore's and India's history. On 3 June 1947,

Lord Mountbatten Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of German ...

made a public declaration about the acceptance by the Indian leaders of partition of India into two independent dominions. This announcement had a tremendous impact on Indian states. Early in June 1947, the Mudaliar convened a press conference at

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

and announced that the Mysore Government had taken a decision to accede to the new

dominion of India The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India,* Quote: “The first collective use (of the word "dominion") occurred at the Colonial Conference (April to May 1907) when the title was conferred upon Canada and Australia. New Zealand and N ...

and to send its representatives to the Indian Constituent Assembly. Thereafter,

British Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprem ...

passed the Indian Independence Act, 1947 on 15 July 1947, and the bill received royal sssent on 18 July 1947. This act provided for the creation of the independent dominion of India and Pakistan on 15 Aug 1947. This act also freed the Indian states from the suzerainty of British government. There were a lot of misgivings about the lapse of suzerainty and the resultant freedom given to the over 560 Indian states. Indian leaders drafted an Instrument of Accession asking the rulers to accede to the dominion government on the three subjects of defence, communication, and external affairs. Jayachamaraja Wadiyar executed the instrument on 9 August 1947, and the same was accepted by the Mountbatten on 16 August 1947. But this also gave impetus to the local

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

leaders to renew their demand for a responsible government. This led to an agitation known as "Mysore Chalo". There appears to be obfuscation of facts among the agitating public that the maharaja, at the advice of the diwan and his secretary Sir T. Thamboo Chetty, was refusing to join the Indian Union. The truth of the matter was that India was not a union yet. India had just become an independent dominion. Jayachamaraja Wadiyar was one of the earliest to sign the instrument of accession. Soon, on 24 Sept 1947, he gave his assent to setting up of a government, and on 25 October 1947, K.C. Reddy became the first chief minister with a cabinet of nine ministers. Mudaliar continued to remain a link between the cabinet and the maharaja. As Jayachamaraja Wadiyar accepted the recommendation of the constituent assembly of Mysore to accept the

Constitution of India The Constitution of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme law of India. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental ...

for the state,

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude o ...

and become a Part-B state in the soon to be formed

Republic of India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

, and issued a proclamation to this effect on 25 Nov 1949. With this, the post of diwan was also abolished. During his tenure as Diwan of Mysore, Mudaliar organised a number of Tamil music concerts in the kingdom in order to raise money for the restoration of the Carnatic musician

Tyagaraja Thyagaraja (Telugu: త్యాగరాజ) (4 May 1767 – 6 January 1847), also known as Thyāgayya and in full as Kakarla Thyagabrahmam, was a composer and vocalist of Carnatic music, a form of Indian classical music. Tyagaraja and his ...

's tomb at Tiruvaiyaru. Mudaliar was sent by

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian Anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India du ...

as head of the Indian delegation to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

to argue India's case in the Security Council when

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern Indi ...

appealed to the council against accession to India and eloquently argued the case for India. The council eventually decided in favour of India.

Executive career

On 5 January 1955, the Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) was established. Mudaliar was elected as its first chairman. Mudaliar helped

Murugappa Group Murugappa Group is an Indian conglomerate founded in 1900. The Group has 28 businesses including nine companies listed on the NSE and the BSE. Headquartered in Chennai, the major companies of the Group include Carborundum Universal Ltd., Cho ...

setup Tube Investments of India Limited. In his later years, he served as its chairman until his death in 1976. Murugappa Group, run by members of his family, also runs A.R.L.M. Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Ambattur in his memory. His descendants are based out of

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

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, and

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Honours

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conferred him the

Doctor of Civil Law Doctor of Civil Law (DCL; la, Legis Civilis Doctor or Juris Civilis Doctor) is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws (LLD) degrees. At Oxford, the degree is a higher ...

, appreciating his contributions during the Second World War.நகரத்தூதன் (City Herald), 22-7-1945, Page.5 Mudaliar was awarded the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

in 1954 and the

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons without ...

in 1970.

Religious beliefs

Despite his violent tirades against the ''

Varnashrama dharma ''Varṇa'' ( sa, वर्ण, varṇa), in the context of Hinduism, refers to a social class within a hierarchical caste system. The ideology is epitomized in texts like ''Manusmriti'', which describes and ranks four varnas, and prescribes t ...

'' and Hindu scriptures in his writings and editorials in the ''Justice'', Mudaliar was known to be a staunch

Vaishnavite Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as th ...

. He regularly sported the Vaishnavite ''namam''. Once, while offered beef during a visit to England, he refused it with horror.

Works

* *

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mudaliar, Ramasamy 1887 births 1976 deaths Administrators in the princely states of India Madras Christian College alumni Scientists from Karnataka Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India Knights Bachelor Indian Knights Bachelor Diwans of Mysore Tamil Nadu politicians United Nations Economic and Social Council World Health Organization officials Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in civil service University of Mysore alumni Tamil civil servants Indian Tamil academics Mayors of Chennai Dewan Bahadurs Members of the Central Legislative Assembly of India Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy University of Madras alumni People from Kurnool Indian officials of the United Nations Members of the Council of the Governor General of India Léon Bernard Foundation Prize laureates