C. V. Runganada Sastri
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The Right Hon. ''Calamur Viravalli'' Runganada Sastri (c.15 February 1819/1820 – 5 July 1881) was an Indian
interpreter Interpreting is translation from a spoken or signed language into another language, usually in real time to facilitate live communication. It is distinguished from the translation of a written text, which can be more deliberative and make use o ...
, jurist, civil servant,
polyglot Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...
, and
social reformer Reformism is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social or also a political system closer to the community's ideal. A reform movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary movements which reject t ...
, who was known for his mastery over Indian and foreign languages alike in both classical and vernacular forms, as well as his general erudition and command of
jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...
. At his death, he is known to have mastered fourteen languages, and had a conversational command of at least two to four more. In a time where higher positions were foreclosed to Indians, Sastri, in recognition of his brilliance, was nonetheless appointed a Fellow of the
University of Madras The University of Madras is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an ...
, rapidly thereafter becoming the first native Indian appointed to the judicature as a judge of the Small Claims Court, and, ultimately, to the Legislative Council of Madras. He was the first President of the revived Madras Native Association, and. a noted champion of
women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...
, advocating
female education Female education is a catch-all term for a complex set of issues and debates surrounding education (primary education, secondary education, tertiary education, and health education in particular) for girls and women. It is frequently called girls ...
and the reform of Hindu customary law and practice in
child marriage Child marriage is a practice involving a marriage or domestic partnership, formal or informal, that includes an individual under 18 and an adult or other child.* * * * Research has found that child marriages have many long-term negative co ...
, and founding the Hindu Widow Marriage Association with Sir T. Muthuswamy Iyer and Rai Raghunatha Rao in 1872 to promote
widow remarriage Diverse views on women and their roles exist within Hinduism. The Devi Sukta hymn of the Rigveda declares feminine energy to be the essence of the universe, the one who creates all matter and consciousness, the eternal and infinite, the meta ...
. He was progenitor of the ''Calamur Viravalli'' family of Iyer Brahmins, a line renowned for brilliance as jurists and Sanskritists which would go on to dominate the highest echelons of Indian law, as well as political administration and Hindu theology; similarly, he was the ''guru'' or teacher to many of the eminent
Iyer Iyers () (also spelt as Ayyar, Aiyar, Ayer, or Aiyer) are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Brahmins. Most Iyers are followers of the '' Advaita'' philosophy propounded by Adi Shankara and adhere to the Smarta tradition. This is ...
and
Deshastha Brahmin Deshastha Brahmin is a Hinduism, Hindu Brahmin caste, subcaste mainly from the Indian state of Maharashtra and North Karnataka. Other than these states, according to authors K. S. Singh, Gregory Naik and Pran Nath Chopra, Deshastha Brahmins a ...
scholars who would go on to preeminence as civil servants and administrators.


Early life

C.V. Runganada Sastri was born in a poor Hindu family from a village near
Chittoor Chittoor is a city and district headquarters in Chittoor district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is also the mandal and divisional headquarters of Chittoor mandal and Chittoor revenue division respectively. The city has a popul ...
in the then
North Arcot North Arcot was a former district in Madras Presidency, acquired by the annexation of the Arcot State in 1855 when its Nawab died without issue. It had Chittoor as its headquarters (currently in Andhra pradesh). On 1 April 1911, the Chittoor d ...
district in the year 1819. His father, Anantharama, was reputed to be one of the greatest
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
scholars of the day, in the manner of his grandfather and great-grandfather, but initially could not afford to have him educated. Runganada Sastri began his education at home. By the time he was eight, he had become proficient in Sanskrit. The turning point in Sastri's life came with the arrest of his father for non-payment of land rent when the former was barely twelve years old. Sastri pleaded before the District Judge Casamajor requesting his father's temporary release from prison in order to participate in an annual religious ceremony offering himself as security on his father's behalf. Moved, Casamajor not only released Sastri's father but himself undertook to educate the boy. C.V. Runganada Sastri was initially tutored in private by Casamajor and a Chittoor missionary H. Groves. Within six months, Sastri was able to read and write English. Under Groves' tutorship, Sastri evinced keen interest in
mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...
and soon advanced to the study of
astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...
. To further Sastri's studies, Casamajor sent Sastri to
Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
in 1836 after persuading his parents with great difficulty. Runganada Sastri studied at Bishop Corrie's Grammar School from 1836 to 1839 and the High School (later,
Presidency College, Madras Presidency College is an art, commerce, and science college in the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India. On 16 October 1840, this school was established as the Madras Preparatory School before being repurposed as a high school, and then a gra ...
) from 1839 to 1842, graduating with honours in 1842. His was a famously skilled class, with his friends, classmates, and pupils including the future Sir K. Seshadri Iyer, who would who govern
Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...
as Diwan, and mentor Sastri's future son-in-law Sir C.P. Ramaswami Iyer; the future Raja Sir T. Madhava Rao, to whom he was tutor, who would successively govern
Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...
,
Baroda Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is a city situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan ...
, and
Indore Indore (; ISO 15919, ISO: , ) is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The commercial capital of the state, it has been declared as the List of cleanest cities in India, cleanest city of In ...
as Diwan; Madhava Rao's cousin
R. Raghunatha Rao ''Diwan Bahadur'' Rai Raghunatha Rao (7 February 1831 – 3 May 1912) was an Indian civil servant, administrator, politician and Indian independence activist who served as the Diwan of Indore from 1875 to 1880, and again from 1886 to 1888 ...
, who would also govern as Diwan of
Indore Indore (; ISO 15919, ISO: , ) is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The commercial capital of the state, it has been declared as the List of cleanest cities in India, cleanest city of In ...
; another future Diwan of Travancore, V. Ramiengar; T. Muthuswami Iyer, who would become the first Indian justice of the High Court; Ramiengar's Vembaukum clan-cousin V. Sadagopacharlu, the first Indian advocate before the Court and member of the Madras Legislative Council; and P. Padasiva Pillai, who would become Supreme Justice of the High Court in Travancore, among others.


Early career

Upon completion of his graduation, Sastri wanted to teach at the College of Engineering which was being planned. But the hostile attitude of the government, as well as his father's failing health, forced Runganada Sastri to return to Chittoor where he got a position as a clerk in the Subordinate Judge's Court at a salary of Rs. 70. During this time, Sastri displayed his rare aptitude for languages, mastering
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...
,
Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...
, Hindustani,
Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
and
Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
, in each of which he demonstrated himself to be unsurpassed in the reckoning when formally examined for the role of Chief Interpreter into the Supreme Court at Madras. Sastri was soon appointed Chief Interpreter at a pay of Rs. 2,000 - 2,500 a month. While serving as Chief Interpreter, Sastri mastered
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and
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
, displaying his command of the former when some
Francophones The French language became an international language, the second international language alongside Latin, in the Middle Ages, "from the fourteenth century onwards". It was not by virtue of the power of the Kingdom of France: '"... until the end ...
unexpectedly presented testimony to the court, despite no expectation that he would have the language, astonishing the Chief Justice, Sir Edward John Gambier, who extolled “the remarkable ease and accuracy with which he could speak French and German” in an encomium quoted in some of his obituaries. In German, Sir P. S. Sivaswami Iyer further recorded the
Hamburger A hamburger (or simply a burger) consists of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. The patties are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, or chilis ...
Gustav Solomon Oppert Gustav Solomon Oppert, (30 July 1836 – 1 March 1908) was a German Indologist and Sanskritist. He was a professor of Sanskrit and Comparative Philology, Presidency College, Madras, a Telugu translator to government, and a curator in the Governm ...
, who arrived in 1872 from
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
to take up the Professorship of Sanskrit and Comparative Philology, affirming his native-like facility with. In
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
, he favoured
Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...
over all others, followed by
Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Rome, ancient Roman poet of the Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Augustan period. He composed three of the most fa ...
, both featuring prominently in a personal library of some 3,000 foreign texts. At his death, he had mastered
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,
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, and
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, and had achieved proficiency in
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, the latest language to fascinate him and his study; Nawab Sir Ahmed Husain Amin Jung Bahadur documented his engaging in academic theological and legal debate with learned
Ulema In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam. "Ulama ...
in Arabic and Farsi.


Later career

When the
University of Madras The University of Madras is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an ...
was established in 1857, Runganada Sastri was made the first and only Indian Governor of the Board and was also the sole Indian among the initial Fellows of the University. In April 1859, there was a vacancy in the Small Claims Court Bench and Runganada Sastri was appointed to the post by the then
Governor of Madras This is a list of the governors, agents, and presidents of colonial Madras, initially of the English East India Company, up to the end of British colonial rule in 1947. English Agents In 1639, the grant of Madras to the English was finalized ...
Sir Charles Trevelyan after encountering heavy opposition and racial prejudice. Runganada Sastri served as a judge of the Small Claims Court from April 1859 until his retirement with a pension on 16 February 1880, whereupon he was appointed 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 ...
. He died on 5 July 1881, reportedly holding a book.


Family and descendants

Runganada Sastri's son C.V. Sundara Sastri was a celebrated lawyer of the High Court Bar who had four sons and a daughter. His grandsons ''Dewan Bahadur'' Sir C. V. Kumaraswami Sastri and ''Dewan Bahadur'' C.V. Viswanatha Sastri served as justices on the
Madras High Court The High Court of Judicature at Madras is a High Courts of India, High Court located in Chennai, India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. It is one of ...
while his son-in-law Sir C. P. Ramaswami Iyer declined appointment to the High Court in favor, variously, of being the highest-remunerated private counsel in India, serving as Advocate-General of Madras and member of the Executive Councils of both the Governor of Madras and the Viceroy of India, before taking up the role of Dewan, regent, and enlightened despot of Travancore. Among his great-grandsons, Venkataraman Sastri became
Shankaracharya Shankaracharya (, , " Shankara-''acharya''") is a religious title used by the heads of amnaya monasteries called mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism. The title derives from Adi Shankara; teachers from the successive line of te ...
and pontiff of the Dwaraka Math for a brief stint, as Swami Bharati Krishna Tirtha Maharaj, before succeeding as supreme pontiff of the
Govardhan Math Purvamnaya Sri Govardhana Pitham or Govardhan Math (ଗୋବର୍ଦ୍ଧନ ମଠ) is one amongst the four cardinal pithams established by the philosopher-saint Adi Shankara to preserve and propagate Hinduism and Advaita Vedanta, the doc ...
and highest authority in Smarta Hinduism, in which capacity he would become the first
Shankaracharya Shankaracharya (, , " Shankara-''acharya''") is a religious title used by the heads of amnaya monasteries called mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism. The title derives from Adi Shankara; teachers from the successive line of te ...
to visit the West, being additionally known for the formulation of
Vedic mathematics ''Vedic Mathematics'' is a book written by Indian ''Shankaracharya'' Bharati Krishna Tirtha and first published in 1965. It contains a list of mathematical techniques which were falsely claimed to contain advanced mathematical knowledge. The bo ...
; C. R. Pattabhiraman Iyer was an elected MP and served as
Minister of Law and Justice The minister of law and justice is the head of the Ministry of Law and Justice and one of the cabinet ministers of the Government of India. The first law and justice minister of independent India was B. R. Ambedkar, who served in first Neh ...
under
Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...
; while ''Dewan Bahadur'' V.N. Viswanatha Rao would serve as the
Tehsildar In Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, a tehsildar, talukdar, or mamlatdar is a land revenue officer accompanied by revenue inspectors. They are in charge of obtaining taxes from a tehsil with regard to land revenue. A tehsildar is also known as a ...
of
Tirunelveli Tirunelveli (), also known as Nellai and historically (during British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirunelveli District. It is the fourth-largest munici ...
, and later Finance Secretary of the
Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...
. Other descendants include Aryama Sundaram, variously justice of the
Supreme Court of India The Supreme Court of India is the supreme judiciary of India, judicial authority and the supreme court, highest court of the Republic of India. It is the final Appellate court, court of appeal for all civil and criminal cases in India. It also ...
, Chief Justice of the
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, and justice of the
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; C. V. Ranganathan, Joint Foreign Secretary and successive Indian Ambassador to the
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during
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, Ambassador to
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post
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, and
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; archaeologist Sharada Srinivasan, as well as in-law
M. R. Srinivasan Malur Ramasamy Srinivasan (5 January 1930 – 20 May 2025)Profile
as ...
, celebrated Chairman of the
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and Secretary of the
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, who was awarded the
Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') 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 Januar ...
for his work with
Homi J. Bhabha Homi Jehangir Bhabha, FNI, FASc, FRS (30 October 1909 – 24 January 1966) was an Indian nuclear physicist who is widely credited as the "father of the Indian nuclear programme". He was the founding director and professor of physics at the ...
developing Apsara (disambiguation), the first Indian nuclear reactor, and then the
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.


References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Runganada Sastri. C. V. 19th-century births 1881 deaths Presidency College, Chennai alumni Scholars from British India Lawyers from British India Sanskrit grammarians Members of the Madras Legislative Council Indian judges