C. Rajagopalachari

Rajagopalachari got married to Alamelu Mangamma in 1897 and the couple had five children together—three sons and two daughters. His wife died at quite a young age.

He was admitted to hospital on the grounds of bad health right after he celebrated his 94th birthday in 1972. He was suffering from Uraemia, dehydration and urinary infection. He died in a few days after being admitted into the hospital.

Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari was born in 1878 in Thorapalli, Madras Presidency of British India (Now Tamil Nadu) into a Iyengar family to Chakravati Venkataryan. He was a very fragile child, used to fall sick very often which used to make his parents very worried.

He started his schooling from a village school and at the age of 5, he was enrolled into the Hosur R. V. Government Boys Hr Sec School. He graduated from the Central College, Bangalore in 1894. After that he went on to study law from the Presidency College, Madras, from where he graduated in 1897.

Inspired by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, leader of the Indian freddom movement, Rajagopalachari also plunged into politics in 1911 by becoming a member of the Salem, Tamil Nadu, municipality. He also served as the Chairman of the municipality from 1917 to 1919.

In 1919, when Mahatma Gandhi joined the Indian independence movement, Rajagopalachari became one of his true followers. He also took active part in the Non Cooperation movement. Consequently, he was elected to the Congress Working Committee and served as the General Secretary of the party.

In 1922, he emerged as the leader of the "No-Changers" group in Congress which advocated against contesting elections for the Imperial Legislative Council as established by the Government of India Act 1919.

He actively participated in the Vaikom Satyagraha movement against untouchability during 1924–25.

During the early 1930s, he emerged as one of the most prominent leaders of the Tamil Nadu Congress. While Gandhi was on the Dandi march, he was breaking the salt laws at Vedaranyam, which is why he was later put behind the bar by the British.

Out of all the things that Rajagopalachari did to serve his country pre and post independence, he is most remembered for the work that he did in Madras while he was the Chief Minister of the state from 1952-54. He passed the legislation to create Andhra state, put an end to sugar rationing, and introduced the ‘Modified System of Elementary Education’.