Chakravarti Rajagopalachari Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids His Excellency Chakravarti Rajagopalachari
C. Rajagopalachari

Governor-General of India
In office 21 June 1948 – 26 January 1950
Monarch	George VI
Prime Minister	Jawaharlal Nehru
Preceded by	The Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Succeeded by	Position abolished Dr. Rajendra Prasad as the President of India
2nd Chief Minister of Madras
In office 10 April 1952 – 13 April 1954
Governor	Sri Prakasa
Preceded by	P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja
Succeeded by	K. Kamaraj
Minister of Home Affairs
In office 26 December 1950 – 25 October 1951
Prime Minister	Jawaharlal Nehru
Preceded by	Vallabhbhai Patel
Succeeded by	Kailash Nath Katju
Governor of West Bengal
In office 15 August 1947 – 21 June 1948
Premier	Prafulla Chandra Ghosh Bidhan Chandra Roy
Preceded by	Frederick Burrows
Succeeded by	Kailash Nath Katju
11th Chief Minister of Madras Presidency
In office 14 July 1937 – 9 October 1939
Governor	The Lord Erskine
Preceded by	Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu
Succeeded by	Tanguturi Prakasam
Minister of Education
In office 2 September 1946 – 14 August 1947
Prime Minister	Jawaharlal Nehru
Succeeded by	Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

Personal details
Born	(1878-12-10)10 December 1878 Thorapalli, Madras Presidency, British India (now in Hosur Taluk, Krishnagiri District, Tamil Nadu, India)
Died	25 December 1972(1972-12-25) (aged 94) Madras, Tamil Nadu, India
Political party	Swatantra Party (1959–1972)
Other political affiliations	Indian National Congress (Before 1957) Indian National Democratic Congress (1957–1959)
Spouse	Alamelu Mangalamma (1897–1916)
Children	C. R. Narasimhan C. R. Krishnaswamy C. R. Ramaswami Lakshmi Gandhi née C. R. Namagiri Ammal C. R.
Alma mater	Central College Presidency College, Madras
Profession	Lawyer Writer Statesman
Awards	Bharat Ratna (1954)

Chakravarti Rajagopalachari was an important Indian leader. He was a politician, a lawyer, and a writer. He fought for India's freedom from British rule. Rajagopalachari was the very last Governor-General of India. This was a top leadership role.

He also led the Indian National Congress party. He served as the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency. This area is now known as Tamil Nadu. He was also the Governor of West Bengal. Later, he became the Minister for Home Affairs in India. Rajagopalachari started his own political party, the Swatantra Party. He was one of the first people to receive India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna. He strongly believed in world peace. He was against the use of nuclear weapons. People sometimes called him 'Mango of Krishnagiri'.

Early Life and Education
Joining the Freedom Fight
- The Salt Satyagraha
Political Roles and Leadership
- Roles After Independence
- Founding the Swatantra Party
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Education

Chakravarti Rajagopalachari was born on December 10, 1878. His birthplace was the village of Thorapalli. This village is in the Krishnagiri district of what was then Madras Presidency. Today, it is part of Tamil Nadu, India.

He went to college at Central College in Bangalore. He also studied at Presidency College in Madras. After finishing his studies, he became a lawyer.

Joining the Freedom Fight

Rajagopalachari became active in politics. He first served as a member of the Salem municipality. Later, he became its President. He joined the Indian National Congress party. This party was leading the fight for India's independence.

He took part in many important protests. These included the agitations against the Rowlatt Act. He joined the Non-cooperation movement. This movement encouraged Indians not to cooperate with British rule. He also participated in the Vaikom Satyagraha. This was a protest for equal rights. He was part of the Civil Disobedience movement too.

The Salt Satyagraha

In 1930, Rajagopalachari showed great courage. He led the Vedaranyam Salt Satyagraha. This was a march to protest the British salt tax. It was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's famous Dandi March. Rajagopalachari risked being put in prison for his actions.

Political Roles and Leadership

In 1937, Rajagopalachari was chosen as the Premier of the Madras Presidency. He held this position until 1940. He resigned when Britain declared war on Germany. He later supported helping Britain in the war. He did not agree with the Quit India Movement. This movement called for the British to leave India immediately.

Roles After Independence

After India gained independence, Rajagopalachari held many key roles:

In 1946, he became a Minister in India's first government. He handled Industry, Supply, Education, and Finance.
From 1947 to 1948, he served as the Governor of West Bengal.
From 1948 to 1950, he was the Governor-General of India. He was the first Indian to hold this high office.
From 1951 to 1952, he was the Home Minister of India.
From 1952 to 1954, he returned as Chief Minister of Madras state.

Founding the Swatantra Party

In 1959, Rajagopalachari left the Indian National Congress. He then started his own political party. It was called the Swatantra Party. This party stood against the Congress in elections. He helped create a united front against the Congress in Madras state. This front was led by C. N. Annadurai. It won the 1967 elections.

Chakravarti Rajagopalachari passed away on December 25, 1972. He was 94 years old.

Images for kids

Premier Rajagopalachari at a rally in Ootacamund, 1939.
Chakravarti with Mahatma Gandhi during the Gandhi-Jinnah talks, 1944. Gandhi described Chakravarti as his "keeper of my conscience".
Picture of C. Rajagopalachari in 1948.
During a 1948 tour of southern India, women in Mysore removing their gold necklaces and giving them to Rajagopalachari as a sign of honor.
Rajagopalachari as Governor-General of India proclaims the Republic of India.
DMK leaders K. A. Mathiazhagan, V.P. Raman, C.N. Annadurai and M. Karunanidhi with Swatantra Party founder C. Rajagopalachari.
Rajagopalachari with Defence Minister Baldev Singh and the chiefs of Staffs of Indian Armed Forces in 1948.
A portrait of C. Rajagopalachari at the Parliament House in New Delhi. Then PM Manmohan Singh, the Speaker, Lok Sabha, Meira Kumar, the chairman, BJP Parliamentary Party, Lal Krishna Advani and other dignitaries paid homage at the portrait of Rajagopalachari, on his Birth Anniversary on 10 December 2011.