• Tamil Nadu Governor R.N Ravi, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and a host of leaders paid tributes to former Chief Minister K. Kamaraj on his 122nd birth anniversary on July 15.

• Born in 1903 in the erstwhile Madras Presidency, Kamaraj went on to become its Chief Minister and is credited for introducing several welfare measures to help the poor. 

• He later became the national president of the Congress and was considered a deft organisational leader.

Who was Kamaraj?

• Kamaraj was born to Kumaraswamy Nadar and Sivagami Ammal in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu.

• The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, which occurred when he was 15, marked a turning point in his life. In 1920, at the age of 18, he joined the Indian National Congress (INC) to fight for India’s independence.

• Kamaraj became an enthusiastic and effective organiser for the INC. He participated in the Non-Cooperation Movement, Nagpur Flag Satyagraha, and other significant events. 

• In 1930, he was imprisoned for two years for participating in the Salt Satyagraha at Vedaranyam led by C. Rajagopalachari. He was again arrested for a year in 1932.

• In the 1937 provincial elections, he won from the Sattur constituency. 

• In 1940, he was arrested once more and was elected as the Municipal Councillor of Virudhunagar from jail, a position he later resigned from due to his principle of fully committing to any post he held. 

• In 1942, he was arrested again for participating in the Quit India Movement.

• After India’s independence, Kamaraj was a member of the Congress Working Committee from 1947 to 1969, the Constituent Assembly of India, and then a Member of Parliament in 1952. 

• In 1954, he became the Chief Minister of Madras State (now Tamil Nadu). 

• His administration was known for its efficiency and the introduction of mid-day meals in schools to support economically disadvantaged children. 

• His government significantly increased the number of schools in Tamil Nadu.

• Kamaraj served as Chief Minister for two more consecutive terms until 1963. That year, he resigned and encouraged other top Congress leaders to do the same to eliminate the lure of power, a move known as the Kamaraj Plan. 

• He was elected President of the INC in 1963 and played a crucial role in bringing Lal Bahadur Shastri and later Indira Gandhi to the position of Prime Minister.

• Kamaraj passed away on October 2, 1975, in Chennai at the age of 72. 

• He was posthumously honoured with the Bharat Ratna in 1976 and is remembered as ‘Kalvi Thanthai’, meaning ‘Father of Education’ in Tamil.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)