K. Kamaraj (July 15, 1903–1975) was an Indian politician widely known as a kingmaker in Indian politics. He was instrumental in bringing to power two Prime Ministers, Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1964 and Indira Gandhi in 1966. He was involved in the Indian independence movement and was a close ally of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. Image File history File links Kamaraj. ... July 15 is the 196th day (197th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 169 days remaining. ... 1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... Kingmaker can refer to the following: Kingmaker is a term referred to during the middle ages whereby nobles would conspire to interfere in the sucession to the thrones of kingdoms, either by political or religious means, or by more overt tactics sometimes amounting to undeclared war. ... The Prime Minister of India is, in practice, the most powerful person in the government of India. ... Lal Bahadur Shastri (Hindi लालबहादुर शास्त्री) (October 2, 1904 - January 11, 1966) was the second permanent Prime Minister of independent India and a significant figure in the struggle for independence. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Indian Independence Movement was a series of revolutions empowered by the people of India put forth to battle the British Empire for complete political independence, beginning with the Rebellion of 1857, reaching its climax with Mahatma Gandhis Quit India Movement (1942-1945), and Subhash Chandra Boses Indian... Jawaharlal Nehru (जवाहरलाल नेहरू, Javāharlāl NehrÅ«) (November 14, 1889 – May 27, 1964), also called Pandit (Scholar, Teacher) Nehru, was an important leader of the Indian Independence Movement and the Indian National Congress, and became the first Prime Minister of India when India won its independence on August 15, 1947. ...

He was born to Kumarasamy and Sivakami Ammal at Virudhunagar in Tamil Nadu. His was from a poor family belonging to the Nadar caste (a mercantile caste) and retained a spartan life style and bachelorhood throughout his lifetime. Despite dropping out of school in the seventh grade he rose to political prominence joining the struggle for Indian independence at the age of sixteen. Editing Virudhunagar From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Preview Remember that this is only a preview; changes have not yet been saved! Virudhunagar is a city in Tamil Nadu state of southern India. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... Nadar is one of the South Indian Tamil caste and the term also used to refer to the man belong to that caste. ...

Kamaraj became Chief Minister of Madras Presidency in 1954 after the resignation of Rajaji. (Rajaji aka CR aka Sri C. Rajagopalchari, is better remembered as the First Indian Governor General. Rajaji was past his prime; he was already grooming Kamaraj and C.Subramaniam for the leadership of the state. Rajaji suddenly discovered a conspiracy, hatched by his subordinates, to get rid of him unceremoniously. He resigned soon after. After this event, it is doubtful if CR ever communicated with Kamaraj again). Kamaraj ruled the state for thirteen years. He was also made the president of the Indian National Congress for five years at Nehru's insistence. The price (as confessed by Kamaraj himself, in his later years) was to ensure Indira (Nehru's daughter) for succession as PM. That opportunity was to arrive quickly with Lal Bahadur Shastri's death in Tashkent. Since the circumstances of Shastri's death are suspect, Kamaraj's role in the affair is also unclear. As Chief Minister, he initiated massive reforms in the educational and the social sectors of the state. He introduced the Mid-day meal scheme in Tamil Nadu, which was later popularised by M. G. Ramachandran and this scheme is being considered by the Government of India to be introduced in all public schools in the country. It was his government, which built most of the existing dams in Tamil Nadu; but the state made little progress on other fronts. A Chief Minister is the elected Head of Government of a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British overseas territory that has attained self-government. ... Madras Presidency, also known as Madras Province and known officially as Presidency of Fort St. ... Indian National Congress (also known as the Congress Party or Congress (I), abbreviated INC) is a major political party in India. ... The mid-day meal scheme is the popular name for school meal programme in India. ... Marudur Gopalamenon Ramachandran (January 17, 1917–December 24, 1987), popularly known as MGR, was a long time Tamil film actor and Chief Minister of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death. ...

He is known for his honesty, integrity and simplicity. He denied any special treatments extended to him or his mother just because he was the chief minister. He lived in a rented house and had a possession of only 120 rupees and 6 dhothis when he died--a hard gesture from a Chief Minister of Indian history. Look up Honesty in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Honesty, the quality of being honest, is a value which can be defined in multiple ways. ... Integrity comprises the personal inner sense of wholeness deriving from honesty and consistent uprightness of character. ... Simplicity is the property, condition, or quality of being simple or un-combined. ...

He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award posthumously in 1976. Bharat Ratna is Indias highest civilian award, awarded for the highest degrees of national service. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Anecdotes

When Kavignar Kannadasan (the poet Laureate) of Tamil Nadu had some misunderstanding with Kamaraj, he penned a song in a film (Kannadasan was writing lyrics for movies at that time) The song goes like this: "Antha Sivakami mahanidam seithi solladi, yennae serum naal parka solladi" ("Tell the message to Sivakami's son and ask him to fix a date to meet me.") Kaviyarasu Kannadasan Kannadasan (24 June 1927 – 17 October 1981) was a famous Tamil poet and lyricist, who lived in Tamil Nadu, India. ... A Poet Laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ...

External links

• Kamaraj in One Hundred Tamils of 20th Century
• Picture slide show of Karma Verar Kamarajar