Rajaji

Year I931 was about to close down in the Central Jail at Vellore too. A number of Indian freedom fighters were imprisoned there. A few of them were sitting under a tree in the open yard, discussing on the British brutality on India. Suddenly, there appeared a lean man, wearing dark glasses, and trying to tighten the dhoti he was wearing. He passed by the courtyard. The men who were squatting under the tree stood up respectfully. One of them was seeing this man for the first time; he didn’t know him. "Who is that?" he asked. "You don’t know? He is Rajaji, the man who is worthy of being our Governor General" replied the other. About seventeen years later, Rajaji did become India's Governor General. They were talking about a man of many talents and an amazing intellectual brilliance. He was a lawyer with a lucrative practice. The difference was that he did what he thought right and fought for the suffering. He had no fear of displeasing any one. 

This is about a man who lived in the childhood days of independent India. From the Presidentship of a town municipality, he rose to the Governor- Generalship of Free India. I believe he is still a lamp bearer to many people who consider values in life. Rajaji was born at Torappalli in Tamil Nadu. In 1900 he started his legal practice. In politics, he joined the Indian National Congress and participated in many agitations against the British Raj. In 1946, Rajaji was appointed Minister of Industry, Supply, Education and Finance in the Interim Government of India. Rajaji was an accomplished writer who made lasting contributions to Indian English literature. Rajaji was described by Gandhi as the "keeper of my conscience". Rajaji served as Governor-General of India from June 1948 until 26 January 1950, and was not only the last Governor-General of India, but the only Indian national ever to hold the office. As India grew it also became short of legendry characters.

(Indian Thoughts collections)