C. J. Varkey, Chunkath
Encyclopedia
Chunkath Joseph Varkey KSG
(born 1891, date of death unknown) was an India
n professor, journalist and a former Minister for Education of the Madras Presidency
.
family at Kottappady, (currently in the state of Kerala
) in 1891. He was a professor of History St. Aloysius College, Mangalore
and at St. Thomas College, Thrissur
. He was also the Secretary of the All India Catholic League. He represented the West Coast Indian Christian Constituency in the Madras Legislative Assembly during 1937-42. He was also the founder-editor of The Catholic Educational Review. When the C. Rajagopalachari
led Indian National Congress
took power in the Madras Presidency after winning the 1937 elections
, Varkey became Secretary for Education under education minister P. Subbarayan
. On 7 January 1939 he succeeded Subbarayan as the Minister of Education - a post he held till the resignation of the Congress ministry in October 1939. Later he served as the Vice Principal of the Sacred Heart College, Thevara, Cochin. He died at the age of 62. He organised the All India Catholic League and was made a Knight of St. Gregory by Pope Pius XI . He is buried at the church of St. John Nepomucene
, Konthuruthy.
Order of St. Gregory the Great
The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great , was established on September 1, 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election.It is one of the five orders of knighthood of the Holy See...
(born 1891, date of death unknown) was an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n professor, journalist and a former Minister for Education of the Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
.
Biography
Varkey was born in a Syrian CatholicSyro-Malabar Catholic Church
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India is an East Syrian Rite, Major Archiepiscopal Church in full communion with the Catholic Church. It is one of the 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in the Catholic Church. It is the largest of the Saint Thomas Christian denominations with more than 3.6...
family at Kottappady, (currently in the state of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
) in 1891. He was a professor of History St. Aloysius College, Mangalore
St. Aloysius College (Mangalore)
St. Aloysius College is a Jesuit college in Mangalore, Karnataka, India. It is situated on a campus atop Light House Hill, overlooking the Arabian Sea....
and at St. Thomas College, Thrissur
St. Thomas College, Thrissur
St. Thomas College, Thrissur is located in Thrissur city, the cultural capital of Kerala State, India. Founded by Mar Adolph Medlycott in 1889, this college played a very important role in the development of Kerala. It gave birth to the thoughts of the communist leader and Kerala's first chief...
. He was also the Secretary of the All India Catholic League. He represented the West Coast Indian Christian Constituency in the Madras Legislative Assembly during 1937-42. He was also the founder-editor of The Catholic Educational Review. When the C. Rajagopalachari
C. Rajagopalachari
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari , informally called Rajaji or C.R., was an Indian lawyer, independence activist, politician, writer and statesman. Rajagopalachari was the last Governor-General of India...
led Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
took power in the Madras Presidency after winning the 1937 elections
Madras Presidency legislative assembly election, 1937
The First legislative assembly election for the Madras Presidency was held in February 1937. The Indian National Congress obtained a majority by winning 159 of 215 seats in the Legislative Assembly. This was the first electoral victory for the Congress in the presidency since elections were first...
, Varkey became Secretary for Education under education minister P. Subbarayan
P. Subbarayan
Paramasiva Subbarayan was an Indian politician, freedom fighter and diplomat and was the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency, India's ambassador to Indonesia and Union Minister of Transport and Communications in Jawaharlal Nehru's government. He is the father of General P. P...
. On 7 January 1939 he succeeded Subbarayan as the Minister of Education - a post he held till the resignation of the Congress ministry in October 1939. Later he served as the Vice Principal of the Sacred Heart College, Thevara, Cochin. He died at the age of 62. He organised the All India Catholic League and was made a Knight of St. Gregory by Pope Pius XI . He is buried at the church of St. John Nepomucene
John of Nepomuk
John of Nepomuk is a national saint of the Czech Republic, who was drowned in the Vltava river at the behest of Wenceslaus, King of the Romans and King of Bohemia. Later accounts state that he was the confessor of the queen of Bohemia and refused to divulge the secrets of the confessional...
, Konthuruthy.