R. Kesava Aiyangar
Encyclopedia
R. Kesava Aiyangar was a Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of India
. He practiced law for over 75 years both at the Supreme Court of India as well as at the High Court of Madras. He was born in 1892 in the Ramanathapuram
district of Tamil Nadu
in India
. He played an important role in the framing of the format of the Writ Petition in the courts of India. He was a widely recognized exponent of the Hindu law
and was also one of the longest serving lawyers in the country.
Apart from being a Senior lawyer, he was also a highly respected scholar of both Sanskrit and Tamil. He served as the president of the Tamil sangam in Triplicane
for over three years. Some of his works written during the time includes Parthasarathymalai, Thirupadugamalai and Andalmalai. In 1974, a book named 'Vedanta Desika
's satadushani
' of Srivatsankacharyahttp://www.hinduonnet.com/2001/08/31/stories/13310783.htm was released. It carried an exhaustive introduction of high scholarly value by R. Kesava Aiyangar. But his magnum opus is the work in Tamil
about Thirukkural of Thiruvalluvar called Valluvar Ullam. This highly controversial work disputed the claims of the scholars of the Dravidian Movement
that Thirukkural is completely independent of the Vedic thoughts and of Hindu
philosophy. It establishes with great authority that Thirukkural is indeed part of the Vedic
tradition and is not, in any way, alien to it by giving extensive references from Sanskrit literature and various ancient Tamil Hindu works which mirror the thoughts of the Thirukkural. The book was highly regarded and reviewed in The Indian Express
. He also authored a book titled "Adiyavarku Meyyan Arul" which expounds the philosophy of Saranagati. R. Kesava Aiyangar died on November 9, 1991 at the age of 98.
Supreme Court of India
The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India...
. He practiced law for over 75 years both at the Supreme Court of India as well as at the High Court of Madras. He was born in 1892 in the Ramanathapuram
Ramanathapuram
Ramanathapuram , also known as Ramnad, is a city and a municipality in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Ramanathapuram district.-Tourism:...
district of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
in 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...
. He played an important role in the framing of the format of the Writ Petition in the courts of India. He was a widely recognized exponent of the Hindu law
Hindu law
Hindu law in its current usage refers to the system of personal laws applied to Hindus, especially in India...
and was also one of the longest serving lawyers in the country.
Apart from being a Senior lawyer, he was also a highly respected scholar of both Sanskrit and Tamil. He served as the president of the Tamil sangam in Triplicane
Triplicane
Triplicane also has the famous powerful Ellamman temple in SMV Koil street. A beautiful Sundaramurthy Vinayagar temple is right opposite to the Ellamman Temple....
for over three years. Some of his works written during the time includes Parthasarathymalai, Thirupadugamalai and Andalmalai. In 1974, a book named 'Vedanta Desika
Vedanta Desika
Vedanta Desika was a Sri Vaishnava Guru. He was a poet, devotee, philosopher and master-teacher...
's satadushani
Satadushani
Satadushani is a work written by Vedanta Desika who lived in the 12th century. He is considered as one among the most illustrious Acharya of the Vaishnavite tradition and is the leader of the Vadagalai sect of the Vaishnavas. Though the title of the work suggests hundred refutations, only 66 of...
' of Srivatsankacharyahttp://www.hinduonnet.com/2001/08/31/stories/13310783.htm was released. It carried an exhaustive introduction of high scholarly value by R. Kesava Aiyangar. But his magnum opus is the work in Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
about Thirukkural of Thiruvalluvar called Valluvar Ullam. This highly controversial work disputed the claims of the scholars of the Dravidian Movement
Dravidian peoples
Dravidian peoples is a term used to refer to the diverse groups of people who natively speak languages belonging to the Dravidian language family. Populations of speakers of around 220 million are found mostly in Southern India. Other Dravidian people are found in parts of central India, Sri Lanka,...
that Thirukkural is completely independent of the Vedic thoughts and of Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
philosophy. It establishes with great authority that Thirukkural is indeed part of the Vedic
Vedic
Vedic may refer to:* the Vedas, the oldest preserved Indic texts** Vedic Sanskrit, the language of these texts** Vedic period, during which these texts were produced** Vedic pantheon of gods mentioned in Vedas/vedic period...
tradition and is not, in any way, alien to it by giving extensive references from Sanskrit literature and various ancient Tamil Hindu works which mirror the thoughts of the Thirukkural. The book was highly regarded and reviewed in The Indian Express
The Indian Express
The Indian Express is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. It is published in Mumbai by Indian Express Group. After Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split in 1999 among his family members into two with the southern editions taking the name The New Indian Express, while the old...
. He also authored a book titled "Adiyavarku Meyyan Arul" which expounds the philosophy of Saranagati. R. Kesava Aiyangar died on November 9, 1991 at the age of 98.