V. Krishnaswamy Iyer
Encyclopedia
Venkatarama Iyer Krishnaswamy Iyer (June 15, 1863 – December 28, 1911) was an Indian lawyer and High Court judge of Madras. He was involved in the prosecution of a partner of the British banking Company Arbuthnot & Co
after the bank crashed on 22 October 1906. Following the crash, Iyer gathered together eight Indians who started a bank funded by Chettiar Capital which later became the Indian Bank
.
, Thanjavur district
, the second of four sons of Venkatarama Iyer who was a District Munsiff and his wife Sundari. Sundari died when Krishnaswamy was young and his father Venkatarama Iyer married again.
Krishnaswamy Iyer had his schooling at Thiruvidaimarudur and S. P. G. High School, Thanjavur where he was a classmate of P. S. Sivaswami Iyer
. Krishnaswamy graduated from Government College, Kumbakonam
and Presidency College, Madras and obtained a law degree from Madras Law College.
drew him to the Congress party
. He was instrumental in bringing together the moderate and extremist factions of the Congress Party at the 1907 session in Madras. This act of Krishnaswami was greatly appreciated by Gokhale
.
Krishnaswami became a judge of the Madras High Court
in 1909 at a time when he was admired in political circles. Some saw him as an impatient man keen to clear all arrears. He was judge for a mere 15 months and then became a member of the Executive Council of the Governor of Madras, a top ranking post, offered to him by the British.
He was responsible for introducing a number of educational reforms in the University of Madras
. He also took the responsibility of funding Swami Vivekananda
's trip to Chicago in 1893. During the minority of the Shankaracharya of Kanchi, he intervened personally to see to it that control of the Math did not fall into wrong hands.
representing the Madras University. He was appointed a judge of the Madras High Court by the then Governor of Madras, Arthur Lawley, in 1909. The very same year, Krishnaswamy was awarded the Kaiser-I-Hind gold medal for his philanthropic activities. In 1911, he was appointed member of the Executive Council of the Governor of Madras.
V. Krishnaswamy Iyer Street, a prominent street in Mylapore
, Chennai is named after Krishnaswamy.
Arbuthnot & Co
Arbuthnot & Co was a mercantile bank, based in Madras, India. It was founded as Francis Latour & Co in the late 18th century, then became Arbuthnot De Monte & Co and failed spectacularly on 22 October 1906....
after the bank crashed on 22 October 1906. Following the crash, Iyer gathered together eight Indians who started a bank funded by Chettiar Capital which later became the Indian Bank
Indian Bank
Indian Bank is a major Indian Commercial Bank headquartered in Chennai , India. It has 22,000 employees, 1923 branches and is one of the big public sector banks of India. It has overseas branches in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and 229 correspondent banks in 69 countries...
.
Early life and education
Krishnaswany Iyer was born on June 15, 1863 in ThiruvidaimarudurThiruvidaimarudur
Thiruvidaimarudur is a panchayat town in Thanjavur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The town contains the Mahalingeshwarar Temple, a Hindu shrine.-Geography:...
, Thanjavur district
Thanjavur District
Thanjavur District is one of the 32 districts of the state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. Its headquarters is Thanjavur.-Geography:...
, the second of four sons of Venkatarama Iyer who was a District Munsiff and his wife Sundari. Sundari died when Krishnaswamy was young and his father Venkatarama Iyer married again.
Krishnaswamy Iyer had his schooling at Thiruvidaimarudur and S. P. G. High School, Thanjavur where he was a classmate of P. S. Sivaswami Iyer
P. S. Sivaswami Iyer
Sir Pazhamaneri Sundaram Sivaswami Iyer, KCSI, CIE was a prominent lawyer, administrator and statesman who served as the Advocate General of Madras from 1907 to 1911....
. Krishnaswamy graduated from Government College, Kumbakonam
Kumbakonam
Kumbakonam , also spelt as Coombaconum in the records of British India , is a town and a special grade municipality in the Thanjavur district in the southeast Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located 40 kilometres from Thanjavur and 272 kilometres from Chennai, it is the headquarters of the Kumbakonam...
and Presidency College, Madras and obtained a law degree from Madras Law College.
Early career
Krishnaswamy Iyer began practising as a lawyer in 1885. He did not do well, initially, but in 1888, when S. Ramaswamy Aiyengar, a prominent lawyer, on his appointment as District Munsiff, handed over his brief to Krishnaswamy, Krishnaswamy got the break he desired much. Krishnaswamy's rise was then, meteoric. He was elected Secretary of the Vakil's Association and in 1891, founded the Madras Law Journal with another lawyer, P. R. Sundaram Aiyar.The Arbuthnot Bank crash
Krishnaswami became known when he was the contending advocate in the Arbuthnot bank case. In 1906, this popular bank crashed and depositors lost huge sums. Krishnaswami played a role in ensuring that the principal partner was imprisoned. The event led to his assisting in setting up the Indian Bank.Other activities
Krishnaswami founded Venkataramana Dispensary and Ayurvedic College on Kutchery Road in 1905 in order to promote indigenous forms of medicinal treatment. A year later, he started the Madras Sanskrit College. He suggested that students be given free boarding and lodging and even paid a stipend to sustain their families, and that teachers be given free accommodation.Freedom movement
His involvement in public affairsPublic policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
drew him to the Congress party
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...
. He was instrumental in bringing together the moderate and extremist factions of the Congress Party at the 1907 session in Madras. This act of Krishnaswami was greatly appreciated by Gokhale
Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Gopal Krishna Gokhale, CIE was one of the founding social and political leaders during the Indian Independence Movement against the British Empire in India. Gokhale was a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and founder of the Servants of India Society...
.
Krishnaswami became a judge of the Madras High Court
Madras High Court
The Madras High Court is a senior court located at Chennai , in India. The court buildings, which are believed to be the second largest judicial complex in the world, are located near the beach, in one of the city's major business districts....
in 1909 at a time when he was admired in political circles. Some saw him as an impatient man keen to clear all arrears. He was judge for a mere 15 months and then became a member of the Executive Council of the Governor of Madras, a top ranking post, offered to him by the British.
He was responsible for introducing a number of educational reforms in the University of Madras
University of Madras
The University of Madras is a public research university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the three oldest universities in India...
. He also took the responsibility of funding Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda , born Narendranath Dutta , was the chief disciple of the 19th century mystic Ramakrishna Paramahansa and the founder of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission...
's trip to Chicago in 1893. During the minority of the Shankaracharya of Kanchi, he intervened personally to see to it that control of the Math did not fall into wrong hands.
Honours
In 1909, Krishnaswamy Iyer was elected to the Madras Legislative CouncilMadras Legislative Council
Tamil Nadu Legislative Council is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It began its existence as Madras Legislative Council, the first provincial legislature for Madras Presidency. It was initially created as an advisory body in 1861, by the British...
representing the Madras University. He was appointed a judge of the Madras High Court by the then Governor of Madras, Arthur Lawley, in 1909. The very same year, Krishnaswamy was awarded the Kaiser-I-Hind gold medal for his philanthropic activities. In 1911, he was appointed member of the Executive Council of the Governor of Madras.
V. Krishnaswamy Iyer Street, a prominent street in Mylapore
Mylapore
Mylapore is a cultural hub and neighborhood in the southern part of the city of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, India. Earlier, Mylapore used to be called Vedapuri....
, Chennai is named after Krishnaswamy.