V. R. Nedunchezhiyan (11 July 1920 – 12 January 2000) was an Indian politician and writer. He served thrice as the Chief Minister of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. He was also senior cabinet minister under the governments of C. N. Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi, M. G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa. For his literary contributions, he was also known as "Navalar" or the eloquent.[1]

V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
"Navalar" V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
Acting Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
In office
24 December 1987 – 7 January 1988
GovernorSundar Lal Khurana
Political PartyAll India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Preceded byM. G. Ramachandran
Succeeded byV. N. Janaki Ramachandran
ConstituencyAthoor
In office
16 November 1984 – 9 February 1985
Political PartyAll India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Preceded byM. G. Ramachandran
Succeeded byM. G. Ramachandran
In office
3 February 1969 – 10 February 1969
GovernorSardar Ujjal Singh
Political PartyDravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Preceded byC. N. Annadurai
Succeeded byM. Karunanidhi
ConstituencyTriplicane
Minister of Finance, Tamil Nadu
In office
24 June 1991 – 12 May 1996
Chief MinisterJ. Jayalalithaa
Preceded byM. Karunanidhi
Succeeded byM. Karunanidhi
In office
9 June 1980 – 24 December 1987
Chief MinisterM. G. Ramachandran
Preceded byNanjil K. Manoharan
Succeeded byM. Karunanidhi
Minister of Education, Tamil Nadu
In office
13 August 1969 – 31 January 1976
Chief MinisterM. Karunanidhi
Preceded byS. Madhavan
Succeeded byC. Aranganayagam
In office
6 March 1967 – 10 February 1969
Chief MinisterC. N. Annadurai
himself
Preceded byM. Bhaktavatsalam
Succeeded byM. Karunanidhi
4th Leader of the Opposition in the Madras Legislative Assembly
In office
29 March 1962 – 28 February 1967
DeputyM. Karunanidhi
Chief Minister
Preceded byV. K. Ramaswami
Succeeded byP. G. Karuthiruman
ConstituencyTriplicane
Member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
In office
1991–1996
Leader of the HouseHimself
Preceded byG. Ponnu Pillai
Succeeded byN. R. Alagaraja
ConstituencyTheni
In office
1984–1989
Leader of the HouseHimself
Preceded byA. Vellaisamy
Succeeded byI. Periasamy
ConstituencyAthoor
In office
1980–1984
Leader of the HouseHimself
Preceded byG. R. Edmund
Succeeded byS. Narayanan
ConstituencyThirunelveli
In office
1962–1977
Leader of the House
Preceded byK. S. G. Haja Shareef
Succeeded byM. Aranganathan
ConstituencyTriplicane
2nd General Secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
In office
23 June 1978 – 10 June 1980
Preceded byM. G. Ramachandran
Succeeded byP. U. Shanmugam
In office
September 1977 - 23 June 1978
Interim
General Secretary.M. G. Ramachandran
2nd General Secretary of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
In office
4 February 1969 – 16 May 1977
Preceded byC. N. Annadurai
Succeeded byK. Anbazhagan
In office
24 April 1955 – 24 September 1960
Preceded byC. N. Annadurai
Succeeded byC. N. Annadurai
3rd Presidium Chairperson of AIADMK
In office
1996 – 12 January 2000
General SecretaryJ.Jayalalithaa
Preceded byE. V. A. Vallimuthu[Note 1]
Succeeded byK. Kalimuthu
Personal details
Born
Ra. Go. Narayanasamy[citation needed]

11 July 1920
Thirukannapuram, Madras Presidency, British India
(present-day Tamil Nadu, India)
Died12 January 2000(2000-01-12) (aged 79)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Cause of deathHeart failure
Political party All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(1977-2000)
Other political
affiliations
Dravidar Kazhagam
(1944-1949)
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(1949-1977)
Makkal Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(own party;1977)
Spouse(s)Visalakshi
(m. 1950; d. 2016)
Children1 son
RelativesJeevan Nedunchezhiyan (grandson)
Residence(s)Seethamma Colony, Teynampet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Signature

Life and career edit

Nedunchezhiyan was born at Thirukannapuram on 11 July 1920. He graduated with a master's degree and a doctorate in Tamil literature from Annamalai University. He became involved in politics while at the university and joined the Dravidar Kazhagam party in 1944. In 1949, he and C. N. Annadurai formed the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), with the latter as leader and Nedunchezhiyan acting as deputy general secretary until 1955. He was general secretary between 1955 and 1960 and then chairman of the party's general council until 1969.[2]

Nedunchezhiyan was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu in 1962, succeeding K. S. G. Haja Shareef, who moved to a different constituency. In 1967, he became the Minister of Education when the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam took power. He was briefly acting Chief Minister for the state following C. N. Annadurai's death in 1969, taking the role until M. Karunanidhi was appointed. He then continued as a cabinet minister in the Karunanidhi cabinet until the DMK lost power in 1976.[2]

Together with K. Rajaram, Nedunchezhiyan left the DMK to form a new political party called the Makkal Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam but this did not last long. The party merged with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), which was by then in government, in 1978 and from 1980 Nedunchezhiyan was again a cabinet minister, this time as a Minister of Finance under the leadership of AIADMK's M. G. Ramachandran, until 1987. Nedunchezhiyan acting as deputy general secretary as 1977 and 1989. He was general secretary as 1977 and 1989. He became acting Chief Minister in 1988 when Ramachandran died.

Nedunchezhiyan briefly aligned himself with the J. Jayalalithaa-led group within the AIADMK but was expelled from the party in 1988 after disputes with its leaders. He stood in the 1989 state elections and later that year returned to the party fold after Jayalalithaa had successfully reunified it. He then served as Minister of Finance again between 1991 and 1996.[2] Later, he served as General Council Leader Of AIADMK From 1996 to his death.

Legislative election history edit

Year Result Seat Party
1962 Won Triplicane DMK
1967 Won Triplicane DMK
1971 Won Triplicane DMK
1980 Won Thirunelveli AIADMK
1984 Won Athoor AIADMK
1989 Lost Mylapore Independent
1991 Won Theni AIADMK
1996 Lost Theni AIADMK

Personal life edit

He married his wife, Visalakshi (AIADMK Spokesperson), in 1950, and they had one son.[2]

Indian tennis player Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan is his grandson.

Death edit

He died on heart failure at Apollo Hospital on 12 January 2000. At that time, AIADMK General Secretary Jayalalithaa sent a letter to Karunanidhi, who was the Chief Minister, asking for a place to bury Nedunchezhiyan next to Anna. But the then DMK government rejected that demand. After this, Nedunchezhiyan's body was cremated in Besant Nagar cemetery.

In popular culture edit

The character Madhivanan, played by Rajesh, in the 1997 film Iruvar is loosely based on Nedunchezhiyan.

Books published edit

Name of the book with year of publication.

  1. Decimal Research (1943)
  2. The Late Dravidian (1948)
  3. Language Struggle (1948)
  4. Repository (1948)
  5. Tears and Red Water Development Corporation (1951)
  6. Rise Murasu
  7. New Path
  8. Veera tamilgam
  9. Ancient Greek (1953)
  10. Giordano Bruno (1953)
  11. Charles Bradley (1953)
  12. Religion and Superstition (1955)
  13. Purananooru Treasure (1961)
  14. DMK (1961)
  15. Brotherhood with Anna (1961)
  16. Heart great pleasure (1982)
  17. Thought Flowers (1982)
  18. Learning love scenes
  19. Narrinai katcigal (1982)
  20. Telling Taste (Short Views) (1985)
  21. Culture Honor (1985)
  22. Novel Announcements to the Novel Country (1988)
  23. Vadakkalathur Raja Gopalanar Biography (1991)
  24. Thirukkural - Novel Clarification (1991)

Biography of #RevolutionaryBharatidasan (1994)

  1. War of Social Justice (1996)
  2. History of the Dravidian Movement (Part I) (1996)
  3. Jain Commission Report - A Study (1997)
  4. What I Saw and Heard in Life (2000)

After His- # Thirukkural Novel Text (Portable Edition) (2001)

  1. The parable of the sower (2004)

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ After Vallimuthu, until 1996 presidium chairman name is Unknown

References edit

  1. ^ Kannan, R (18 July 2020). "'Navalar' Nedunchezhiyan: The Dravidian leader who remained a follower till the end". The News Minute. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Nedunchezhiyan dies of heart failure". The Hindu. 13 January 2000. Archived from the original on 4 May 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2013.