M. R. Venkataraman
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M. R. Venkataraman | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| In office 3 April 1968 – 2 April 1974 | |
| Constituency | Tamil Nadu |
| State Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Tamil Nadu | |
| In office 1964–1972 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | A. Balasubramaniam |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 20 August 1907 |
| Died | 23 May 1985 (aged 77) |
| Party |
|
| Occupation | |
M. R. Venkataraman (20 August 1907 – 23 May 1985), was an Indian politician, communist leader, and pioneer of the communist movement in Tamil Nadu. He was a founding member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and served as the first State Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Tamil Nadu. He also went in the Rajya Sabha from 1968 to 1974.[1]
M. R. Venkataraman was born on August 20, 1907, into a family of well-known social reformers in Coimbatore, Madras Presidency, British India. His father, Ramaswamy Sivam, was the principal of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore and a renowned agronomist. MRV received his early schooling at Coimbatore and attended college in Madras. After earning his law degree, he began practising in the Madras High Court under the nationalist barrister and disciple of Sri Aurobindo, S. Doraiswamy Iyer, where he handled cases involving workers jailed during widespread strikes in 1935-40. He first met the communist leaders of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in the early 1930s, when he was already an activist of the Indian National Congress.[1]
Communist Movement before 1947
M. R. Venkataraman was rapidly fascinated with Marxism, Communism, and the ideological ideals of the Communist Party of India and eventually joined the party in 1939. At the outbreak of the World War II, MRV was arrested under the Defence of India Act. While he was under detention, his wife fell ill, and he was released on parole to see her. At the directives of the Party, which was then illegal, he jumped parole and went underground. He worked underground for about one and a half years before he was arrested and detained. During this period his wife died, leaving behind his only daughter, Bharathi. After being released from prison for his immense organisational power, he was elected as the State Secretary of the Communist Party of India, Tamil Nadu, in 1942.[2]
