Rajagopalachari, Chakravarti (1879-1972), was an Indian nationalist leader. He was popularly known by his initials, “C.R.” He served as governor general of India from 1948 to 1950.
Rajagopalachari was born into an orthodox Brahman family in Hosur, in what is now the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, on Dec. 8, 1879. He was educated in Bangalore (now Bengaluru) and qualified as a lawyer. In 1919, he met the Indian leader Mohandas K. Gandhi and joined the nationalist movement. He served as a Congress Party official, and he led the civil disobedience campaign against the British government in 1930 (see Dandi march ).
Rajagopalachari served as chief minister of Tamil Nadu from 1937 to 1939 and from 1952 to 1954. He promoted religious tolerance, equal opportunities, and the prohibition of alcohol. During World War II (1939-1945), he supported the United Kingdom. Rajagopalachari inaugurated the “C.R. formula,” which accepted Muslim-majority provinces within the framework of an independent, federal India.
Indian independence was achieved in 1947. After a few years, Rajagopalachari moved away from the Congress Party. He was a founder member of the Swatantra Party, which supported free enterprise and closer ties with the West. He died on Dec. 26, 1972.
