जाट at 11:19, 25 April 2026

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{{Short description|Indian poet and political thinker}}
{{More citations needed|article|date=January 2008}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}}
{{Infobox person
| name = C. R. Reddy
| image = Sir Reddy.jpg
| caption = Sir Reddy in 1940s
| birth_name = Cattamanchi Ramalinga Subrahmanya Reddy
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1880|12|10}}
| birth_place = [[Kattamanchi]], Chittoor city, Andhra Pradesh
| occupation = Politician, educationist, essayist, & economist
| party = [[Justice Party (India)|Justice Party]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1951|2|24|1880|12|10}}
| death_place = Madras, [[Tamil Nadu]], India
}}
Sir '''Cattamanchi Ramalinga Reddy''' (10 December 1880 – 24 February 1951), also popularly known as '''Sir C. R. Reddy''', was an educationist and political thinker, essayist and economist, poet and literary critic.<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927015058/http://www.cscsarchive.org/MediaArchive/Library.nsf/%28docid%29/E5F6BC4BE3E9A15865257139002E5030?OpenDocument&StartKey=Dr.&count=10 |archive-date=27 September 2007 |url=http://www.cscsarchive.org/MediaArchive/Library.nsf/(docid)/E5F6BC4BE3E9A15865257139002E5030?OpenDocument&StartKey=Dr.&count=10 |title=Dr. C. R. Reddy |year=1973}}</ref> He was a prominent member of the [[Justice Party (India)|Justice Party]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=Radhakrishnan|first=P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PAxzWmBN-HkC|title=Peasant Struggles, Land Reforms and Social Change: Malabar 1836-1982|date=1989|publisher=Radhakrishnan|isbn=978-1-906083-16-8|pages=51|language=en}}</ref> and an ardent champion of the non-Brahmin movement,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=INaNAAAAMAAJ|title=Development of Karnataka Legislature|last=Gowda|first=K. S. Mune|date=1988|publisher=Prasaranga, University of Mysore|pages=101|language=en}}</ref> joining the movement to unite the non-Brahmin communities.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bS1uAAAAMAAJ|title=Reflections on the Caste Question: An Overview of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka & Keralam|last=Jacob|first=T. G.|date=2000|publisher=NESA Publication|pages=56|language=en}}</ref> He wrote his works in [[Telugu language|Telugu]] and English; these reveal his deep love for Indian classics and his learning in these texts, as well as the modernity of his outlook.

Reddy was the educationalist who played a major role in shaping the educational policy in India. He was also the recipient of a British Knighthood in honour of his service to the country. He was the founder of [[Andhra University]] and also served as its first Vice-Chancellor from 1926 to 1931 and in a further second term from 1936 to 1949.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZKgM7P5iGwgC&q=c.+r.+reddy+andhra+university&pg=PA25|title=Handbook of Universities|date=2006|publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist|isbn=978-81-269-0607-9|pages=25|language=en}}</ref>

==Early life==
[[File:C_R_Reddy.jpg|thumb|left]]
Reddy was born to late Sri Subrahmanya Reddy and late Smt. Narayanamma in [[Kattamanchi]], a [[suburb]] of [[Chittoor]] city. He was the second son of Subrahmanya Reddy,<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Anjaneyulu|first=D.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aNMCAAAAMAAJ|title=Dr. C. R. Reddy|date=1973|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|pages=3–4|language=en}}</ref> who had built up a lucrative legal practice as a pleader in Chittoor and was known for his high sense of principles and right conduct. C. R. Reddy was named after his grandfather, who was a poet.<ref name=":0" /> He had two brothers, Narasimha Reddy and Bhaskara Reddy . ( sourced from The Incarnate Word - https://incarnateword.in (pp. 469–470)

Reddy completed his high school education in PCR High School in Chittoor with distinction in 1896 and joined the prestigious [[Madras Christian College]] in 1897.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last1=Murty|first1=K. Satchidananda|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=imPXMrFj_-wC&q=c.+r.+reddy++madras+christian&pg=PA26|title=Radhakrishnan: His Life and Ideas|last2=Vohra|first2=Ashok|date=1990-09-11|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-0-7914-0344-0|pages=26|language=en}}</ref> At Madras Christian College, he was the senior of [[Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan]], whom C. R. Reddy shared a close friendship with.<ref name=":1" /> [[Rev Dr Miller]] was the principal of the college in which [[Dr Skinner]] was the professor of Philosophy and Professor Kellet took English classes. All of them were greatly impressed by Reddy's performance as a student and noted the qualities of his sharp and incisive mind.

While as a student of Madras Christian College, when Reddy was about 19, was encouraged to write for a poetry competition held by the Andhra Bhashabhiranjam Sangham. Samardhi Rangaiah Chetti, the Patron of the Sangham, was responsible for persuading him to do it. Reddy wrote '[[commons:File:2015.328620.Musalamma-Maranam.pdf|Musalamma Maranamu]]', which was printed a year in 1900. Excerpt from the book - [https://ia801507.us.archive.org/9/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.219800/2015.219800.Dr-C_text.pdf Makers of Indian Literature DR. C. R. REDDY] - at the behest of [[Sahitya Akademi]] by Shri. D. Anjaneyulu in 1973 to commemorate Cattamanchi Ramalinga Reddy, after researching archives from [[Prime Ministers' Museum and Library Society|Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi]] with permission from the then Mr. B.R Nanda (Director) and Mr. V.C Joshi (Director of Archives).

It had unique features and was viewed as an avant-garde effort in the field of Telugu poetry, quite different from the traditional prabhanda style.

==Career==
In 1901, Reddy graduated with distinction in philosophy and history securing several University prizes. Soon thereafter, he won a Government of India scholarship to study at the [[University of Cambridge]] in England. He joined St. John's College at Cambridge in 1902. His career at St John's College, [[Cambridge University|Cambridge]], was no less distinguished than it had been at [[Madras Christian College]]. Apart from being a brilliant student, he made his mark as an outstanding speaker and debater. He was elected Secretary of the Liberal Club and later Vice-President of the Union Society. He was the first Indian student to be chosen for that office in the Union Society. When he was the Vice-President of the Union Society, future economist [[John Maynard Keynes]] was the Secretary. On 31 October 1905, Reddy invited [[Gopal Krishna Gokhale]] to address the Union Society. When Gokhale met Keynes, he instantaneously recognised the genius of Keynes and commented, "You are eminently fitted to be a Finance Member in the Viceroy's Executive Council in India".

Even as a student in Cambridge, Reddy campaigned on behalf of the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] in the [[1906 United Kingdom general election|1906 general election]] which swept the Liberal Party into power that year. Many British politicians admired Reddy's gifts of intellect and eloquence and predicted a great future for him.

On his return to India in 1907, Reddy joined [[Baroda college]] at Baroda as vice-principal in the place vacated by [[Sri Aurobindo]].

Reddy's next appointment was at [[Maharaja's College, Mysore]] as professor of History in 1913. He was promoted as principal in 1916 and simultaneously appointed as Inspector General of Education in the Mysore State. It was during this period that Reddy with great foresight threw open all the schools to Panchama children much against the local orthodox opposition. This was long before the days of [[Mahatma Gandhi]]'s programme of temple entry for Harijans. Reddy is a revered name in Karnataka even today for this epoch-making step of social reform.

In 1921, he entered politics. He was elected to the Madras Legislative Council as an outstanding educationalist. For a short while he was in the Justice party. The [[Justice Party (India)]] found him far too brilliant and individualistic for keeping proper party control over him. In 1926 January, when it was decided to establish Andhra University at Waltaire, Reddy was the natural choice for appointment as its first Vice-Chancellor. He made [[Andhra University]] a great centre of higher education and outstanding research in both sciences and humanities. Towards the end of 1930, he did the extraordinary thing of resigning his Vice-Chancellorship in protest against the repressive policy of the Government of India in arresting the great leaders of Congress [[Salt Satyagraha]] movement. He wrote a classic letter in this context to the Governor of Madras. When he resigned his post as Vice-Chancellor, he was succeeded by Dr [[Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan]].

Reddy was back again in the field of politics. He became the president of [[Chittoor]] District Board. In 1936, at a Senate meeting of [[Andhra University]], it was decided to invite Reddy to return again to [[Andhra University]] as its Vice-Chancellor. He returned to Waltaire later that year for the second time as Vice-Chancellor and retained the position till 1949. During this period, the [[Andhra University]] became internationally known. Dr S Bhagavantam, Dr T R Seshadri, Dr V K R V Rao and Dr V S Krishna, [[K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar]] and many other great professors made a beeline to Waltaire, inspired by the idealism and unique moral leadership of Reddy. Reddy was knighted by the British government in the [[1942 New Year Honours]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=35399 |supp=y|page=2|date=30 December 1941}}</ref> In 1949, Reddy became the Pro-chancellor of [[Mysore University]]. He died in Madras on 24 February 1951.

Iyengar, in his book "Essays and Addresses", describes Reddy as a great educationist, a first-class teacher, humanist, a bold thinker and a reformer. Reddy's lectures on "University reforms" delivered in Madras under the presidency of Dr [[S. Subramania Iyer]], [[S. Srinivasa Iyengar]] and [[T. V. Seshagiri Iyer]] had set the tone for university reforms in India. Following Reddy's death, the Maharaja of Mysore [[Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar]] recalled, "[Reddy] served Mysore in various capacities every one of which was characterised by conspicuous ability, uncommon zeal and indefatigable energy."<ref>{{cite news |title=Late Dr. C.R. Reddy, Mysore Rajpramukh's Tribute |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xANFAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Z7cMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5974%2C1511864 |newspaper =[[The Indian Express]] |page=5 |date=1 March 1951}}</ref>

==Works==
* ''Arthashastra''
* ''Vijnana Chandrika seris''
* ''Bilhaniyamu''
* ''[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2015.328620.Musalamma-Maranam.pdf Musalamma Maranamu]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927015058/http://www.cscsarchive.org/MediaArchive/Library.nsf/%28docid%29/E5F6BC4BE3E9A15865257139002E5030?OpenDocument&StartKey=Dr.&count=10 |archive-date=27 September 2007 |url=http://www.cscsarchive.org/MediaArchive/Library.nsf/(docid)/E5F6BC4BE3E9A15865257139002E5030?OpenDocument&StartKey=Dr.&count=10 |title=Dr. C. R. Reddy |year=1973}}

==External links==
* [http://www.andhrauniversity.info Official Website of Andhra University]
* [http://www.sircrrengg.ac.in Official Website of SIR C R Reddy Engineering college]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071025042604/http://www.hindu.com/2005/09/16/stories/2005091614990500.htm C R Reddy's stellar contributions hailed.]
* {{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20070228005005/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2002/07/15/stories/2002071501200200.htm Educationalist par excellence]}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reddy, C. R.}}
[[Category:19th-century Indian educational theorists]]
[[Category:Telugu poets]]
[[Category:Indian Knights Bachelor]]
[[Category:Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:1880 births]]
[[Category:1951 deaths]]
[[Category:Madras Christian College alumni]]
[[Category:Academic staff of Maharaja's College, Mysore]]
[[Category:People from Chittoor district]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:Vice-chancellors of Andhra University]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:Poets from Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Indian male poets]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian male writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian educational theorists]]
[[Category:Scholars from Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male writers]]
[[Category:Andhra movement]]

Cattamanchi Ramalinga Reddy - Revision history

जाट at 11:19, 25 April 2026