M. G. Ramachandran

Early life

Ramachandran was born on 17 January 1917 in Nawalapitiya, Kandy District, British Ceylon (now in Sri Lanka) in a Malayali Nair family to Melakkath Gopalan Menon and Maruthur Satyabhama. His family hailed from Palakkad region in the modern-day Indian state of Kerala. Ramachandran later claimed himself to be of Tamil Kongu Vellalar descent, whose ancestors had settled in the Kerala region. His father worked as a magistrate in Kandy, and moved back to India with his family after retirement. He was the youngest of the two sons, and his elder brother was Chakrapani. Ramachandran's father died when he was two and a half years old. Soon after the death of his father, his sister also died due to ill health. After his father's death, their relatives did not support the family, and his mother moved to her brother's house in Kumbakonam. His mother worked as a housemaid to put both her sons through school.

During his school days, Ramachandran joined a drama troupe called Boys Company. He trained himself in various aspects, and took on different roles. With help from Kandasamy Mudaliar, he had a brief acting stint overseas in Rangoon and Singapore, where he took up female roles. He returned to India to rejoin Boys Company, and started playing lead roles.

Acting career

Ramachandran made his film debut in 1936, in the film Sathi Leelavathi, directed by Ellis R. Dungan, an American-born film director. He followed it with minor appearances and supporting roles in many films. He worked for over a decade in various films before he played his first lead role in Rajakumari, which was commercially successful. Ramachandran later delivered various hit films such as Manthiri Kumari and Maruthanad Elavarasee in 1950. He established himself as an action hero in Tamil cinema with Manthiri Kumari (1950) and Marmayogi (1951). His popularity rose with the success of En Thangai (1952) and Malaikkallan (1954).

Ramachandran's 1955 film Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum was the Tamil film industry's first-ever full-length gevacolor film. He acted further in commercially successful films such as Madurai Veeran (1956), Chakravarthi Thirumagal and Mahadevi (both released in 1957). He also directed few films, and his first film as a director and producer was Nadodi Mannan (1958), which became a blockbuster. He later starred in Kalai Arasi (1963), which featured a storyline of aliens visiting the earth. The following year, he appeared in Thozhilali and Padagotti. After starring in numerous commercially successful films, he held a matinée idol status in Tamil Nadu.

Ramachandran was shot in 1967, which permanently changed his voice. His first film to release after his release from the hospital was Arasakattalai, which had been finished earlier. However, he was shooting for the film Kaavalkaaran, when he was shot, and the film had parts featuring his old and new voices across scenes.

Ramachandran won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor for the film Kudiyirundha Koyil in 1968 and the National Film Award for Best Actor for Rickshawkaran in 1972. His 1973 film Ulagam Sutrum Valiban was one of the first Tamil films to be filmed abroad, and broke the previous box office records of his films. His acting career ended in 1978 with his last film being Madhuraiyai Meetta Sundharapandiyan.

Ramachandran remarked there was no question of retirement for anyone associated in whichever capacity with the cine field. Kali N. Rathnam, a pioneer of Tamil stage drama, and K.P. Kesavan were mentors of Ramachandran in his acting career. Ramachandran was often paired with actresses B.Saroja Devi, and J.Jayalalithaa. Jayalalithaa, who later followed him into politics, acted with him in 28 films, with the last film being Pattikaattu Ponnaiya in 1973.

Political career

Early career

Ramachandran was a member of the Indian National Congress till 1953. In 1953, he joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), founded by C. N. Annadurai, and became a prominent member of the party. He became a member of the Madras State Legislative Council in 1962.

1967 assassination attempt

On 12 January 1967, actor M. R. Radha, who has worked with Ramachandran in various films visited Ramachandran to discuss about a future film project. During the conversation, M. R. Radha stood up and shot Ramachandran near his left ear and then tried to shoot himself. The bullet was lodged behind the first vertebra, and Ramachandran underwent a surgery to remove the bullet. However, a piece of the bullet was left behind as the doctors were apprehensive that it would cause further damage if attempted to be removed.

As a consequence of the surgery, he lost hearing in his left ear and his voice was altered permanently. The bullet piece left behind got dislodged later, and was removed safely, with Ramachandran attributing it to God's grace. He was hospitalised for six weeks and was visited by commoners and people from the film industry, polity and bureaucracy. He conducted his campaign for the 1967 assembly elections from the hospital bed, and was elected to the legislative assembly for the first time. Radha was later sentenced to five years in prison for the incident, and died in 1979.

Differences with Karunanidhi and birth of AIADMK

After the death of his mentor Annadurai, he became the treasurer of the DMK in 1969 after he helped Karunanidhi became the chief minister of the state and president of the party. However, in the early 1970s, the growing popularity of Ramachandran caused a rift with the DMK president and chief minister Karunanidhi. Ramachandran played a key role in the victory of the DMK in the 1971 assembly elections.

Later in the same year, when the DMK government led by Karunanithi wanted to repel the law that was in effect in Tamil Nadu, Ramachandran launched a staunch opposition to it. In 1972, Ramachandran accused that corruption had grown in the DMK after the demise of Annadurai, and demanded the ministers to publicly declare their assets. As a consequence, Ramachandran was expelled from the party temporarily on 10 October 1972, and permanently four days later.

On 17 October 1972, Ramachandran became the leader and general secretary of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), established by Anakaputhur Ramalingam. He continued to act in films such as Netru Indru Naalai (1974), Idhayakkani (1975), Indru Pol Endrum Vaazhga (1977), and used cinema as a medium to spread his political messages.

Chief ministership and continued success

First elections

The AIADMK allied with Congress (I) for the 1977 parliamentary election. Though the combine won 34 of the 39 seats in Tamil Nadu, the Janata party won the election and Morarji Desai became the prime minister. The AIADMK contested the 1977 elections, and was part of a four cornered contest against the DMK, the Indian National Congress (Organisation) and the Janata Party. The AIADMK allied itself with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), while Congress (I) and Communist Party of India (CPI) contested as allies. The AIADMK-led alliance won the elections by winning 144 seats out of 234 and Ramachandran became the chief minister of Tamil Nadu on 30 June 1977.

However, Ramachandran later extended unconditional support to the Janata party government. He continued his support to the Charan Singh-led government in 1979, and Satyavani Muthu and Aravinda Bala Pajanor from the AIADMK became part of the Union Cabinet.

1980 elections

After the fall of the Charan Singh government, fresh parliamentary elections were conducted in 1980. The AIADMK and Janata party alliance won only two seats in the elections, that was won by the DMK-Congress (I) coalition. Following the victory, the AIADMK ministry and the Tamil Nadu assembly dismissed by the central government led by the Congress and fresh elections conducted in 1980. Despite their victory at the 1980 Lok Sabha polls, DMK and Congress failed to win the legislative assembly election. AIADMK won the election and Ramachandran was sworn in as chief minister for the second time.

Karunanidhi claimed in April 2009 and in May 2012 that Ramachandran was ready for the merger of his party with the DMK in September 1979, with former Orissa chief minister Biju Patnaik acting as the mediator. The plan failed, because Panruti S. Ramachandran, who was close to Ramachandran acted as a spoiler and Ramachandran changed his mind.

Later years

Indira Gandhi was assassinated on 31 October 1984, and was succeeded by her son Rajiv Gandhi, who sought a fresh mandate. Ramachandran-led AIADMK allied with the Congress for the 1984 Indian general election. Despite his poor health, he did contest the assembly election held later that year while still confined to the hospital, winning from Andipatti. During the election, photos of Ramachandran recuperating in hospital were published, creating a sympathy wave among the people. Indira Gandhi's assassination, Ramachandran's appeals from the hospital, and Rajiv Gandhi visits to the state helped create a sympathy wave that helped the alliance sweep both the elections. In the Tamil Nadu assembly, the combine won 195 seats and Ramachandran was later sworn in as the chief minister for the third time.

Policies and governance

Ramachandran was very popular in the state and had high approval from the public. He introduced and expanded welfare schemes such as free electricity to farmers, and mid-day meal scheme. The meal scheme for school students, which had been introduced by Kamaraj in 1956, was significantly expanded by Ramachandran in 1980. The scheme was expanded to cover all government and aided schools for all the days of the year including holidays. He introduced a free electricity scheme for small and marginal farmers in 1984.

However, as per a study by the Madras Institute of Development Studies in 1988, Ramachandran's tenure did not see a significant upliftment in the economic condition of the poor and the shift of government resources from industrial sector to social welfare schemes contributed to the same.

The decision-making was often centralised during Ramachandran's tenure. While there were criticism regarding the efficiency of such working, supporters of Ramachandran counter that most of these problems were a result of the party members serving Ramachandran rather than the leader himself. His charisma and popularity trumped policy decisions that led to his eventual success during his tenure as chief minister.

Ramachandran allowed the continued sale of liquor, which he opposed when the ban on which was overturned by his predecessor Karunanidhi in 1971. He rescinded the ban on toddy in 1981, and reversed it six years later. He established the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation in 1983 for the import and sale of foreign made liquor.

Natwar Singh in his autobiography One Life is Not Enough alleged that Ramachandran covertly supported the cause of independent Tamil Eelam and financed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a militant organisation in Sri Lanka. He also alleged that the LTTE cadres were given military training in Tamil Nadu, and that Ramachandran had gifted rupees to the group without the knowledge of the Indian government.

Ramachandran's government often used state machinery against political criticism and opposition. In April 1987, the editor of Ananda Vikatan S. Balasubramanian was sentenced to 3 months in jail by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly for publishing a cartoon, depicting government ministers as bandits and lawmakers as pickpockets, though specific legislature was not specified. He was later released due to media outcry and Balasubramanian won a case against his arrest. Vaniga Otrumai editor A.M. Paulraj was also sentenced to two weeks imprisonment by the assembly for his writing.

Elections results

;Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly

Positions held

Illness and death

In October 1984, Ramachandran was diagnosed with kidney failure as a result of uncontrolled diabetes, which was soon followed by a heart attack and stroke. He underwent a kidney transplant at the Downstate Medical Center in New York City, United States. He returned to Madras on 4 February 1985 following his recovery.

Over the next three years, Ramachandran had frequent trips to the United States for treatment. He never fully recovered from his health issues and died on 24 December 1987 at 3:30 am in his Ramavaram Garden residence in Manapakkam at the age of 70. His body was kept in state at Rajaji Hall for two days for public viewing. On 25 December 1987, his remains were buried at the northern end of the Marina beach, now called MGR Memorial, adjacent to the Anna Memorial. Around one million people were estimated to have attended his funeral.

Ramachandran's death sparked a frenzy of public rioting over the state, and various shops, cinemas, buses and other public and private property became the target of the violence. The police were given shoot-at-sight orders to bring the situation under control. Schools, colleges and various establishments announced holidays due to the situation. The state of affairs continued for almost a month across Tamil Nadu. Some women allegedly shaved their heads bald, and dressed like widows. A few whipped or self immolated themselves. Violence during the funeral alone left 129 people dead and 47 police personnel wounded.

Personal life

In 1939, Ramachandran married Chitarikulam Bhargavi, who later died in 1942 due to an illness. In late 1942, he married Sadanandavati, who died later due to tuberculosis in 1962. In 1963, he married actress V. N. Janaki, who later became the chief minister of Tamil Nadu after his death. He had no biological children from any of his marriages.

In his early days, Ramachandran was a devout Hindu and a devotee of Murugan and his mother's favourite god, Guruvayurappan. After joining the DMK, he identified himself as a rationalist. He gifted a golden sword weighing half a Kilogram to Mookambika temple in Kollur, Udupi district.

Ramachandran was the founder and editor of Thai weekly magazine and Anna daily newspaper in Tamil. He established Sathya Studios and Emgeeyar Pictures. He offered personal financial donations during disasters and calamities, and donated Rs. 75,000 to the war fund during the Sino-Indian War.

Legacy and honours

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Ramachandran was awarded honorary doctorates by The World University in 1974 for his contributions to Indian cinema, and the University of Madras in 1987 for his contributions to public affairs. On 19 March 1988, Ramachandran was posthumously honoured with Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. He became the third chief minister of the state to receive the award after C. Rajagopalachari and K. Kamaraj. The timing of the award was controversial, and his opponents criticised the central government led by Congress under Rajiv Gandhi to have influenced the decision to give the award to help win the upcoming 1989 Lok Sabha election.

Ramachandran is widely known by the epithets "Makkal Thilagam" (Jewel of the People), "Puratchi Thalaivar" (Revolutionary Leader), and "Ponmana Chemmal" (Generous one) in Tamil Nadu. In 1989, Dr. M. G. R. Home and Higher Secondary School for the Speech and Hearing Impaired was established at the his erstwhile residence in Ramapuram, in accordance with his last will and testament written in January 1987. His official residence located at 27, Arcot Street, Thyagaraya Nagar was converted into a memorial house and opened for public viewing. The Dr. MGR-Janaki College of Arts and Science for Women was established in a part of the land that housed Sathya Studios.

A life-size statue of Ramachandran was unveiled on 7 December 2006 in the Parliament House by then Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee. To commemorate Ramachandran's birth centenary in 2017, the Reserve Bank of India issued Rs. 100 and Rs.5 coins that bore his image as a portrait along with an inscription mentioning the event.

Several localities, roads, places, and establishments have been named in his honour. MGR Nagar, a residential neighbourhood in Chennai was named after him. Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus, Salem Central Bus Stand, Tirunelveli New Bus Stand, and M.G.R. Bus Stand at Madurai are named after him. On 5 April 2019, Government of India renamed the Chennai Central railway station as Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station to honour him. On 31 July 2020, Central Metro station of the Chennai Metro was renamed after Ramachandran. On 17 October 2021, the AIADMK headquarters in Royapettah was renamed as Puratchi Thalaivar M.G.R. Maaligai by party leaders in memory of the party's founder.

Film awards

In popular culture

Ramachandran's autobiography, "Naan Yaen Piranthen? (Why Was I Born?)", was published in 2003.

The 1997 Tamil film Iruvar, by Mani Ratnam, is based on the rivalry and friendship between Ramachandran and Karunanidhi. Mohanlal played Anandan, the character based on Ramachandran. In the 2019 web series Queen, Indrajith Sukumaran portrayed G. M. Ravichandran, the fictional adaptation of Ramachandran. In the Tamil film Thalaivii (2021), Ramachandran was portrayed by Arvind Swamy.

Notes

References

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