- Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu
Rai Bahaddur Sir Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu (b. 1875 - d. 1942) K.C.S.I., D.Litt., M.L.C.
Agent 1929 - 1932.
A South Indian, Reddi's(not the caste) main political base was Madras. He seems to have had a varied education, attending the Arts College in Rajahmundry , the Madras Christian College , the Madras Law College and the Madras University . Before joining the Bar in 1900, he was a Professor of Physics at the Arts College , Rajahmundry . After serving on various local and district boards between 1901 and 1919, he entered the national political arena in 1919 - 1920. In 1919, he led the non-Brahmin deputation to the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms, and a year later became a Member of the Imperial Legislative Council. Thereafter, from 1920 to 1926, he held official posts in the Madras Government and was a member of the Madras Legislative Assembly, and, before coming to South Africa , he was also a delegate to the League of Nations in Geneva in 1928.
In 1929, he went to South Africa as an Agent of the Government of India. During his three years in South Africa , he does not seem to have created a lasting impression. In February 1950, the first reading of the TALT (Amendment) Bill was taken. Reddi attended the SAIC emergency conference on 5 th -6 th October 1930, and thereafter had six meetings with the SAIC committee where the issue was discussed. Following the proposals of the SAIC and his Government, he successfully negotiated the postponement of the Bill pending the Second Round Table Conference. This was his principal achievement in South Africa. Unlike the other Agents, he was not faced with the sort of internecine fights and splits within the Indian political movements, which plagued the other representatives.
On leaving South Africa , he took up various positions in the Indian Government. He became a member of the Council of State from 1933-1934, and a member of the Government's Executive Council, Madras , 1934 -1937. In between, he was Acting Governor of Madras from June-October 1936, and Prime Minister of the Government of Madras, April-July 1937. From 1937 onwards, he was a member of the Madras Legislative Assembly. During this period, he does not seem to have taken a keen interest in the political affairs of the Indians in South Africa, nor was he in contact with South African Indians. Unlike Sastri, who was contacted by the Indian organisations, Reddi seems to have been quickly forgotten.
He was the
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu , India, fromApril 1 ,1937 toJuly 14 ,1937 . [ [http://www.tn.gov.in/tnassembly/cmlist-1920.htm List of Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu] ] He was an acting Governor of Madras Presidency for the period of 18 Jun 1936 - 1 Oct 1936 [ [http://www.worldstatesmen.org/India_BrProvinces.htm Provinces of British India ] ]Vice-Chancellor, Annamalai University from 1940 [ [http://www.archive.org/stream/rajahsirannamala030779mbp/rajahsirannamala030779mbp_djvu.txt Full text of "Rajah Sir Annamalai Chettiar Commemoration Volume" ] ]
Annamalai University offering every year a prize in the name of THE SIR KURMA VENKATA REDDY NAIDU PRIZE [ [http://annamalaiuniversity.ac.in/scholorship.htm Welcome to Annamalai University ] ]
References
External links
* [http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/people/bios/naidu-krbvr.htm Sir Kurma Raj Bahadur Venkata Reddy ]
* [http://telugu.co.za/AMSSA_Formation.htm Sir Kurma Reddi ]
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=q2uPX9hQfyEC&pg=PA89&lpg=PA89&dq=sir+kurma&source=web&ots=Uf_0rLLsv0&sig=kkaYbDmNtCXtZ6Mpa5QlI2rd9Es&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=8&ct=result Sri Kurma Reddi]
* [http://www.oxforddnb.com/public/themes/93/93241.html Sir Kurma Venkata Reddi Naidu]
* [http://www.south-african-hotels.com/history-part2text.php sir kurma venkata reddy naidu]
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