C. R. Reddy
| C. R. Reddy | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Cattamanchi Ramalinga Subramaniya Reddy December 10, 1880 Cattamanchi, Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh |
| Died | February 24, 1951 (aged 70) Madras, Tamilnadu |
| Occupation | educationist, essayist, economist |
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. He wrote his works in 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 Vice-Chancellor from 1926 to 1931 and in a further second term from 1936 to 1949.
Reddy was born in Cattamanchi, a suburb of Chittoor. He was the second son of Subramania Reddy 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. 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. 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. Even while in college, he was noted for his Telugu scholarship. He got a prize for writing a story in Telugu verse, called 'Musalamma Maranamu'. It had some unique features and was viewed as an avant-garde effort in the field of Telugu poetry, quite different from the traditional prabhanda style.
In 1901, he 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, the college where the great English poet William Wordsworth had studied. His career at St Johns College, 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, John Maynard Keynes (destined to be a world-famous economist later) was the Secretary of the Union Society. On 31 October 1905, Reddy invited Gopal Krishna Gokhale to address the Union Society. When Gokhale met John Maynard Keynes, he instantaneously recognised the genius of Keynes and commented that: 'You are eminently fitted to be a Finance Member in the Viceroy's Executive Council in India'.
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