Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty

Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty CSI
A portrait of Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty
Born	1806
Died	1868
Occupation	merchant
Known for	political activism, publicist

Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty CSI (1806–1868) was an Indian merchant, Indian independence activist and political activist who founded the Madras Native Association and the first Indian-owned newspaper, The Crescent.

Lakshminarasu Chetty was born in 1806 to wealthy balija indigo merchant Sidhulu Chetty in Madras. On completion of his initial education, Lakshminarasu entered the family trade and succeeded as a businessman. He entered politics and devoted money for social and philanthropic causes.

Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty was born in Periamet, Madras. His father Sidhulu Chetty was an indigo merchant. Due to the poor schooling facilities available in India at the time, Lakshminarasu Chetty had little formal education. However, even as a boy, Lakshminarasu Chetty was interested in politics and took part in Debating Societies.

On completion of his education, Lakshminarasu worked as an apprentice under his father whose business was soon afterwards renamed Sidhulu Chetty and Co. The firm mainly dealt in handkerchiefs and soon grew into a thriving corporation. After Sidhulu Chetty's death, Lakshminarasu inherited the firm and expanded its network.

When the American Civil War broke out, cotton trade was temporarily suspended between the United States of America and other countries. Lakshminarasu Chetty took advantage of the situation and made huge profits by speculating on the price of cotton.

During the mid-19th century, Christian missionaries indulged in open proselytisation in public institutions in the Madras Presidency. Their proselytisation activities were allegedly favoured by officials of the British government who preferred native Christians to Hindus in higher appointments in order to entice Hindu Indians to embrace Christianity . The religious stance of the Madras government was frequently condemned by the Hindu population. Lakshminarasu supported their cause and launched agitations against conversions.

On October 2, 1844, Lakshminarasu Chetty founded the Crescent, the first Indian-owned newspaper in the Madras Presidency for the "amelioration of the condition of Hindus". But right from the beginning, the newspaper faced strict government opposition. An advertisement sent to the Madras government for insertion into the government publication Fort St George Gazette was rejected. Further, the government resolved to enact a law wherein a Hindu convert to Christianity would not lose his ancestral right to own property. This was severely condemned by the Hindu community of Madras who under the leadership of Lakshminarasu Chetty, presented a memorial to the Governor on April 9, 1845. The government eventually withdrew its plans after prolonged discussions with the agitators.