M. R. Venkataraman

M. R. Venkataraman (20 August 1907 – 23 May 1985), was an Indian politician, communist leader, and pioneer of the communist movement in Tamil Nadu. He was a founding member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and served as the first State Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Tamil Nadu. He also went in the Rajya Sabha from 1968 to 1974.

Early life M. R. Venkataraman was born on August 20, 1907, into a family of well-known social reformers in Coimbatore, Madras Presidency, British India. His father, Ramaswamy Sivam, was the principal of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore and a renowned agronomist. MRV received his early schooling at Coimbatore and attended college in Madras. After earning his law degree, he began practising in the Madras High Court under the nationalist barrister and disciple of Sri Aurobindo, S. Doraiswamy Iyer, where he handled cases involving workers jailed during widespread strikes in 1935-40. He first met the communist leaders of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in the early 1930s, when he was already an activist of the Indian National Congress.

Communist Movement after 1947 After India gained independence in 1947, M. R. Venkataraman was again arrested and detained when the party was attacked in 1948-51, and he, along with co-prisoners like A. K. Gopalan, narrowly escaped being killed when the police opened fire on the prisoners in the Cuddalore Central Prison. He was repeatedly imprisoned and had to remain underground; the duration of his total jail life was 11 years, and underground life three years.

Death M. R. Venkataraman, suffering from a prolonged illness for years, died on May 23, 1985, in Madras, Tamil Nadu, India.