Unsung Heroes Detail

Panapakkam Anandacharlu was born on 5 August 1843, at Panapakkam near Chengalpattu. At the age of 10, his family migrated from Chengalpattu to Madras. He was an Indian advocate, freedom fighter, and one of the early doyens of the Indian National Congress. His practice as a full lawyer began in 1869 when he became a member of the Chamber of the Madras High Court. From the very beginning, Anandacharlu was interested in politics and journalism. He contributed regularly to magazines such as Native Public Opinion and The Madrasi. In 1878, he helped G. Subrahmania Iyer and C. Viraraghavachariar start The Hindu and became a frequent contributor. He founded the Triplicane Literary Society (of which he was elected president) and the Madras Mahajana Sabha in 1884. He was one of the 72 delegates at the first session of the Indian National Congress held in Bombay in 1885. He also participated in the Nagpur session of the Indian National Congress in 1891, of which he was elected president. When the Congress split in 1906, he was on the side of the moderates. However, he died soon after the split. Anandacharlu was made a Rai Bahadur and was awarded the CIE (Companion of the Indian Empire) in 1897. He passed away on 4 January 1908.