N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar
Kailash Nath Haksar | |
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Personal details | |
Born | Narasimha Ayyangar Gopalaswami Ayyangar 31 March 1882 British India |
Died | 10 February 1953 Madras, Madras State, India (now Chennai, Tamil Nadu) | (aged 70)
Diwan Bahadur Sir Narasimha Gopalaswami Ayyangar
In his Kashmir Affairs role, he represented India at the
Early life and education
Gopalaswami Ayyangar was born on 31 March 1882 in Tanjore District
Career
In 1905, Ayyangar joined the Madras Civil Service. He served as a Deputy Collector till 1919, and was promoted Collector and District Magistrate in 1920. He was the Registrar-General of Panchayats and Inspector of Local Boards for seven years from 1921. During this time many villages
Prime Minister of Kashmir (1937-1943)
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Ayyangar's political career gained prominence during his tenure as Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir (1937–43). His term ended on April 9th, 1943.[4]
Government of India
Constituent Assembly of India
In 1946, Ayyangar was elected to the Constituent Assembly of India, which convened in December 1946 with Jawaharlal Nehru as its president. Ayyangar was appointed to the seven-member Drafting Committee that formulated the Indian Constitution.[5][6]
Kashmir affairs
Soon after the accession of Jammu and Kashmir in October 1947, Nehru appointed Ayyangar as a cabinet minister without portfolio and asked him to look after Kashmir affairs, while Nehru himself held the overall charge for Kashmir. The move caused frictions with the home minister Vallabhbhai Patel, who should have normally been responsible for Kashmir along with all other princely states.[5]
Ayyangar led the delegation representing India in the United Nations over the Kashmir dispute in 1948.[7] In 1952, Prime Minister Nehru appointed him as India's representative in the ongoing negotiations and discussions about Kashmir at the Geneva talks.[8]
Ayyangar was the chief drafter of Article 370 which granted local autonomy to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.[5]
Minister of Railways and Transport
During his tenure as Minister for Railways and Transport from 1948–52, the railways experienced considerable growth and expansion in services and equipment. He was the main architect in the regrouping of the Indian Railways into six zonal systems - Central, Eastern, Northern, North-eastern, Southern, and Western.[citation needed] Under his leadership, the operation of the railways was smooth and productive. The railway budget also reported surplus earnings at this time.[9]
Reorganization of Government
In 1949, he presented his report on the "Reorganization of the Government Machinery" in an effort to streamline government services and maintain efficiency in the public sphere. He recommended the establishment of four standing committees, and, as a result of this report, the Defence Committee, the Economic Committee, the Parliamentary and Legal Affairs Committee, and the Administrative Organization Committee were formed by the Union government.[10]
Death
Ayyangar died in Madras at the age of 71 on 10 February 1953, and was survived by his wife, a son, G. Parthasarathy, who was then Assistant Editor of The Hindu, and a daughter.[1]
Honors
A distinguished administrator and a civil servant, Ayyangar held seven titles until 1947 including the title of
References
- ^ a b c "N.G. Ayyangar passes away". The Hindu. 10 February 1953. Archived from the original on 20 October 2003.
- ^ "Forgotten fathers of the Constitution". Zee News. 26 January 2010. Archived from the original on 29 May 2012.
- ^ Srinivasan, N. "Village Governments in India". The Far Eastern Quarterly 15.2 (Feb 1956):209.
- ^ "Sir N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar". The Indian Express.
- ^ a b c Thalpiyal, Sheru, Maj. Gen., "Article 370: The Untold Story.", Indian Defence Review 26.1, 2011
- ^ N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar Archived 31 May 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Constituent Assembly Debates web site, retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ^ "Indian Defense Aide Dies."New York Times. 10 February 1953:27.
- ^ "Nehru Appoints Aide for Kashmir Parley."New York Times. 6 August 1952:3.
- ^ "Surplus is Indicated for India's Railways". New York Times. 23 February 1952:4.
- ISBN 9788131799253.
- ^ London Gazette, 3 June 1935
- ^ London Gazette, 11 May 1937
- ^ London Gazette, 1 January 1941
External links
Media related to Narasimha Gopalaswami Ayyangar at Wikimedia Commons