Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty, who championed the cause of natives in Madras Presidency
In 1869, at the Pachaiappa’s Hall in Madras, former Advocate-General John Bruce Norton spoke about a man instrumental in establishing the platform for native Indians in the Madras Presidency. Calling him a true patriot and his close friend, the barrister hailed his efforts at resolving the problems of the locals. The man was Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty, a political activist and merchant, who perhaps was the first to speak up for native Indians. He was born in 1806 in the city in an affluent family. It was a time of political subjugation, religious discrimination, and exploitation under British rule.“His early years were marked by a deep resentment towards the oppressive policies of the colonial administration. The spectre of religious conversion loomed large over Gazulu’s childhood as h...
