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Academic year 2007-08:
150 year celebration special:
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Life Sketches

Sri N.V. Raghavan
1879-1943

Life Sketches - Sri N.V. Raghavan It was on the morning of the 2nd February 1943 that the local newspapers flashed the sad news that Mr. N. V. Raghavan had died during the early hours of thast day at his residence at Mylapore. Through it was known to his friends a week prior to his death that hopes of recovery were remote, the news was tragic. Friends, admirers and relations rushed to his residence to pay their homage to the mortal remains of that great man. He was an impressive and delightful personality and was feared and respected for his independence. He was frank and upright and hated all sham and insincerity.

He was born of poor but cultured parents on 27th March, 1879.

He stuided in the S.P. High school, Trichy, now known as Bishop Heber dency. It was at this time that the late Sir P. Rajagopalachariar was in search of a bridegroom of a promising career and coming to know, through one Mr.Pattabhirama Pillai, Dy. Collector, of Raghavan's brilliant success at the matriculation examination gave his second daughter in marriage to him. Raghavan then left Trichy for Madras to study in the Presidency College. IN 1899 he appeared in two subjects (Englishand Sanskrit) for the B.A.degree examination, as he was not sure of getting a first class in the third subject (Mathematics). In the two subjects he secured first class and next year he got a first class in the remaining subject also. In 1902, he appeared for the Indian Finance Department competitive examination, now called The Indian Audit Accounts Service, and came out successful. He rose to the rank of Accountant-General and retired in 1930, though he might have continued to serve for two years more.
In 1932, he was appointed Minister in charge of Finance in the Indore State, but he came back in 1933. he accepted the Vice-Presidentship of the Hindi Pracharka Sabha, as he was a lover of Hindi and wanted to spread hindi in South India. He resigned subsequently when he found that he could not raise sufficient funds to do effective work in spreading Hindi in South India. At the personal request of the Vice-Chancellor of the Benares Hindu University to help him in maintaining accounts, he spent some months in Benares giving valuable suggestions. He was a director of the Indo-Commercial Bank for four years till his death. He was a member of our School Committee of Management from 1929 till his death.
Being born of poor parents, he appreciated privations and sufferings in others due to poverty. While an officer, he was ever sympathetic to the low paid clearks. The same sympathetic attitude he maintained to the teachers of our school. The leave rules and the introduction of scales of pay for different grades of teachers where in no small measure due to him. He successfully created a feeling in the minds of his subordinates that he would impersonally consider the issues raised and do justice. His justice was always tempered with mercy. He was a man of sterling independence and he shunned hypocrites and flatterers. He was ever a candid critic. In private public life he was not swayed by the vanities that corrupt men of importance and influence. He was always of a studious habit and his reading extended to almost all subjects of interest. He was passionately fond of classical and pure Carnatic music and was a tolerable violinist. He cared very little for fleeting remarks or fr45ivolous talk. He seldom endeavoured to know what other people though of him. He felt no urge to follow the fashions of the day. His only relaxation was to walk both in the morning and in the evening and visit his intimate friends.

He was a straight man loving a quiet life. He was 'matter of fact' and rarely courted wide popularity. He had no belief in adjustability as a virtue. He declared himself in adequate language, indulged in no make-believes of coloured expressions and if at all he was sought, people must be willing to take anything he choose to gr5ace them with. He must act on his own and would scarcely be led. He was an acute thinker. He did not make a display of his talents, for he did not believe in mere show. He was a true free-thinker following his own path with a frankness and faith of his own. In him nature must have felt proud to say that there was a man.


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