C. Karunakara Menon
Encyclopedia
Diwan Bahadur Cozhissery Karunakara Menon (1863-1922) was an India
n journalist
and politician
from the erstwhile Madras Presidency
. He was the second editor of The Hindu
after G. Subramania Iyer
and the founder of the Indian Patriot.
Karunakara Menon was born in Parappanangadi - Malabar district (Cozhisseri Tharavadu, Neduva) and had his higher education in Madras. He served as a sub-editor of The Hindu till 1898 and as editor from 1898 to 1905. In 1905, he started the Indian Patriot which was closed in 1924. He was a prominent public man and took part in the political events of his time.
Menon died in 1922. He was highly regarded by V. Krishnaswamy Iyer, Veeraraghavachariar, G. Subramania Iyer
and Governor of Madras, Sir Arthur Lawley
.
family of Malabar district
, Madras Presidency
. He graduated in law from the University of Madras
and joined The Hindu
as a sub-editor.
On graduation, he plunged into public life in 1890 when he opposed the Malabar Marriage Bill of T. Muthuswamy Iyer
. Menon's opposition to the bill impressed Muthuswamy Iyer to such an extent that a close friendship developed between the two. During this time, Menon also developed friendship with T. Madhava Rao
.
, the editor of The Hindu, travelled to the United Kingdom
to give evidence before the Welby Commission, Menon managed the newspaper in his absence with the assistance of Mr. Natarajan, who later became the editor of the Indian Social Reform.
When Veeraraghavachariar
took over The Hindu in October 1898, he appointed Karunakara Menon as the editor. Menon edited The Hindu till 1905 when he founded The Indian Patriot.
In 1903, Veeraraghavachariar said of Karunakara Menon:
. It strongly opposed the perpetuators of the Alipore bomb case
and claimed to stand on the side of law and order.
The British responded by honoring Karunakara Menon with a "Diwan Bahadur" for his assistance. However, Karunakara Menon turned against the British when he attacked the non-Brahmin movement which was fostered by them., while DR. T M Nair and Sir C Sankaran Nair, supported the Dravidian movement.
As a result, in old age,he became a target of the Criminal Intelligence Department of the Indian police.
Menon antagonized both the extremists as well as the British establishment and devoid of support, he was forced to sell his newspaper in order to meet expenses.
had a very high opinion of Menon's abilities. He felt that Menon was a statesman of good calibre and that he was wasting his time in the journalism profession. He is believed to have remarked once:
Krishnaswamy Iyer's views were supported by the fact that the then Governor of Madras, Arthur Lawley
consulted Menon regularly. It is believed that Menon had enough statesmanship ability to serve as a Diwan of Travancore or Chief Minister of Madras.
in Madras Presidency
. Even while he opposed the political ambitions of the non-Brahmin movement he still supported their social reform activities.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from the erstwhile Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
. He was the second editor of The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
after G. Subramania Iyer
G. Subramania Iyer
Ganapathy Dikshitar Subramania Iyer was a leading Indian journalist, social reformer and freedom fighter who founded 'The Hindu' newspaper on September 20, 1878...
and the founder of the Indian Patriot.
Karunakara Menon was born in Parappanangadi - Malabar district (Cozhisseri Tharavadu, Neduva) and had his higher education in Madras. He served as a sub-editor of The Hindu till 1898 and as editor from 1898 to 1905. In 1905, he started the Indian Patriot which was closed in 1924. He was a prominent public man and took part in the political events of his time.
Menon died in 1922. He was highly regarded by V. Krishnaswamy Iyer, Veeraraghavachariar, G. Subramania Iyer
G. Subramania Iyer
Ganapathy Dikshitar Subramania Iyer was a leading Indian journalist, social reformer and freedom fighter who founded 'The Hindu' newspaper on September 20, 1878...
and Governor of Madras, Sir Arthur Lawley
Arthur Lawley, 6th Baron Wenlock
Arthur Lawley, 6th Baron Wenlock, GCIE, KCMG was a British politician, soldier and administrator who served as the administrator of Matabeleland, Governor of Western Australia, Lieutenant-Governor of Transvaal and Governor of Madras.Lawley was born in 1860 to 2nd Baron Wenlock and his wife, Lady...
.
Early life
Karunakara Menon was born in a NairNair
Nair , also known as Nayar , refers to "not a unitary group but a named category of castes", which historically embody several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom bore the Nair title. These people historically live in the present-day Indian state of Kerala...
family of Malabar district
Malabar District
Malabar District was an administrative district of Madras Presidency in British India and independent India's Madras State. The British district included the present-day districts of Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad , and Chavakad Taluk of Thrissur District in the northern part of...
, Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
. He graduated in law from the University of Madras
University of Madras
The University of Madras is a public research university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the three oldest universities in India...
and joined The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
as a sub-editor.
On graduation, he plunged into public life in 1890 when he opposed the Malabar Marriage Bill of T. Muthuswamy Iyer
T. Muthuswamy Iyer
Sir Thiruvarur Muthuswamy Iyer KCIE was an Indian lawyer who, in 1877, became the first native Indian to be appointed as judge of the Madras High Court. He also acted as the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court in 1893....
. Menon's opposition to the bill impressed Muthuswamy Iyer to such an extent that a close friendship developed between the two. During this time, Menon also developed friendship with T. Madhava Rao
T. Madhava Rao
Raja Sir Tanjore Madhava Rao, KCSI , also known as Sir Madhava Rao Thanjavurkar, was an Indian civil servant, administrator and politician who served as the Diwan of Travancore from 1857 to 1872, Indore from 1873 to 1875 and Baroda from 1875 to 1882. He was the nephew of the former Diwan of...
.
Rise to prominence
When G. Subramania IyerG. Subramania Iyer
Ganapathy Dikshitar Subramania Iyer was a leading Indian journalist, social reformer and freedom fighter who founded 'The Hindu' newspaper on September 20, 1878...
, the editor of The Hindu, travelled to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to give evidence before the Welby Commission, Menon managed the newspaper in his absence with the assistance of Mr. Natarajan, who later became the editor of the Indian Social Reform.
When Veeraraghavachariar
M. Veeraraghavachariar
Mudumbai Veeraraghavachariar was an Indian journalist, freedom-fighter and teacher from the erstwhile Madras Presidency. He was one of the founders of The Hindu newspaper and served as its Managing Director from 1878 to 1905.- Early life :...
took over The Hindu in October 1898, he appointed Karunakara Menon as the editor. Menon edited The Hindu till 1905 when he founded The Indian Patriot.
In 1903, Veeraraghavachariar said of Karunakara Menon:
Editorship of The Indian Patriot
The Indian Patriot toed a difficult path. It was one of the few newspapers of the time which openly supported the Indian National CongressIndian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
. It strongly opposed the perpetuators of the Alipore bomb case
Alipore bomb case
The Alipore Bomb Case was an important court trial, during May 1908 to May 1909, in the history of the Indian Independence Movement. The trial involved more than 37 suspects, following a bomb attack, and was held in Alipore Sessions Court, in Calcutta, India, Judge C.P...
and claimed to stand on the side of law and order.
The British responded by honoring Karunakara Menon with a "Diwan Bahadur" for his assistance. However, Karunakara Menon turned against the British when he attacked the non-Brahmin movement which was fostered by them., while DR. T M Nair and Sir C Sankaran Nair, supported the Dravidian movement.
As a result, in old age,he became a target of the Criminal Intelligence Department of the Indian police.
Menon antagonized both the extremists as well as the British establishment and devoid of support, he was forced to sell his newspaper in order to meet expenses.
Death
Menon died in 1922 at his residence Cozhissery House in Parappanangadi due to complications of stroke..As a statesman
V. Krishnaswamy IyerV. Krishnaswamy Iyer
Venkatarama Iyer Krishnaswamy Iyer was an Indian lawyer and High Court judge of Madras. He was involved in the prosecution of a partner of the British banking Company Arbuthnot & Co after the bank crashed on 22 October 1906...
had a very high opinion of Menon's abilities. He felt that Menon was a statesman of good calibre and that he was wasting his time in the journalism profession. He is believed to have remarked once:
Krishnaswamy Iyer's views were supported by the fact that the then Governor of Madras, Arthur Lawley
Arthur Lawley, 6th Baron Wenlock
Arthur Lawley, 6th Baron Wenlock, GCIE, KCMG was a British politician, soldier and administrator who served as the administrator of Matabeleland, Governor of Western Australia, Lieutenant-Governor of Transvaal and Governor of Madras.Lawley was born in 1860 to 2nd Baron Wenlock and his wife, Lady...
consulted Menon regularly. It is believed that Menon had enough statesmanship ability to serve as a Diwan of Travancore or Chief Minister of Madras.
Ideology
Menon supported the Home Rule MovementHome Rule Movement
The All India Home Rule League was a national political organization founded in 1916 to lead the national demand for self-government, termed Home Rule, and to obtain the status of a Dominion within the British Empire as enjoyed by Australia, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand and Newfoundland at the...
in Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
. Even while he opposed the political ambitions of the non-Brahmin movement he still supported their social reform activities.