Palavai Rangaiah Naidu was an Indian lawyer

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

, politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 and Indian independence activist. He was an important leader of the Indian National Congress

Indian 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...

 in its early stages.

Early career

Rangaiah Naidu was born in 1828 in a a Telugu-speaking Kamma Naidu family on 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 and set up a perosperous vocation as a lawyer. He was soon nominated to the Madras High Court

Madras High Court

The Madras High Court is a senior court located at Chennai , in India. The court buildings, which are believed to be the second largest judicial complex in the world, are located near the beach, in one of the city's major business districts....

.

Politics

Rangaiah Naidu was one of the many Indian leaders who demanded self-rule and grater representastion for Indians in the government. When the Madras Mahajana Sabha

Madras Mahajana Sabha

Madras Mahajana Sabha was an Indian nationalist organisation based in the Madras Presidency. Along with the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha, Bombay Presidency Association and the Indian Association, it is considered to be a predecessor of the Indian National Congress....

 was founded in 1884, Rangaiah Naidu was elected as its first President. He was a member of the Madras Legislative Council

Madras Legislative Council

Tamil Nadu Legislative Council is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It began its existence as Madras Legislative Council, the first provincial legislature for Madras Presidency. It was initially created as an advisory body in 1861, by the British...

from 1892 to 1899.

Rangaiah Naidu also participated in the first session of the Indian National Congress held in Bombay in December 1885 representing Madras city. He was one of the trustees for Pachaiyappa's College, Chennai from 1883 to 1902

Rangaiah Naidu was elected to the Madras Legislative Council in 1893 and served as a member from 1893 to 1899.