- Former President V VGiri, a patriarch of the Indian trade union movement died on 24 June 1980 at Chennai.
- VarahagiriVenkataGiri was the fourth president of India from 24 August 1969 to 24 August 1974.
- Giri was the only president to be elected as an independent candidate.He was succeeded by Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed as president in 1974.
- The Non-cooperation Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi made him plunge fulltime into politics. He relinquished his law practice in 1922 for this purpose.
- The first time he was arrested was in 1922 for demonstrating against the sale of liquor shops.
- He co-founded the All India RailwayMen’s Federation in 1923, and also served as its General Secretary.
- In 1926, he was appointed as the president of the All India Trade Union Congress.
- Other organisations he co-founded include the Bengal Nagpur Railway Association and the Indian Trade Union Federation (ITUF). He was also the president of the ITUF.
- Giri represented Indian workers in the International LabourOrganisation (ILO).
- In 1928, he led a workers’ non-violent agitation for the rights of retrenched employees of the Bengal Nagpur Railway.
- This incident was a landmark event in the labour movement because the government gave in and conceded to the legitimate demands of the workers.
- Giri also participated in the Second Round Table Conference.He was a member of the Madras Legislative Assembly and a member of the Imperial Legislative Council (1934 – 1937).
- After independence, he became the Labour Minister in 1952. He served as the governor of various states including Kerala, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.
- From 1967 to 1969, Giri was the Acting President after the death of Zakir Hussain.
- Giri was awarded the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award in 1975.
