- Sundara Sastri Satyamurti, an Indian independence activist and leading Congress politician of Madras Presidency, was born on 19 August 1887 in Thirumayam (Pudukkottai) in present-day Tamil Nadu. He is also regarded as the mentor of Madras state chief minister and senior Congress leader K. Kamaraj.
- Satyamurti completed his college education from the renowned Madras Christian College and later worked as a lawyer. He was attracted to the national movement from an early age and joined the Indian National Congress. He became known for his great oratory skills.
- In 1919, he was chosen by the Congress as its representative to Britain to protest the Rowlatt Act and the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms that were unpopular within India.
- Interestingly, he wrote for The Hindu when he was in London as the newspaper’s correspondent had gone on leave.
- Committed to constitutional ways, he opposed many Congress leaders’ view that Indians should boycott the colonial legislature. Satyamurti, along with senior Congress leaders like C.R. Das and Motilal Nehru, was Swarajists: they were in favour of gaining legislative experience even if it meant participating in the colonial government.
- Satyamurti played a major role in the Congress’ victory in the 1937 polls to the Madras Legislative Assembly. But his outspokensness and differences with sections of the Congress leadership seemed to have worked against him.
- Satyamurti was arrested several times including in 1930 for attempting to hoist the tricolour above a temple in Madras. In 1942 after the Quit India Movement had started, he was arrested and sent to Nagpur jail. The jail terms took a toll on his health and he died on 28 March 1943.
