V. Krishnaswami Aiyar’s Biography

V. Krishnaswami Aiyar’s Biography¹

BY SACHIVOTTAMA SIR C. P. RAMASWAMI AIYAR

There is a familiar expression, ‘Lues Boswelliana’, descriptive of a biographer’s tendency to magnify his subject. When the subject of the sketch has been notable in achievement in many spheres of activity and when, moreover, the biographer is bound to him by filial ties, the tendency is not easy of control. I am therefore not dealing out conventional compliments when I assert that I have rarely perused a life-sketch so sympathetic and penetrating as well as so detached and discerning as the life of Mr. V. Krishnaswami Aiyar by his talented son Mr. K. Chandrasekharan.² Uniting in himself a deep acquaintance with more than one branch of literature and a mastery of simple and expressive language, he has approached the subject as if he was concerned with a historical personage rather than a beloved father. It is difficult to bestow higher testimony than that, and it can be bestowed without reserve by a reader of this volume.

History has been described as the essence of innumerable biographies, and, in his characteristic language of paradox, Disraeli in “Contarani Fleming” has said:-“Read no history; nothing but biography, for, that is life without theory”. It is not too much to say that Mr. V. Krishnaswami Aiyar’s life furnishes a cross-section of the history of India, and especially of South India, during at least two decades, that is, from the founding of The Madras Law Journal up to the date of his death. As is evident from the titles of the various chapters, this book includes a description of practically all that happened in politics and in public life during a very interesting and transitional period, and this analysis of Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar’s career and mental progress his both interesting and timely, as many of the prominent figures of the epoch have disappeared or are disappearing from the scene. Heredity has been spoken of as a condition of evolution and Sir. J. A. Thompson uttered the bare truth when he said that living implies both individual and racial enregistrations. One of the attractions of this book is the careful account of the hereditary environment of Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar, who furnishes a marvelous proof of the validity of ancestral influence.

The volume commences with the story of Mayavaram Gopu Aiyar, who was a Minister or Counselor under one of the Maharashtra princes of Tanjore District and who manifested not only administrative abilities but was distinguished by great fixity of purpose and piety. His descendants inherited his characteristics which included an old-world liberality. We are told the story of Venkatarama Aiyar, whose legal acumen and wide knowledge and close observance of the Hindu scriptural traditions were accompanied by a pronounced shortness of temper and a determination to expose what he considered to be the shortcomings of the high and the mighty, regardless of consequences. His career as a District Munsiff and his conflicts with the assertive members of the Legal profession are chronicled with minuteness of detail in the opening chapter. It is remarkable that Venkatarama Aiyar suffered from that dreadful disease, diabetes, which has only been recently mastered and which has afflicted many generations of the intelligentsia in India during the 18th and 19th centuries and which ultimately claimed both Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar and, his remarkably gifted and irascible elder brother.

Born in June 1863, Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar began to exhibit, fairly early, the characteristics that distinguished him in later life. His courage under all circumstances and his faculty of friendship distinguished him from first to last. The biographer, after narrating his early successes in school and college, explains that Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar passed the B.L. examination only in the Third Class on account of his over-versatility and lack of concentration on legal studies, as well as his faculty of discoursing on sundry topics till late at night. From the time he apprenticed himself under Mr. R. Balaji Rao, one of the leaders on the Original Side of the Madras High Court, he cultivated that intimate friendship with Mr. P. R. Sundaram Aiyar, which was to be one of the features of his life. Sir P. S. Sivaswami Aiyer, of course, had been a fellow-student, and, although the two differed fundamentally in nature and temperament, there was an underlying mutual affection and respect which, though not often outwardly expressed, was an undoubted factor in both their lives. The early struggles of Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar are set out in detail and we have a moving account of his forcibly removing a bunch of flowers from his wife’s head on the ground that such show was unbecoming in a family whose head was dependent on his brother for his bare maintenance and was not yet able to make his way in the world. The discerning encouragement of Mr. P Subramania Aiyar, a well known and generous but much misunderstood attorney-at-law, and of Mr. S. Subramania Aiyar (later on, Sir Subramania Aiyar), was of great use to him, and, as often happens in the lives of successful men, it was almost by accident that the foundations were laid of a steady practice. Mr. S. Ramaswami Aiyangar, who afterwards became a reputed judge, accepted the place of a Munsiff in 1888 and he handed over many of his cases to his old friend, Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar, who, given the opportunity seized it adroitly and began to build up a practice that soon became one of the largest ever enjoyed by a lawyer in Madras and which included the legal work of most of the wealthy Chetty firms and Zamindars.

There are many revealing anecdotes, which for the first time, see light in this book. One such relates to Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar’s physical conflict with a thief whom he caught and literally bestrode. During his early days of practice, when work was scarce, Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar devoted himself to various studies, was examiner in Sanskrit in the Madras University and, later on, Assistant Professor in the Law College and also worked hard as an office-bearer of the Vakils’ Association. About the year 1895, he succeeded in a heavy litigation at Shiyali against Sir V. Bhashyam Aiyangar and this success soon brought him to the forefront, although that great and somewhat pontifical judge, Sir T. Muthuswami Aiyar, was never too well disposed either to him or to Mr. P. R. Sundaram Aiyar, regarding them in the light of self-assertive rebels. The entries in Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar’s diary, which have been carefully scrutinised and used by his son, indicate the resentment felt by the young lawyer and its aftermath. In 1891, in conjunction with Messrs. Salem Ramaswami Mudaliar and C. Sankaran Nair, Messrs. Krishnaswami Aiyar and Sundaram Aiyar founded The Madras Law Journal, which very soon made its influence felt by reason of its close analysis of legal decisions and its erudite comments on juristic topics. From 1895 until he became a judge of the High Court, Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar’s practice was literally immense. His marshalling of facts was direct and forceful beyond all precedent and he embodied a rarely achieved union between high gifts of advocacy and legal acumen. At the same time it must be conceded that he manifested a scarcely veiled impatience of opposition and contradiction, whether that opposition came from his adversary or from the judges. Many of the junior lawyers found it difficult to get over the first barricades but, as is proved in this book, if he appreciated a young man’s abilities he was enthusiastic in his praise and ready in his help. Amongst those whom he so distinguished were S. Srinivasa Aiyangar and Alladi Krishnaswami Aiyar. I was amongst those who worked in his office and, though professionally our paths diverged very soon, it is a matter of singular satisfaction to me that his son is able to assert, what I knew from experience, that Mr. V. Krishnaswami Aiyar, to the end of his days, felt and manifested great affection towards me. It is my duty to place on record that, notwithstanding our differences of temperament and outlook, he was unstintedly generous in his judgment of me and my work in the courts and public life, although we sometimes differed openly and often not quite openly. It was characteristic of his great nature that he got on best with persons who summoned up the courage to wage a good fight with him when he was up in arms. His temper was extremely uneven and its manifestations have been recorded in more than one passage of this book, especially those relating to his bouts with Mr. Moberly and Mr. Joseph. In fact, the performance and personality of Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar may well be described as that of a man-of-war bearing down upon smaller craft. He had a well-built body and gave the impression both of physical and mental strength.

Parallel with his activities in courts were those connected with the Athenaeum in Mylapore and with the Congress and its allied organisations. His path in public life was neither easy nor unopposed. He fell foul of many and hit hard and received many hits in return. But it must be noted that, as described in the book, when Mr. Mudholkar rebuked him for his short temper, he answered: “It is not that my mind is not cool and collected: my trouble is that my tongue is not collected and calm.” His encounter with Sir Pherozeshah Mehta, that unquestioned dictator of the Congress, is also aptly described in this book. Very soon after he came into prominence at the Bar, he also became a noted figure in the Congress and the foundations were laid very soon for that deep and continuous friendship with Gokhale, which contributed so much to the course of public life in India and which, later on, brought the Rt. Hon’ble Srinivasa Sastri, Mr. Venkataranga Rao and G. A. Natesan within its ambit. The close association with Mr. Gokhale led to the foundation of the Ranade Hall in Mylapore and those activities that in his days clustered round the Mahajana Sabha. Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar was the life and soul of the Congress until the Surat split, when he ranged himself on the side of the Moderates. This period saw the culmination of Mr. Gokhale’s influence and the foundation of the Servants of India Society and the various encounters that Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar had with Mr. G. Subramania Aiyar of The Hindu and other public men whom he often irritated as well as overawed. From about 1900 the personality of Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar was discernible in every important activity in Madras–in the University, in controversies like those with Lord Curzon over his Calcutta Convocation speech, leading incidentally to the publication of Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar’s “Arya Charita” in vindication of the Hindu tradition, and in his addresses to innumerable public meetings on a bewildering variety of subjects. In this period also, gently and unobtrusively guided by that strong and rare character, his life-long friend Mr. A. Krishnaswami Aiyar, the subject of this biography exhibited widespread generosity which at that time, was unparalleled. The Sanskrit and the Ayurvedic Colleges were founded and there was no deserving institution anywhere in the Presidency, which was not substantially assisted by Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar. The story of his assistance to the Andhra Jateeya Kalasala is narrated in this book as an appropriate, illustration. Mr. K. Hanumantha’ Rao’s was a rare example of self-sacrifice and cultured patriotism. When apprbached by him, Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar, after he was convinced of the scope and possibilities of the Kalasala, gave him Rs. 2,000 and added that he should spend it as soon as possible and come to him only after the whole money was spent!

It was in 1908 that the whole brunt of the organisation of the Congress fell upon Mr. V. Krishnaswami Aiyar and he bent himself to his task with his accustomed impetuosity and enthusiasm which, more than once, brought him into collusion with his colleagues. Dealing with one such incident, Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar wrote to his friend Mr. Gokhale: “It is perhaps my diabetes which has bothered me for four years that is responsible for my quickness of temper and my inability to hear and patiently judge of another’s contentions.” It was in the same year that another aspect of his character came to the forefront. Mr. G. Subramania Aiyar was arrested for some political offence and, notwithstanding that he was his inveterate opponent, Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar was easily persuaded by his friends to intercede, on his behalf, and the intercession was successful. This was not known to many during the lifetime of Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar and it is well that a record of this rare generosity has been preserved.

Sir P. S. Sivaswami Aiyer having been appointed Advocate-General in the same year, Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar succeeded to his place in the Legislative Council and introduced into the placid atmosphere of that old-time body a hitherto unfamiliar atmosphere of vivid oratory and remorseless analysis. Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar’s contribution towards the Tenancy Legislation, his budget speeches as well as his evidence before the Decentralisation Commission point to his political thoroughness and maturity. About the same time, he came into contact with Swami Vivekananda and Baba Premananda Bharati, both of whom exerted a great influence over him and, soon after, he worked for the foundation of the Central Hindu College with Dr. Besant.

This is not the occasion to speak of the famous split in the Congress and the divergence of views that led to the formation of the Moderate Party led by Surendranath Banerjee, Bhupendranath Basu, Gokhale, Wacha and Krishnaswami Aiyar. But it is worthy of note that one of the protagonists of the extremist party, the great Tamil poet Bharati, had his talents recognised without reserve when the two people were brought together through the mediation of Mr. G. A. Natesan.

After organising the Congress of 1908, Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar accepted a judgeship and very soon afterwards became a Member of the Madras Executive Council. Of his career as a Judge and as Member of Council, full details are given in this book and his contribution is part of the judicial and political history of South India. His initiation into European ways and modes of life through the influence of Bishop and Mrs. Whitehead, and the many contacts and frequent conflicts with his European colleagues and subordinates are described with an underlying sense of humour. These details may be characterised by some as trifling or superfluous, but they serve to give a picture of the life of those days and they disclose the workings of a mind powerful and anxious to manifest a fierce independence, though also receptive to new ideas. The only incident which need be adverted to in relation to his tenure as a Member of the Executive Council is the Palghat incident, whose inner history is narrated in this book and in respect of which Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar underwent a series of virulent, and mainly unjustifiable, attacks.

It was in 1910 that he co-operated in the reception to Mr. Gandhi, who had just then arrived in Madras from South Africa and soon began transform Indian politics.

The account of the tragic onset of illness during the Delhi Durbar, and the story of Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar’s last days that exhibited all the composure and philosophy of a highly trained soul, are models of restrained writing.

Summing up his life, Mr. Chandrasekharan rightly emphasizes his faculty of friendship, his all-round generosity and his innate piety. Mr. Chandrasekharan remarks that one of his last wishes was that no one should compile his biography; but I, for one, rejoice that his son has transgressed this command for, thereby, he has thrown light on many aspects of his father’s career and has, in due perspective, placed it against the ground of his times.

It was stated by a great wit that our idea of an “agreeable” person is too often that of a person who agrees with us. To a certain extent this foible of strong minds was also discernible in Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar, but there were very few who agreed or disagreed with him but realised the essential strength of his mental and moral fiber and the fundamental goodness of the man. The depositary of power is always unpopular, but, nevertheless, few depositaries of power and influence have used these accessories to such good purpose as Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar did. Of the work of men in such positions, the right test to be applied can only be Browning’s:

“Not on the vulgar mass
Called ‘work’, must sentence pass,
Things done, that took the eye and had the price;
O’er which, from level stand,
The low world laid its hand,
Found straightway to its mind, could value in a trice.”

“Thoughts hardly to be pack’d.
Into a narrow act,
Fancies that broke through language and escaped;
All I could never be,
All, men ignored in me,–
This I was worth to God, whose wheel the pitcher shaped.”

Speaking of Dr. Johnson, whom Krishnaswami Aiyar resembled not a little, in build as well as in great learning and piety and frequent outbursts of generous indignation and impatient diatribe, one of the most finished of the late Victorian poets, uttered the following epitaph:

“Ye gods! how he talked! What a torrent of sound,
His hearers invaded, encompass’d and drown’d!
What a banquet of memory, fact, illustration,
In that innings-for-one that he call’d conversation!

But the heart of the giant was gentle and kind:
What signifies now, if in bouts with a friend,
When his pistol miss’d fire, he would use the butt-end?

For you felt on the whole, tho’ he’d toss’d you and gor’d you,
It was something, at least, that he had not ignor’d you.”

I shall conclude with these words, which cannot be bettered and which fully describe more than one aspect of Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar’s career, only adding that all his friends and admirers–and they are a legion–as well as a discerning posterity must be thankful to his dutiful and loving son who has essayed an enormously difficult task and has accomplished it not only with tact but with cultivated grace and an enviable freedom from narrowness and bias.

¹ this is the original English text of the Foreword in Tamil to the Life of the late V. Krishnaswami Aiyar. We are publishing it in Triveni with the kind of permission of Sir C. P. Ramaswami Aiyar and of Sri K. Chandrasekharan.  –Editor, Triveni.

² V. Krishnaswami Aiyar, by K. Chandrasekharan, (The’ Kalaimagal’ Office, Mylapore. Price Rs. 8.)