C. Natesa Mudaliar

Who was C. Natesa Mudaliar?

C. Natesa Mudaliar, also known as Natesan, was a politician and activist of the Dravidian Movement from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He was one of the founders of the Justice Party along with Theagaroya Chetty and Dr. T. M. Nair.

Natesa Mudaliar was born in a Vellalar family of Triplicane, Madras in 1875. He had his early schooling in Madras and graduated from Presidency College, Chennai and Madras Medical College before practising as a doctor. He founded the Madras United League in 1912 and was one of the founders of the South Indian Liberal Federation. He was elected to the Madras Legislative Council in 1923 as a candidate of the Justice Party and served as legislator till 1937. Natesa Mudaliar died in 1937 at the age of 62.

Natesan's admirers regard him as a kind-hearted gentleman. K.M. Balasubramaniam, a writer and supporter of the Dravidian Movement, compared him to Mahatma Gandhi.