The First Indian to have statue on the Marina Beach

V. Krishnaswami Aiyer, when he died on 28th December 1911 CE, was merely 48 years old. Although he passed away early, he led a very active social life. If one has to list down the great personalities of Chennai, the list would be incomplete without his name being mentioned.

V.Krishnaswami Aiyer was apparently not allowed in Cosmopolitan Club. He and his friend started a similar facility called the Mylapure Club. He was an active member of the Congress party and became a prominent leader in the city. Aiyer was involved in the Arbuthnot bank crash case and later instrumental in starting the Indian Bank. He founded or co-founded many institutes/organizations, such as Venkataramana Dispensary and Ayurvedic College, Ranade Public Library, and the famous Madras Sanskrit College.

When the Kanchi Shankaracharya, Sri Chandrashekharendra Saraswathi Swamigal, became the pontiff of Kanchi Mutt at his younger age, it was Aiyer who intervened personally to ensure that the administration did not fall into the wrong hands.

Aiyer played an essential role in raising funds for Swami Vivekananda's Chicago trip and the Benaras Hindu University. It is said that he funded the first publication of Subramania Bharati's songs.

A prominent lawyer, who rose up to the post of Judge of Madras High Court in 1909, had Subramania Iyer as his mentor. During his tenure as the lawyer, there were two other equally successful lawyers in Madras High Court, Alladi Krishnaswami Iyer and T.M. Krishnaswami Iyer, who had shared his first name and surname.

When it was decided to erect the statue of Muthuswami Iyer in the High Court complex, it was V. Krishnaswami Aiyer who opposed it. He stated that it was not justifiable for the Hindus to have statues. After Aiyer's death, when it was decided to put up a statue for him, many opposed this idea. They used his own statement as their main point for argument. However, the emotional speech of his mentor, Subramania Iyer, in a public gathering, had ensured that most people favored erecting the statue.

The statue of V. Krishnaswami Aiyer was thus erected in 1912 in front of the Senate House on the Madras University campus. It faces Marina Beach, and it should be noted that he was the first Indian to have a statue on Marina Beach Road.

The statue's pedestal records that it was put up by public subscription, and there was no mention of the date. The inscriptions are found in four different languages, English, Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi.

Happy travelling.