Marudur Gopalan Ramachandran

• Marudur Gopalan Ramachandran was born on 17 January 1917 in Kandy, Sri Lanka, to a Malayali
• His parents are Melkath Gopala Menon and Maruthur Satya Bhama.
• He was popularly known as M. G. R.
• He was an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for ten years between 1977 and 1987.
• MGR was the first popular film actor to be the Chief Minister of a state in India.
• He entered the acting world from Drama stage in 1935 and acted till 1977.
• He was popularly known as "Makkal Thilagam".
• He was a philanthropist and a humanitarian icon.
• The Tamil Nadu celebrated the 100th birth anniversary of their former chief minister and founder of AIADMK M G Ramachandran on 2017, January 17.
• In all 32 districts MGR’s centenary function took place.
• The centenary function finally held in Chennai on September 30, 2018.
• The Tamil Nadu government declared former Chief Minister and AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran’s birth centenary on January 17 (2017) as a public holiday for the State.

Early years

• MGR married a women named Bhargavi. Within 3 months she died due to illness.
• He married another women Sathanandavathi. She also died because of TB.
• MGR’s third wife name is V.N.Janaki, and she is also an actress.

Mentor

• Narayana Padaiyatchi Rathnam,a pioneer of Tamil stage drama and K.P. Kesavan were chief mentors of Ramachandran in his acting career.

Acting career

• Ramachandran made his film debut in 1936, in the film Sathi Leelavathi.
• In 1947, Rajakumaari was MGR's first movieas Hero.
• He rose to popularity with the 1954 film Malaikkallan.

• He acted as hero in the Tamil film industry's first ever Geva color movie, in 1955 “Alibabavum 40 Thirudargalum”.
• He rose to become popular with movies such as Thirudadhe, Enga Veettu Pillai, Aayirathil Oruvan, Anbe Vaa, Mahadevi, Panam Padaithavan, Ulagam Sutrum Vaalibhan, etc.

• Maduraiyai Meeta Sundharapandiyan (1978) was the last film to be acted as an hero that got released before his death.
• On 12 January 1967, M. R. Radha shot MGR in his left ear twice. MGR lost hearing in his left ear.
• Avasara Police 100 and Nalladhai Naadu Kaetkum are movies that got released in 1990, which is almost three years after his death. They were unfinished movies by MGR as he had quit acting after he became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in 1977.

Political career

• MGR was a member of the Congress Party till 1953.
• In 1953 MGR joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) attracted by founder C.N. Annadurai.
• MGR became a member of the state Legislative Council in 1962.
• At the age of 50, he was first elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in 1967.
• After the death of his mentor, Annadurai, MGR became the treasurer of DMK in 1969 after Muthuvel Karunanidhi became the Chief Minister.

Split from DMK

• In 1972 MGR started to claim that corruption had grown in the party after the demise of Annadurai and in a public meeting asked for the financial details of the party to be publicized.
• Consequently, MGR was expelled from the party.
• Upon his ouster from DMK, Ramachandran floated a new party which he called Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (ADMK) on 1972, October 17.

• In 1976 ADMK had changed to All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
• He preached his party ambition with films like Netru Indru Naalai (1974), Idhayakani (1975), Indru Pol Endrum Vazhga (1977), etc.

TN Assembly elections

• The AIADMK contested the 1977 assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.
• The AIADMK alliance won the elections by winning 144 seats out of 234 and MGR became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

• In 1979, members of his party Satyavani Muthu and Aravinda Bala Pajanor became the first non-Congress politicians from Tamil Nadu to be Ministers in the Union Cabinet.
• The AIADMK won every state assembly election as long as MGR was alive.
• In 1980 election ADMK won and its leader and incumbent Chief Minister, M. G. Ramachandran was sworn in as Chief Minister for the second time.
• He became the first leader since K. Kamaraj to win a re-election as Chief Minister.
• In1984 assembly elections AIADMK-Congress alliance won 195 seats in assembly polls.

Achievements

• One of his most successful policies was the conversion of the "Midday Meal Scheme", introduced by K Kamaraj into "MGR's Nutritious Meal Scheme" in the government-run and -aided schools in Tamil Nadu by adding saththurundai in 1982.
• He also introduced Women's Special buses.
• He introduced a liquor ban in the state in 1987.

• The preservation of old temples and historical monuments.
• He has introduced thirty percent job reservation for the women which was adopted by the government of India many years later.
• In 1980, the Government of Tamil Nadu fixed 50 per cent seats for BCs in public employment opportunities, 18 per cent for SCs and STs, remaining 32 per cent of seats were filled up on the basis of merit.
• In September 1981, the location of the Tamil University was chosen on the outskirts of Thanjavur. The Tamil Nadu State Assembly unanimously passed the Tamil University Act in the second week of September 1981.
• The Bharathiar university was established at Coimbatore by the government of Tamil Nadu in February, 1982 under the provision of the Bharathiar University Act, 1981.
• Mother Teresa Women’s University was established in the year 1984 by the Tamilnadu Act at Kodaikanal.
• The Scheme for free supply of text books and note books to the children of widows started in 1978-1979 was extended to cover children studying in Higher Secondary schools from 1981-1982.
• He introduced Free power for irrigation in 1983.
• The Telugu Ganga project is a water supply scheme implemented by Andhra Pradesh, India to provide drinking water to Chennai city in Tamil Nadu. The project was approved in 1977.
• The Government of Tamil Nadu established the Anna University of Technology on 4 September 1978, through Tamil Nadu Act 1978.
• In Madurai 5th world Tamil conference was organised by MGR in the year 1981.
• In education he introduced 10+2+3 system in 1978.
• In 1983, Madras atomic power station’s first unit was commissioned at Kalpakkam.
• People, who had served as Village Karnam a post abolished in 1980, were reappointed as Village Administrative Officer (VAO).

Member of Legislative Assembly

Chief minister

Awards

• Filmfare Special Award for the film Enga Veettu Pillai.
• Filmfare Best Film Award for the film Adimai Penn.
• National Film Award for Best Actor for the film Rickshawkaran in 1971.
• Honorary doctorate received from University of Madras and The World University (Arizona) in 1974.
• Bharat Ratna was conferred by the Government of India (posthumously) in 1988 for his contribution in the field of Films and Politics.
• Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor for the film Kudiyirundha Koyil.
• In 2017 The Finance Ministry has notified the minting of commemorative Rs. 100 and Rs. 5 coins to mark the birth centenary of popular politician and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran.

Autobiography

• Ramachandran's autobiography Naan Yaen Piranthaen (Why I was Born) was published in 2003 in two volumes.

Death

• He was sworn in as chief minister of Tamil Nadu for the third consecutive term on 10 February 1985.
• MGR never fully recovered from his illness and died on 24 December, 1987 at the age of 70 in Appollo hospital. His body was brought to Rajaji hall for public viewing. He was buried in marina near Anna Memorial.

• He was the second Chief Minister passed away in the office.
• In 1989, in the memory of MGR, Dr. M. G. R. Home and Higher Secondary School for the Speech and Hearing Impaired was established in Ramavaram in Chennai.
• His official residence at T. Nagar was turned into ‘MGR Memorial House’ and is open for public viewing.
• His film studio, Sathya Studios, was converted into a women's college, Kodambakkam in Chennai.

- - - - - - - - -