Kumaraswamy Kamaraj belongs to the galaxy of selfless, dedicated and intrepid freedom fighters whose sacrifice and ser­vice won us independence from alien rule.

Kamaraj  was  born  on  July  15,  1903 in a trading family of Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram District in Tamil Nadu. He had his early education in the Nadar Vidyalaya  High School at Virudhunagar and left the school at the age of eleven to assist  in  his   uncle's   cloth   shop.   His inquisitiveness for understanding national affairs earned him a host of young friends who, infused with burning  love  for the country,  tried  to  analyse  in  depth  the social,  economic and  political plight of the  nation. His interest in politics was accentuated when he heard of the 'Jallianwala  Bagh massacre '. Kamaraj  participated in the famous Vaikom Satyagraha, and, following Mahatma Gandhi's appeal for non-cooperation,  he  started   propaganda for khadi and prohibition.

Kamaraj was first jailed in 1921 for two years for participation in 'Salt Satyagraba'. Thereafter, he had been to prison several times in the course of the national struggle for freedom. He was elected as Chairman of Virudhunagar Municipal Council while he was in jail and after release he took up the post for one day and resigned. He took an active part in individual satyagraha and the 'Quit India' movement.

Kamaraj  was  elected  to  the  Madras legislative Assembly in 1932 unopposed. He was again elected to the Assembly in 1946 and served as Member of the Constituent Assembly of India, 1946. In 1957, he organised the historic Avadi Session of the Indian National Congress  which adopted a resolution  of far-reaching importance ushering in Democratic Socialism as a political concept. An able and arch  organiser  and  dedicated  worker, Kamaraj had great vision and the sterling quality of leadership which earned him the Presidentship  of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee from 1940 to 1954.

Kamaraj was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1951. He resigned his Lok Sabha membership when the mantle of  Chief Ministership of Tamil  Nadu  fell  on him in 1954. He continued in  this  post  till 1963 when he voluntarily relinquished office under the 'plan' named after him to work for the party. During the period of his stewardship, the State made rapid strides of progress particularly in the field of education.

Kamaraj had been a member of the Congress Working Committee or a special invitee from 1947. He was elevated to the high office of the President of the Indian National  Congress  in  1964  and held the post for two terms. He was a member of the Lok Sabha from  1969 till his  death.

As a strange and apt coincidence, Kamaraj, who was considered to be an ardent follower of Gandhiji,  passed away in Madras on October 2, 1975, the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's  birthday.  He was posthumously conferred "Bharat Ratna", the highest  national  award  in 1976.

The Posts & Telegraphs Department feels privileged to bring out a commemorative postage stamp in honour of this distinguished  freedom fighter and leader.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India