->GreenC bot: Rescued 1 archive link; reformat 1 link. Wayback Medic 2.5

2021-10-24T19:13:59Z

Rescued 1 archive link; reformat 1 link. Wayback Medic 2.5

New page

{{short description|Indian politician, administrator, educator, orator and Indian independence activist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Infobox Officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name = Valangaiman Sankaranarayana Srinivasa Sastri
| honorific-suffix = [[Order of the Companions of Honour|CH]] [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|PC]]
| image = VS Srinivasa Sastri 1921b.jpg
| caption = V. S. Srinivasa Sastri in 1921
| image_size = 240px
| order1 = India's Agent to the [[Union of South Africa]]
| term_start1 = June 1927
| term_end1 = January 1929
| monarch1 = [[George V]]
| predecessor1 = None
| successor1 = [[Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu]]
| governor_general1 = [[E. F. L. Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax]]
| order2 = Member of the [[Council of State (India)|Council of State]]
| term_start2 = 1920
| term_end2 = 1925
| governor_general2 = [[Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading]]
| monarch2 = George V of the United Kingdom
| order3 = Member of the Imperial Legislative Council of India
| term_start3 = 1916
| term_end3 = 1919
| governor-general3 = [[Frederic Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford]]
| monarch3 = George V
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1869|09|22}}
| birth_place = [[Valangaiman]], [[Tanjore district]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1946|04|17|1869|09|22}}
| death_place = [[Mylapore]], [[Madras]]
| nationality = [[British India]]
| party = [[Indian National Congress]] (1908–1922),<br />[[Indian Liberal Party]] (1922–1946)
| alma_mater = Native High School, Kumbakonam<br />Government College, Kumbakonam
| profession = educationist, orator, writer, politician, diplomat
| occupation= headmaster
| spouse = Parvathi
}}

'''Valangaiman Sankaranarayana Srinivasa Sastri''' {{small|[[Order of the Companions of Honour|CH]] [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|PC]]}} (22 September 1869 – 17 April 1946) was an [[Indian people|Indian]] [[politician]], administrator, [[educator]], [[orator]] and [[Indian independence movement|Indian independence activist]]. He was acclaimed for his oratory and command over the English language.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/153766/17/17_chapter%2013.pdf|title=CHAPTER XIII: V.S.Srinlvasa Sastrl (1869 - 1946)|pages=250–290}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.prekshaa.in/VS-Srinivasa-Sastri-Part-1|title=V.S.Srinivasa Shastri {{!}} Prekshaa|website=www.prekshaa.in|access-date=2020-03-13}}</ref> Srinivasa Sastri was born to a poor temple priest in the village of [[Valangaiman]] near [[Kumbakonam]], India. He completed his education at Kumbakonam and worked as a school teacher and later, headmaster in [[Triplicane]], [[Madras]]. He entered politics in 1905 when he joined the [[Servants of India Society]]. Sastri served as a member of the [[Indian National Congress]] from 1908 to 1922, but later resigned in protest against the [[Non-Cooperation movement]]. Sastri was one of the founding members of the [[Indian Liberal Party]]. In his later days, he was strongly opposed to the [[partition of India]].<ref name="houghtonmifflinp1350" />

Srinivasa Sastri served as a member of the [[Madras Legislative Council]] from 1913 to 1916, [[Imperial Legislative Council (India)|Imperial Legislative Council of India]] from 1916 to 1919 and the [[Council of State (India)|Council of State]] from 1920 to 1925. Sastri also functioned as India's delegate to the [[League of Nations]],<ref name="secondsession" /> as member of the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom]]<ref name="ecncylopaediaindianlitp4175" /> and agent to the [[Union of South Africa]].<ref name="sa_history_timeline_1920s" />

Sastri gained worldwide fame for his prowess in the English language. He was a close follower of [[Gopal Krishna Gokhale]]. He was also a close friend and associate of [[Mahatma Gandhi]], who addressed Sastri as his "elder brother" in writings. Sastri was made a [[Order of the Companions of Honour|Companion of Honour]] in 1930. In 1921, the [[List of Honorary Freemen of the City of London|Freedom of the City of London]] was conferred on him, and in 1931 he received the Freedom of the City of [[Edinburgh]].<ref name="freedom_edinburgh" />

However, some members of the Indian freedom struggle such as [[Jawaharlal Nehru|Nehru]] felt that Sastri was too sympathetic to the [[British Raj|British rulers]], and too co-operative with them. This was especially apparent at the [[Round Table Conferences (India)|Round table conferences]] where Sastri and his party member agreed to the unfair proposals of the British.<ref>{{cite book|author=Jawaharlal Nehru|title=An Autobiography|date=1945|publisher=Bodell|location=Calcutta|edition=1}}</ref>

== Early life and educational career ==

Srinivasa Sastri was born in the town of [[Valangaiman]], [[Madras Presidency]], India<ref name="ecncylopaediaindianlitp4175">{{cite book|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature, Volume 5|page=4175|author=Mohan Lal|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|year=2006|isbn=978-81-260-1221-3}}</ref> on 22 September 1869. His father, Vaidik Sankaranarayana Sastri, was a poor Hindu priest. He was educated at the Native High School in Kumbakonam and in 1887, graduated from [[Pachaiyappa's College, Chennai]] with a first class degree in English and [[Sanskrit]]. On graduation, he found employment as a teacher at Municipal College, [[Salem, Tamil Nadu|Salem]].<ref name="ecncylopaediaindianlitp4175" /><ref name="greatindianpatriots">{{cite book|title=The Great Indian Patriots Vol 1|pages=6–7|author=P. Rajeswar Rao|publisher=Mittal Publications|year=1991|isbn=978-81-7099-280-6}}</ref>

Srinivasa Sastri married Parvathi in 1885.<ref name="parvathip220">[[#Jagadisan|Jagadisan]], p. 220</ref> His granddaughters are, Parvathy, married to Ramamurti (Retd.G.M of NLC){{citation needed|date=August 2013}} and Kausalya, married to the renowned Indian scientist and nephew of [[Sir C. V. Raman]], [[S. Ramaseshan]].<ref name="ramaeshan">{{cite news|title=Prof. Ramaseshan passes away|date=3 December 2003|url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/2003/12/30/stories/2003123001531200.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130125081647/http://www.hinduonnet.com/2003/12/30/stories/2003123001531200.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-date=25 January 2013|work=The Hindu}}</ref>

In 1894, Srinivasa Sastri was appointed headmaster of Hindu High School, [[Triplicane]] and served for a period of eight years, until<ref name="englishlanguageproud">{{cite news|title=He did the English language proud|date=26 September 2003|work=The Hindu|author=V. Sundaram|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/he-did-the-english-language-proud/article28574266.ece}}</ref> 1902. During this period, he achieved fame for his proficiency in English and his good administrative skills. In his late years, he also served as Vice-Chancellor of the [[Annamalai University]].<ref name="ecncylopaediaindianlitp4175" /><ref name="greatindianpatriots" /> During his tenure as Vice-Chancellor, he demonstrated his scholarship in Sanskrit and Oriental Literature. He persuaded [[R. Raghava Iyengar|Mahavidwan R. Raghava Iyengar]], then Head of the Tamil Research Department, to translate Kalidasan's epic poem ''Abhignana Sakuntalam'' in Tamil. The poem was translated in the Sandam Metre and published in 1938.<ref name="Abhignana Sakuntalam">{{cite book|title=Abhignana Sakuntalam|author=Mahavidwan R. Ragahva Iyengar|publisher=Law Journal Press|place=Mylapore, Chennai|year=1938}}</ref> He delivered the Kamala lectures in Calcutta University which are widely cherished and remembered.<ref name="ecncylopaediaindianlitp4175" /><ref name="greatindianpatriots" />

== Politics ==

Srinivasa Sastri established the [[Madras Teachers Guild]] during his term as headmaster of Triplicane High School.<ref name="mahatma_thehindu">{{cite news|title=Mahatma's Dear brother|url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/11/14/stories/2006111400740300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110916190533/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/11/14/stories/2006111400740300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 September 2011|date=14 November 2006|work=[[The Hindu]]|author=B. K.}}</ref> He was one of the pioneers of the [[Cooperative|Co-operative movement]] and started India's first co-operative society, the Triplicane Urban Co-operative Society (TUCS) in 1904.<ref name="mahatma_thehindu" /><ref name="thehindu_tucsanniversary">{{cite news|title=Triplicane Urban Co-op Society turns 100|date=9 April 2004|author=R. Balaji|work=The Hindu Business Line|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/04/09/stories/2004040901101700.htm}}</ref>

Srinivasa Sastri met [[Indian independence activist]] [[Gopal Krishna Gokhale]] for the first time in 1906.<ref name="ecncylopaediaindianlitp4175" /> He was drawn towards Gokhale's [[Servants of India Society]] and joined the organization becoming its President in 1915.<ref name="ecncylopaediaindianlitp4175" /><ref name="houghtonmifflinp1350">{{cite book|title=The Houghton Mifflin Dictionary of Biography|page=1350|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|year=2003|isbn=978-0-618-25210-7}}</ref> He joined the [[Indian National Congress]] in 1908 and became the Secretary of the [[Madras district|Madras District]] Congress Committee in 1911.<ref name="ecncylopaediaindianlitp4175" /><ref name="encyclopaediap4175">{{cite book|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Sasay to Zorgot|author=Amaresh Datta|year=1987|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|page=4175}}</ref> As a member of the Congress, he was instrumental in bringing about a pact between the Congress and the [[All-India Muslim League|Muslim League]].<ref name="houghtonmifflinp1350" />

Srinivasa Sastri was nominated to the [[Madras Legislative Council]] in 1913 and to the [[Imperial Legislative Council (India)|Imperial Legislative Council of India]] in 1916.<ref name="ecncylopaediaindianlitp4175" /><ref name="houghtonmifflinp1350"/> He opposed the [[Rowlatt Act]] which empowered the Government of India to imprison anyone without trial and delivered a well-appreciated speech in the Imperial Legislative Council denouncing the bill.<ref name="ecncylopaediaindianlitp4175" /> In 1919, he was appointed a member of the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom]].<ref name="ecncylopaediaindianlitp4175" />

In 1922, Sastri resigned his membership of the Indian National Congress after disagreeing with its leadership on the issue of non-cooperation and established the [[Indian Liberal Party]] along with [[Tej Bahadur Sapru]].<ref name="houghtonmifflinp1350" /> He consequently served as a President of the Indian Liberal Federation. In 1924, he accompanied [[Annie Besant]] on a visit to England demanding [[Home Rule]] for India.<ref name="ecncylopaediaindianlitp4175" /> He also participated in the first and second round table conferences.<ref name="ecncylopaediaindianlitp4175" />

== International delegations ==

[[File:Sastri washingtonspeech.JPG|thumb|left|upright|Report in ''[[The New York Times]]'' dated 29 January 1922, on the incident at the Town Hall, Washington D. C.]]

Srinivasa Sastri was a part of the delegation of Indian moderates who visited England in 1919.<ref name="ecncylopaediaindianlitp4175" /> He was also a part of the Indian delegation to the Imperial Conference (1921) and the Second session of the [[League of Nations]] in 1921.<ref name="ecncylopaediaindianlitp4175" /><ref name="secondsession">{{cite web|title=Second Session of the Assembly|url=http://www.indiana.edu/~league/2ndassemb.htm|publisher=University of Indiana|work=League of Nations Photo Archive}}</ref> As a member of the Viceregal council, Srinivasa Sastri was also a part of the British delegation which participated in the [[Washington Naval Conference]] and a signatory to the [[Five Power Treaty|Five Power Naval Disarmament Treaty]].<ref name="nytimes_nov61921">{{cite news|title=PERSONNEL OF DELEGATIONS; UNITED STATES. PRINCIPAL DELEGATES|date=6 November 1921|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1921/11/06/107031870.pdf|work=[[The New York Times]] }}</ref> During one of his speeches on "The Political Situation in India", he was accused of being a British agent and attacked by a mob and had to be hastily escorted away by mounted police.<ref name="nytimes_jan1922">{{cite news|title=INDIAN DELEGATE IS HECKLED HERE; Sastri, After Town Hall Address, Is Asked if He Is Nota British Agent.ONE MAN CALLS HIM A LIAR Meeting Ends in Disorder and Mounted Police Escort SpeakerAway In a Taxicab|date=29 January 1922|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1922/01/29/107046798.pdf|work=The New York Times }}</ref>

In 1922, the Government of India sent Sastri on delegations to Australia, New Zealand and Canada in order to investigate the conditions of Indians living in those countries.<ref name="becomingaus">{{cite web|title=Muslim Journeys – Becoming Australian|url=http://uncommonlives.naa.gov.au/contents.asp?cID=92|publisher=Government of Australia}}</ref> Due to his efforts, the Government of Australia passed the Commonwealth Electoral Act enlarging the franchise to include "natives of British India".<ref name="becomingaus" />

In 1919, Srinivasa Sastri visited the Union of South Africa along with [[Sir Benjamin Robertson]] as a part of the delegation which signed the Cape Town Agreement with the Government of South Africa.<ref name="houghtonmifflinp1350" /> As a result of this agreement, South Africa gave up its Class Area Bill intended to segregate Indians in South Africa.<ref name="houghtonmifflinp1350" /> Initially, [[Jan Smuts]], the Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa, refused to treat Srinivasa Sastri on par with the European delegate.<ref name="bhavanp40">{{cite book|title=Bhavan's journal, Volume 16|page=40|publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan|year=1969}}</ref> However, on Srinivasa Sastri's departure from South Africa as India's [[Agent-General|Agent]] in 1928, Smuts recognized Sastri as the "most respected man in South Africa".<ref name="bhavanp40" />

Srinivasa Sastri was sent to the [[Federated Malay States]] in 1937, to report on the conditions of the Indian labourers in the country.<ref name="racialdiscriminationp130">{{cite book|title=Racial discrimination against overseas Indians: a class analysis|url=https://archive.org/details/racialdiscrimina0000jain|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/racialdiscrimina0000jain/page/130 130]|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|year=1990|author=Prakash Chand Jain|isbn=978-81-7022-288-0}}</ref> The delegation submitted a controversial report titled ''Conditions of Indian labour in Malaya'' which was published in Madras and [[Kuala Lumpur]], the very same year.<ref name="racialdiscriminationp130" /> Srinivasa Sastri, being the author of the report, was criticized by Indian nationalists for "his reluctance to comment at length on the political and social status of Indians in Malaya".<ref name="racialdiscriminationp130" />

== Agent to South Africa ==

[[File:JanSmutsFM.png|thumb|upright|[[Jan Smuts]], then Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa, refused to accord Srinivasa Sastri the same welcome that was offered to Sir Benjamin Robertson, a fellow delegate of Sastri.]]

On 27 May 1927, at the behest of [[Mahatma Gandhi]], [[Lord Irwin]], the [[Viceroy of India]], appointed Srinivasa Sastri as India's first [[Agent-General|Agent]] to the [[Union of South Africa]]. Srinivasa Sastri arrived in South Africa in June 1927 and served as Agent till January 1929.<ref name="sa_history_timeline_1920s">{{cite web|title=South African History Timelines – 1920s|url=http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/chronology/general/1920s.html|publisher=South African History Online (SAHO)|access-date=18 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091014100639/http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/chronology/general/1920s.html|archive-date=14 October 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Soon after taking over, Srinivasa Sastri successfully pressurized the South African government to withdraw Section 5 of the Immigration and Indian Relief (Further Provision) Bill which empowered South African immigration officers and boards to cancel registration certificates.<ref name="sa_history_timeline_1920s" /> Through his efforts, the Natal Commission for Indian Education was appointed on 17 November 1927.<ref name="sa_history_timeline_1920s" /> With Sastri's support and encouragement, dissidents of the Transvaal British Indian Association (TBIA) founded the Transvaal Indian Congress (TIC) on 18 December 1927.<ref name="sa_history_timeline_1920s" /> The TBIA later merged with the South African Indian Congress. Section 104 of the Liquor Bill prohibiting Indians from entering licensed premises was withdrawn.<ref name="sa_history_timeline_1920s" /> The Thornton Committee was established in 1928 to investigate the sanitary conditions of Indians in and around Durban.<ref name="sa_history_timeline_1920s" />

During the early part of Sastri's tenure, a number of [[Racial segregation|segregationary]] laws were passed targeting Indians and Indian immigrants in South Africa.<ref name="sa_history_timeline_1920s" /> The period also witnessed the establishment of a number of trade unions.<ref name="sa_history_timeline_1920s" /> Sastri campaigned against racial segregation of Indians and got the Class Area Bill segregating Indians withdrawn.<ref name="houghtonmifflinp1350" />

Sastri returned to India in January 1929 and was succeeded by [[Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu]].<ref name="sa_history_timeline_1920s" />

== Later life and death ==
In 1930, Sastri was appointed a member of the Royal Commission on Labour in India.<ref name="industriallabourp66">{{cite book|title=Industrial labour in India: Its Studies and reports, Series A (Industrial relations) ; no. 41|publisher=International Labour Office|page=66|year=1938}}</ref> During 1930–31, he participated in the Round Table Conferences in London to discuss India's future and was instrumental in bringing about the Gandhi-Irwin Pact.<ref name="transferofpowerp46">{{cite book|title=Transfer of Power in India|page=46|author=V. P. Menon|publisher=Orient Blackswan|year=1998|isbn=978-81-250-0884-2}}</ref> In 1935, Sastri was appointed Vice-Chancellor of [[Annamalai University]], in Tamil Nadu, and served from 1935 to 1940.<ref name="annamalaiuniversityp64">{{cite book|title=The Annamalai University, 1929–1979: a short history|page=64|author=Krishnaswami Nagarajan|publisher=Annamalai University|year=1979}}</ref> At the peak of the [[Second World War]], he participated in a 15-member Indian delegation which appealed to the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill to provide dominion status to India.<ref name="nytimes_jan51942">{{cite news|title=APPEAL ON INDIA SENT TO CHURCHILL; Status Like Dominion's Asked at Once to Avert 'Crisis' and Seal Her War Part|work=The New York Times|date=5 January 1942}}</ref> He strongly opposed Muslim League demands for the partition of India.<ref name="houghtonmifflinp1350" />

In June 1940, the Government of Madras appointed a committee headed by Srinivasa Sastri to frame a set of general principles for coining words for scientific and technical terms in vernacular languages.<ref name="coffeep149">{{cite book | last = Vēṅkaṭācalapati | first = Ā. Irā | title = In Those Days There was No Coffee | publisher = Yoda Press | year = 2006 | page = 149 | isbn = 978-81-902272-7-8}}</ref><ref name="coffeep150">{{cite book | last = Vēṅkaṭācalapati | first = Ā. Irā | title = In Those Days There was No Coffee | publisher = Yoda Press | year = 2006 | page = 150 | isbn = 978-81-902272-7-8}}</ref> The constitution of the committee was strongly condemned by the Madras Presidency Tamil Sangam and its Secretary E. M. Subramania Pillai who felt that Srinivasa Sastri was biased in favour of Sanskrit and hence, Anti-Tamil.<ref name="coffeep150" /> The committee submitted its report after three months recommending the retention of the existing Sanskrit loanwords in Tamil and rejecting the need for them to be replaced.<ref name="coffeep151">{{cite book | last = Vēṅkaṭācalapati | first = Ā. Irā | title = In Those Days There was No Coffee | publisher = Yoda Press | year = 2006 | page = 151 | isbn = 978-81-902272-7-8}}</ref> The deliberations of the Sastri Committee provoked widespread agitations in Madras Presidency. The committee was eventually reshuffled by Provincial Education Minister [[T. S. Avinashilingam Chettiar]] soon after the demise of Srinivasa Sastri and balanced with the introduction of more members supporting the replacement of Sanskrit loan words.<ref name="coffeep156">{{cite book | last = Vēṅkaṭācalapati | first = Ā. Irā | title = In Those Days There was No Coffee | publisher = Yoda Press | year = 2006 | page = 156 | isbn = 978-81-902272-7-8}}</ref>

Srinivasa Sastri's health began to deteriorate in early 1946.<ref name="kodandaraop434">[[#Kodanda Rao|Kodanda Rao]], p. 434</ref> In January, Srinivasa Sastri was admitted to the General Hospital, Madras.<ref name="kodandaraop434" /> He died at 10:30 p.m. on 17 April at the age of 76.<ref name="greatindianpatriots" /><ref>{{cite web|title=R. Hon'ble Sastri Passes Away|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=36s-AAAAIBAJ&pg=2068%2C1224541|website=The Indian Express|access-date=10 April 2017|page=1|date=19 April 1946}}</ref>

== Silver-Tongued Orator of the British Empire ==

Srinivasa Sastri was known for his mastery over the English language and his oratory.<ref name=":0" /> As a student, he once corrected a few passages in [[J. C. Nesfield]]'s ''English Grammar''.<ref name=":0" /> Whenever he was on visit to the United Kingdom, Sastri was often consulted over spellings and pronunciations.{{Citation needed|reason=there is no reference / citation given for these statements |date=June 2017}} His mastery over the English language was recognized by [[George V of the United Kingdom|King George V]], [[Winston Churchill]], [[Constance Lytton|Lady Lytton]] and [[Arthur Balfour|Lord Balfour]]<ref name="greatindianpatriots" /> who rated him amongst the five best English-language orators of the century.<ref name="englishlanguageproud" /><ref name="indianenglishp362">{{cite book|title=Indian writing in English|author=K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar|publisher=Asia Publishing House|year=1962}}</ref> The Master of Balliol, Arthur Lionel Smith swore that he had never realized the beauty of the English language until he heard Sastri.<ref name="indianenglishp362" /> while Lord Balfour remarked that listening to Srinivasa Sastri made him realise the heights to which the English language could rise.<ref name="greatindianpatriots" /> Thomas Smart conferred upon Sastri the appellation "Silver Tongued Orator of the British Empire"<ref name="tmrp311">{{cite book|title=The Modern Review, Vol 118|page=311|publisher=Prabasi Press Private, Ltd|year=1965}}</ref> and he was so called all over the United Kingdom.<ref name="englishlanguageproud" /> Srinivasa Sastri's inspirations were [[William Shakespeare]], [[Sir Walter Scott]], [[George Eliot]], [[John Stuart Mill]], [[Thomas W. Harvey|Thomas Harvey]], [[Victor Hugo]] and [[Valmiki]] – Indian sage and the author of the [[Hinduism|Hindu]] epic ''[[Ramayana]]''.<ref name="greatindianpatriots" />

However, others noticed that Sastri often repeated the rhetoric of the [[British Raj|British empire]]. In a meeting with students in [[Lucknow]] in 1891, he advised students to follow the rules laid out by the British colonial government and not to disobey them. Some time later, when [[Annie Besant]] was interned due to her idea regarding [[Indian Home Rule movement|Home rule]], Sastry fell silent when followers of Besant and [[Servants of India Society|Servants of India]] needed guidance the most. This led Nehru to later comment in his [[An Autobiography (Nehru)|autobiography]] that while Sastri was an excellent orator, he appeared to advocate mute submission and was not very effective in times of crisis.<ref>{{cite book |author=Jawaharlal Nehru |title=An Autobiography |date=1936 |publisher=Bodley Head |location=London}}</ref>

== Relation with Mahatma Gandhi ==
{{quote box
| width = 20em
| bgcolor = #c6dbf7
| align = right
| quote = "Your criticism soothes me. Your silence makes me feel nervous."
| source = — [[Mahatma Gandhi]] in a letter to Sastri<ref name="greatindianpatriots" />
}}
During his tenure in the Servants of India Society, Sastri developed a close attachment with Mahatma Gandhi.<ref name="greatindianpatriots" /> Gandhi often addressed Srinivasa Sastri as his "elder brother" in all their correspondences.<ref name="mahatma_thehindu" /> However, despite their friendship, during his tenure as President, Srinivasa Sastri opposed Gandhi's presence in the Servants of India Society.<ref name="ganmdhispassionp84">{{cite book|title=Gandhi's Passion: The Life and Legacy of Mahatma Gandhi|page=84|author=Stanley Wolpert|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2002|isbn=978-0-19-515634-8}}</ref> When Gandhi sought Sastri's advice before launching his non-cooperation movement, he counselled him against it.<ref name="indiap316">{{cite book|title=India: an encyclopaedic survey|page=316|author=Pran Nath Chopra|publisher=S. Chand|year=1984}}</ref> In his later years, Sastri sternly advised Mahatma Gandhi against accepting the Muslim League demand for partition.<ref name="houghtonmifflinp1350" />

Srinivasa Sastri corrected mistakes in the manuscript of ''[[The Story of My Experiments with Truth]]'', the English translation of Gandhi's autobiography and also successive issues of the magazine ''[[Harijan]]'' that was edited by Mahatma Gandhi.<ref name="greatindianpatriots" />

On Sastri's death, Gandhi paid a tribute to Sastri in a condolence message in the ''Harijan''.

{{quote|Death has removed not only from us but from the world one of India's best sons.<ref name="swatantav11">{{cite book|title=Swatantra, Volume 11| year=1956}}</ref>}}

== Honours ==
[[File:VS Srinivasa Sastri 1970 stamp of India.jpg|thumb|Srinivasa Sastri on a 1970 stamp of India]]
Sastri was made a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom in 1921.<ref name="ecncylopaediaindianlitp4175" /> On 1 January 1930, he was made a Companion of Honour.<ref name="whoswhop204">{{cite book|title=The Who's who in Madras: A pictorial who's who of distinguished personages, princes, zemindars and noblemen in the Madras Presidency|page=204|publisher=Pearl Press|year=1938}}</ref> The then Viceroy offered to make Sastri [[Order of the Star of India|Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India]] in 1928, but he declined the offer.<ref name="ecncylopaediaindianlitp4175" />

In 1937, the then Governor of Madras offered to make Sastri the Acting Chief Minister of Madras Presidency but Sastri declined the offer. He also declined an offer of membership in the council of the [[Secretary of State for India]].<ref name="greatindianpatriots" /> In 1921, the Freedom of the City of London was conferred on Srinivasa Sastri.<ref name="pillarsofindiap28">{{cite book|title=Pillars of modern India, 1757–1947|author=Syed Jafar Mahmud|publisher=APH Publishing|year=1994|isbn=978-81-7024-586-5|page=28}}</ref> This was followed by the Freedom of the City of Edinburgh on 9 January 1931.<ref name="freedom_edinburgh">{{cite web|title=Freedom of the city of Edinburgh|url=http://www.edinburgh.org.uk/hisc/freemen.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120902054843/http://www.edinburgh.org.uk/hisc/freemen.html|archive-date=2 September 2012}}</ref>

== Works ==

* {{cite book|title=Self-government for India under the British flag|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.213491|publisher=Servants of India Society|year=1916|author=V. S. Srinivasa Sastri}}
* {{cite book|title=The Congress-League scheme: An Exposition|publisher=Servants of India Society|year=1917|author=V. S. Srinivasa Sastri}}
* {{cite book|title=A conscience clause: for Indians in Indian education codes|publisher=Servants of India Society|year=1921|author=V. S. Srinivasa Sastri}}
* {{cite book|title=The Kenya Question|year=1923|author=V. S. Srinivasa Sastri}}
* {{cite book|title=Report by the Hon'ble V. S. Srinivasa Sastri regarding his deputation to the Dominions of Canada, Australia and New Zealand|year=1923|author=V. S. Srinivasa Sastri}}
* {{cite book|title=The results of the Round Table Conference address at a meeting of the Committee of the Empire Parliamentary Association specially studying Indian affairs|publisher=Empire Parliamentary Association|year=1931|place=London|author=V. S. Srinivasa Sastri}}
* {{cite book|title=Gopal Krishna Gokhale: A Brief Biography|author=V. S. Srinivasa Sastri |author2=E.Lucia Turnbull |author3=H. G. D. Turnbull |publisher=V. Sundra Iyer|year=1934}}
* {{cite book|title=The rights and duties of the Indian citizen – The Kamala lectures|publisher=University of Calcutta|year=1935|author=V. S. Srinivasa Sastri}}
* {{cite book|title=Valmiki Ramayana: condensed in the poet's own words|publisher=[[G. A. Natesan]]|year=1935|author=V. S. Srinivasa Sastri}}
* {{cite book|title=Report on the conditions of Indian labour in Malaya|publisher=Government of India|year=1937|author=V. S. Srinivasa Sastri}}
* {{cite book|title=Life of Gopala Krishna Gokhale|year=1937|publisher=Bangalore Print and Pub. Co.|author=V. S. Srinivasa Sastri}}
* {{cite book|title=Birthright|publisher=Kumbakonam Parliament|year=1939|author=V. S. Srinivasa Sastri}}
* {{cite book|title=என் வாழ்க்கையின் அம்சங்கள்|author=V. S. Srinivasa Sastri|year=1941|language=ta}}
* {{cite book|title=Life and times of Sir Pherozeshah Mehta|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.171910|year=1945|publisher=Madras Law Journal Press|author=V. S. Srinivasa Sastri}}
* {{cite book|title=My master Gokhale|publisher=Model Publications|year=1946|author=V. S. Srinivasa Sastri}}

== Notes ==

{{reflist|2}}

== Other biographies ==

* {{cite book|title=Builders of modern India: V. S. Srinivasa Sastri|author=T. N. Jagadisan|year=1969|publisher=Government of India|ref=Jagadisan}}
* {{cite book|title=The Right Honourable V. S. Srinivasa Sastri, P.C., C.H., LL. D., D. LITT.: a political biography|author=Pandurangi Kodanda Rao|publisher=Asia Publishing House|year=1963|ref=Kodanda Rao}}
* {{cite book|title=The Rt. Hon. V. S. Srinivasa Sastri (1869–1946) centenary souvenir (22-9-1969)|publisher=Servants of India Society|year=1969}}
* {{cite news|title=Sastri of South Africa|author=S. Muthiah|author-link=S. Muthiah|url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2009/01/26/stories/2009012650250500.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107165319/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2009/01/26/stories/2009012650250500.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 November 2012|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=26 January 2009}}
* {{cite book|title=V. S. Srinivasa Sastri: Volume 40 of Indian freedom fighters: struggle for independence|author=S. R. Bakshi|publisher=Anmol Publishers Pvt Ltd|year=1993|isbn=978-81-7041-604-3}}

== Further reading ==
{{commons category}}
* {{cite book|title=Letters of Right Honourable V.S. Srinivasa Sastri: with some letters of Rt. Hon. E.S. Montagu and Gandhi-Sastri correspondence|author=T. N. Jagadisan|publisher=Rochouse|year=1944}}
* {{cite book|title=Speeches and writings of the Right Honourable V. S. Srinivasa Sastri|year=1969}}
* {{cite book|title=V. S. Srinivasa Sastri: A Study|author=Mohan Ramanan|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|year=2007}}
{{s-start}}
{{succession box | before= [[Gopal Krishna Gokhale]] | title=President of the [[Servants of India Society]] | after= [[H. N. Kunzru]] | years=1915–1927}}
{{succession box | before= None | title=Agent to the [[Republic of South Africa]] | after= [[Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu]] | years= 1927–1929}}
{{s-end}}

{{good article}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sastri, Valangiman Sankarana-rayana Srinivasa}}
[[Category:1869 births]]
[[Category:1946 deaths]]
[[Category:Teachers of English]]
[[Category:Schoolteachers from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Members of the Imperial Legislative Council of India]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour]]
[[Category:Indian members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:People from Tiruvarur district]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Annamalai University faculty]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian educators]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian educators]]

V. S. Srinivasa Sastri - Revision history

->GreenC bot: Rescued 1 archive link; reformat 1 link. Wayback Medic 2.5