P. Varadarajulu Naidu (1887-1957), whose 139^th birth anniversary falls on June 4, 2026, was called the Bal Gangadhar Tilak of south India, as his accomplishments in instilling the national spirit, in public speaking and journalism were as exemplary as those of Tilak.

Just as Tilak of Maharashtra was one of the political triumvirate in the north (the other two being Lala Lajpat Rai from Punjab and Bipin Chandra Pal from Bengal), Naidu too was a member of another triumvirate in the south — T.V. Kalyanasundaram (Thiru.Vi.Ka) and E.V. Ramasamy (Periyar). His services in the area of journalism require a mention here: he was the editor for two Tamil weeklies — Prapanchamitran and Tamil Nadu — apart from launching the English daily, Indian Express, in 1932.