N Arunachalam

N Arunachalam was the founder and chairman of the Students Xerox Centre in Adyar and The Tamil Scholars Forum. He was an activist who took part in several Anti-Hindi agitations. N Arunachalam was born in the village of Thirukannapuram, which was near Nagapattinam districton5th April 1940.

He was an officer in the revenue department of the state. In his late twenties, he was influenced by the ideologies and beliefs of Periyar to a large extent. He quit his job and participated in numerous Anti-Hindi and Anti-Brahmin protests and agitations. However, his claim to fame was The Students Xerox Centre, which he established at Adyar in 1986.

The Xerox Centre was considered revolutionary as at that time, photocopying was possible only for the elite classes.Arunachalam even published a magazine named “Nandan.” The magazine was based on Tamil Language, Music, Atheism,and Nationalism.

He spearheaded the struggle for the introduction of Tamil as a medium of instruction in all government schools. Despite all his efforts, it couldn’t become a reality. N Arunachalam breathed his last on the 26thMay2016, at his residence in Kottivakkam. He is survived by his wife Santha and three children.