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GopalswamyDoraiswamyNaiduWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

GopalswamyDoraiswamyNaidu
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

G.D.Naidu(GopalaswamyDoraiswamyNaidu)(23
March18934January1974)wasanIndianinventor
andengineerwhoisalsoreferredtoastheEdisonof
India.[1][2]Heiscreditedwiththemanufactureofthefirst
electricmotorinIndia.Hiscontributionswereprimarily
industrialbutalsospanthefieldsofelectrical,
mechanical,agricultural(Hybridcultivation)and
automobileengineering.[3][4]Hehadonlyprimary
educationbutexcelledasaversatilegenius.Amonghis
hobbieswastraintraveltonearbycities.

GopalaswamyDoraiswamyNaidu

Contents
1Personallife
GopalaswamyDoraiswamyNaidu

2Earlylife
3Inventions&Laterlife

Born

23March1893
Kalangal,Coimbatore,India

Died

4January1974(aged80)
Coimbatore,India

Residence

Coimbatore,India

4References
5Externallinks

Personallife

Citizenship Indian

G.D.NaiduwasbornatKalangal,Coimbatoreon23
March1893in"Kalangal"villageofCoimbatoredistrict
inthestateTamilNadu,India.Hewasthesonofa
farmer.Hischildhoodyearswerespentgettingintrouble
atschool.Hedislikedattendinglessonsandwaspunished
frequentlyforhishabitofhurlingsandatteachersduring
class.

Fields

Nationality Indian
Electrical,Mechanics,Automotive,
Agriculture

Knownfor Scientist,Inventor,businessman,
PhotographerandPhilanthropist
Notes
ReferredtoastheEdisonofIndia

Earlylife
NaiduobtainedworkasawaiterinahotelinCoimbatorewiththeintentionofsavingsufficientmoneyto
buyamotorcyclethathehadseen.Aftergettingthevehiclehespenttimedismantlingandreassemblingit
andlaterbecameamechanic.Hebeganhistransportbusinessin1920,withthepurchaseofanautomobile
coach.HedroveitbetweenPollachiandPalani.Inafewyears,hisUniversalMotorService(UMS)owned
themostefficientfleetofpublictransportvehiclesinthecountry.[5]In1937,thefirstmotortobeproduced
inIndia,wasbroughtoutfromG.D.Naidu'sfactory"NEW"(NationalElectricWorks)atPeelamedu,
Coimbatore.
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Inventions&Laterlife
G.D.NaidudevelopedIndia'sfirstindigenousmotorin1937alongwithD.Balasundaram.Itwasthe
motor'ssuccessthatresultedinthefoundingofTextoolbyBalasundaramand,lateron,LakshmiMachine
Works(LMW).[6]
Naidu's'Rasant'razorincorporatedasmallmotoroperatedbydry
cells,wasmadeatafactoryintheGermantowncalledHeilbronn.[6]
Amonghisotherinventionsweresuperthinshavingblades,a
distanceadjusterforfilmcameras,afruitjuiceextractor,atamper
proofvoterecordingmachineandakerosenerunfan.In1941,he
announcedthathehadtheabilitytomanufacturefivevalveRadio
setsinIndiaatamereRs70/aset.In1952,thetwoseaterpetrol
enginecar(costingamereRs2,000/)rolledout.Butproduction
wasstoppedsubsequently,becauseoftheGovernment'srefusalto
grantthenecessarylicense.Hisinventivenesswasnotconfinedto
machineryalone.Heresearchedandidentifiednewvarietiesin
Cotton,MaizeandPapaya.HisfarmwasvisitedbySirC.V.Raman
andVisvesvaraya.Fromlayingfoundationtocompletionhehas
builtahouseinjust8hours.[4]

VehicleG.D.Naidupurchasedfrom
theBritishandlearntassembling

In1935,hepersonallyfilmedthefuneralofKingGeorgeVat
London.In1936,hemetAdolfHitlerinGermany.[7]Heinvited
K.Kamarajinmanyfunctions.AmongtheIndianstalwartsthat
Naidu'scameracapturedwereMahatmaGandhi,Pandit
JawarharlalNehruandSubhasChandraBose.Naiduremained
anoutsidertopolitics,despitehavingcontestedandlostinthe
1936ProvincialGeneralElections.HewasgiftedaRollsRoyce
carandhewastheonlyonewhohadthisluxurycarinthose
times.
In1944,Naiduretiredfromactiveinvolvementwithhis
automobilecombineandannouncedseveralphilanthropic
measuresincludinggrantsforresearchscholarshipsandwelfare
schemesforhisemployeesandthedepressedsectionsof
society.In1967,theGDNaiduIndustrialExhibitionwas
established.
G.D.Naidu,RathnasabapathyMudaliarandIndia'sfirstfinance
ministerR.K.ShanmukhamChettyconductedsurvey,for
bringingSiruvaniwatertotheCoimbatorecity.[8]

3rdPrizeforUMSRazorCompanyfor
Razorbladesinanexhibitionin1936in
Leipzieg,Germany.

ThroughNaidu'seffortsanddonationsIndia'sfirstPolytechniccollege,theArthurHopePolytechnicand
theArthurHopeCollegeofEngineeringweresetup.Laterthecollegemovedtoitspresentlocationandis
nowknownasGovernmentCollegeofTechnology(GCT),thecollegewasnamedafterthethenMadras
governorArthurHope.In1945,GDNaiduwastheprincipalforthecollege.[9]Naiduwasnotsatisfiedwith
the4yearprogramsandsaidthatitwasawasteoftimeforstudents.Hesuggestedthattwoyearwasmore
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thanenoughtoteachthesamecoursesandevenwithdifferentconcentrations.ButtheBritishgovernment
didnotaccepthisideaandG.D.Naiduresignedfromhispost.[10]ThenameHopeCollegefortheoriginal
siteofthecollegeremainsinCoimbatoreevennow.
Naidudiedon4January1974.SirCVRamansaidofNaidu:"Agreateducator,anentrepreneurinmany
fieldsofengineeringandindustry,awarmheartedmanfilledwithloveforhisfellowsandadesiretohelp
themintheirtroubles,MrNaiduistrulyamaninamillionperhapsthisisanunderstatement!"[7]
HeissurvivedbyhissonG.D.GopalandgrandchildrenG.D.RajkumarandShantini.Apermanent
IndustrialExhibitioninhismemoryisoninCoimbatore.Heprovidedemploymentintheengineeringand
manufacturingsectorstomanyindividualsinthe1950sand1960s.
G.D.MatriculationHigherSecondarySchoolinCoimbatoreisnamedafterhim.[11]Itismanagedbyhis
daughterinlawMrs.ChandraGopal.HisgrandsonMr.G.D.RajkumarnowrunstheGeedeeIndustries.
Thereisalsoadrivingschoolbyhisname,inCoimbatore.

References
1. ^G.D.NaiduGloriousIndia(http://www.gloriousindia.com/places/cities/coimbatore.html)
2. ^"Coimbatore'swealthcreators"(http://www.hindu.com/mp/2004/02/02/stories/2004020201050100.htm).The
Hindu(Coimbatore,India).2February2004.
3. ^"G.D.Naidu"(http://tamilnadu.com/personalities/gdnaidu.html).Tamilnadu.com.3February2013.
4. ^ab"AnonconformistgeniusArchitectsofCoimbatore"
(http://www.hindu.com/2009/01/10/stories/2009011050160200.htm).TheHindu(Coimbatore,India).10January
2009.
5. ^GDNaiduEdisonofIndia123Coimbatore(http://www.123coimbatore.com/blogs/gdnaiduedisonof
india/)
6. ^abDamodaran,Harish(2008).India'sNewCapitalists.Ranikhet:PermanentBlack.p.148.ISBN817824
2583.
7. ^abPerumal,N.AnIndustrialScientist.Coimbatore:LifeBookDepot.p.56.
8. ^"MemoriesofCoimbatoreAnothertime,anotherplace"(http://www.thehindu.com/arts/historyand
culture/article1988214.ece).TheHindu(India).3May2011.
9. ^GdNaiduScribd(http://www.scribd.com/doc/135297775/GdNaidu/)
10. ^http://www.scribd.com/doc/135297775/GdNaidu/GdNaiduScribd
11. ^G.DMatriculationHigherSecondarySchool(http://www.gdschoolcbe.com/index1.htm)

Externallinks
G.D.NaiduMuseum&IndustrialExhibitioninCoimbatore
(http://www.destinationinfinity.org/2011/01/02/gdnaidumuseumindustrialexhibitionin
coimbatore/)
VintagecycleatG.D.NaiduMuseumTheHindu(http://www.thehindu.com/todayspaper/tp
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