Krishna Menon

Vengalil Krishnan (V.K.) Krishna Menon (May 3, 1897 – October 6, 1974) was an eminent Indian nationalist and politician.

Born at Panniyankara in Calicut, Kerala, Menon was the third son of a successful lawyer of the Calicut bar, Komath Krishna Kurup. Menon had his early education in Tellicherry and he took his B.A. degree from Madras Presidency College

While in College, he started taking an active interest in the national movement. While studying in the Law College of Madras, he became actively associated with Annie Besant and the Home Rule Movement. He was a leading member of the 'Brothers of Service', founded by Annie Besant who spotted his gifts and helped him travel to England in 1924. In London Menon pursued further education at the London School of Economics and University College London and at the same time he became a passionate fighter for India's freedom.

In England, he worked hard for Indian independence as a journalist and secretary (1929 – 1947) of the India League, and became associated with fellow Indian nationalist leader Jawaharlal Nehru. In 1934 he was admitted to the English bar, and after joining the Labour Party he was elected borough councilor of St. Pancras, London. St. Pancras later conferred on him the Freedom of the Borough, the only other person so honoured being Bernard Shaw. In 1932 he inspired a fact-finding delegation headed by Ellen Wilkinson, Labour M.P., to visit India. Menon served as its Secretary and edited its report entitled 'conditions in India'. During the thirties he also edited the Twentieth Century Library.

After India was granted independence in 1947, Menon was appointed high commissioner to Great Britain, a post in which he remained until 1952. Subsequently, he led the Indian delegation to the United Nations (1952 – 1962), where he adopted policy of non-alignment, loudly criticizing the United States and voicing support for the People's Republic of China.

Krishna Menon became a member of the Rajya Sabha in 1953. On 3 February, 1956, he joined the Union Cabinet as Minister without Portfolio. In 1957 he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Bombay and in April of that year he was named minister of defence under Prime Minister Nehru. He worked tirelessly to modernise the defence forces but after India's staggering defeat in the Sino-Indian War of 1962, he was harshly attacked for the country's lack of military preparation and resigned from office. In 1967 he lost his parliamentary seat but was re-elected in 1969. He died on 6 October, 1974 in New Delhi.

External Link

V.K. Krishna Menon's biography at Columbia Encyclopedia