Kamaraj Memorial House

Kamaraj Memorial House
Location: T. Nagar
Inaugurated In: 1978
Dedicated To: Shri Kamraj, Former Chief Minister


Kamaraj Memorial House is built in the memory of the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Shri Kamaraj. He was an ideal for all the Indians, as he rose out of poverty and became the Chief Minster thrice. The Memorial House was inaugurated in 1978 by the then Chief Minister, M. G. Ramchandaran. The memorial is spread on the two floors of the building. It showcases the personal photographs and effects of Shri Kamaraj, which provide an insight into his life.

The ground floor has a bedroom which was once the personal den of this venerated bachelor. The room is adorned with plain furniture that symbolizes the plain and simple life Shri Kamaraj led. There is also a well stocked library in the house, occupied by the books like volumes of 'Lok Sabha Debates', '100 Modern Lives', 'Churchill' and 'Doctor Zhivago'. Shri Kamaraj had to discontinue his schooling, but it did not stop him from becoming a well read man. The Memorial House also exhibits a rare collection of his photographs.

The walls of the dinning hall are covered with black and white photographs of Kamaraj's life. The photographs provide a quick look at his childhood, youth upto his late life years. Some of the most intriguing pictures are thaose of his 1954 swearing-in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, the first Kamaraj Ministry of 1954, the second of 1957 and the third of 1962. There are even pictures of him with eminent personalities, like Pt. Nehru, Sarojini Naidu, Rajendra Prasad, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, M.G Ramachandran, Martin Luther King, Queen Elizabeth, etc.

The second floor of the House also displays a number of his belongings, like luxuriant Felicitation Shawls, his simple attire, his suitcases, timepiece, pens and utensils. One of the prized possessions of this exhibition is the prison coat, worn by him while serving term in prison in the year 1942. The displayed personal effects of Kamaraj include his spectacles, a spool tape player and even a Gillette shaving set. Apart from this, there are also pictures showing the leader in different moods.