Chevalier.Varadha Veerappan ,this name has now been less known in Pondicherry (the once French colony) today.But if you turn back the pages in the history of Pondicherry , this man has an lot of involvements in the growth of Pondicherry .He is one of the most important person who was responsible to initiate the growth of education system in Pondicherry .
Born on 12 th June 1906 , Chevalier.Varadha Veerappan was proficient in Tamil, English and French languages.He has received many honours in his profession while working in the department of medicine as drug specialist in Pondicherry Government Hospital.One of the important award he received was Chevalier Et Officier de l’Etoile d’Anjouan [wikipedia - description ] which is regarded as the Legion of Honour (or) the National Order of the Legion of Honour (French: Ordre national de la Legion d'honneur) for Knighthood under French regime.
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| Chevalier Varadha Veerappan |
He was a well -educated person in Tamil Literature including Illakkiyam ,Anmigam and Sarithiram .His love for Tamil literature has lead him to support the development of Education (Kalvi Kayagam) in Pondicherry.
He has even a written few Tamil novels under the French rule .He died on May 5 1982 under heart attack.Below, is a snippet from Agni 12 written by Dr.BalaBaskaran.
The certificate of Chevalier Et Ordre de l'Etoile d'Anjouan is framed and still hangs at his house.And finally, I am proud to introduce myself as the grand-daughter of this Chevalier persona :) .
