Those were the days: Dr TSS Rajan — Excommunicated for crossing the seas, he grew into minister’s shoes

Ironically, the freedom movement was much more uninhibited to function in London than in India. In 1909, among the many intensely patriotic who gathered and were mentored by Savarkar and VVS Iyer, was a young medical student who had studied in the Royapuram Medical School — TSS Rajan.

Deciding to hold a get-together of Indian students to spread the word, they proposed a subscription dinner consisting of a dinner and a post-meal talk. 125 people signed up but most of the Indian politicians who were in London at that time refused to preside. The organisers settled on an unknown Indian barrister from South Africa. But he had an odd condition — the meal must be pure vegetarian.