Early Life and Education
Chetpet Pattabhirama Ramaswami Iyer was born on Deepavali day, 13 November 1879 to C. R. Pattabhirama Iyer (1857–1903) and his wife Seethalakshmi Ammal, also called Rangammal in the town of Wandiwash, North Arcot. Pattabhirama Iyer was a prominent judge who had served as the chairman of the committee which sponsored Swami Vivekananda's voyage to the United States of America. C. P.'s birthdate was reckoned as November 12 as per the Hindu calendar which calculates a day as the time span between sunrise and sunset.
C. P. had his schooling at the Wesley College High School in Madras. He had an extremely strict upbringing as a result of a prediction that the child would not pass a single exam in his life. On completion of his schooling, C. P. enrolled at the Presidency College, Madras. In college, C. P. won prizes in English, Sanskrit and Mathematics and the Elphinstone Prize for his paper on the Nebular theory. C. P. passed his degree with a gold medal and graduated with distinction from the Madras Law College.
C. P. had always desired to become an English professor. However, his father, Pattabhirama Iyer wished that his son become a lawyer and accordingly, C. P. chose a career in law. C. P. spent his college vacations in the Mysore kingdom with the Diwan, Sir K. Seshadri Iyer whom he always claimed as his inspiration.
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