by Gandhi as the “keeper of my conscience”. Early life Rajagopalachari was born to Chakravarti Iyengar and Singaramma on 10 December 1878 in a devout Iyengar family of Thorapalli in the Madras Presidency . [1] Chakravarti Iyengar was the munsiff of Thorapalli. [2] According to popular folkore, while Rajaji was a