Sir Subbier Subramania Iyer was an Indian lawyer, jurist and freedom fighter who, along with Annie Besant, founded the Home Rule Movement. He was the Vice-President of the Theosophical Society from 1907 to 1911 during Dr. Annie Besant’s tenure as President. His association with the Theosophical movement began from the 1880s when Col. Olcott and Madame Blavatsky arrived in Madras. He co-operated with Dr Besant in all her multifarious movements, educational, social, political, Theosophical and spiritual. He was popularly known as the “Grand Old Man of South India.

Subbaiyar Subramania Iyer was born of Brahman parents on 1 October 1842 in Madura (now Madurai) District, South India. He was brought up amid the enlivening and chastening circumstances of a high-caste Hindu family and hence had access to education in English very early in life. His mind was thus open in its formative period to the influences introduced by the West. His father Subbaiyar was a trusted Vakil or agent of the Zamindar of Ramnad (Madura District). Young Subramaniam had his early schooling in a Christian Mission, then in an English school, and in 1856 he entered Zilla High School. He was successful in various fields and passed the highest examination in that school in 1859. His name appeared in the official Gazette and caught the eye of the Collector of the District, and soon the successful young man started his career in Government service as a clerk.

While serving as a clerk, Subramania Iyer passed the examination to become a pleader at the head of the list for the Madras Presidency, but he was not given permission to practise. Though unable to secure a ‘Sanad’ to practice, he was appointed the Public Prosecutor, when the Criminal Penal Code came into force, in 1862. Desiring to practice as a lawyer, he studied privately for the Matriculation Examination and passed the same in 1865, followed by the First Arts (F.A.) examination in 1866. Two years later, in 1868, he passed the B.L. examination from Presidency College, Madras, standing first (in the Second Class) among all successful candidates. He served as an apprentice under J. C. Mill, Barristerat-Law, and thus qualified himself to practice as a Vakil.

He was one of a core group of patriots responsible for the founding of the Indian National Congress in 1885 and an active worker and Honorary President of Dr. Besant’s Home Rule League. A lawyer by profession, he was elevated to the Bench in 1895, and became the first Indian Judge to be made Acting Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, during the British regime. He was knighted in recognition of his work but surrendered his knighthood as a protest against the internment of Dr. Besant and her colleagues by the Madras Government. He acted as the legal adviser of The Theosophical Society and worked in this capacity till his last days.

In 1904, Sir Subramania Iyer became the first Indian to be made the ViceChancellor of the University of Madras. He was appointed a member of its Senate in 1886, and held that position until 1907. He was elected a member of the Syndicate (the executive body of the University) several times, and served in that capacity for some eight or nine years.

Sir Subramania Iyer was popularly known as Sir Mani Iyer, a man whose liberality knew no bounds, whose heart went out to the poor and suffering. His intellectual generosity also was unique: wherever he perceived talent, he was lavish in its praise and always encouraging. He helped the young men in the Bar as well as large numbers of students to educate themselves and no one in difficulty ever went to him without obtaining the needed means of relief. Sir Subramania Iyer also published many articles in New India and Theosophical journals, the two most important being ‘Rishi Gârgyâyana’s Pranava-vâda’ and ‘An Esoteric Organization in India’, the latter being published as a book by the Modern Printing Works, Madras. His interests lay in social and educational reforms along with ancient Indian texts and he wrote on these subjects. Being a keen student of Theosophy he was responsible for getting three important books published.

Sir Subramania Iyer, after his retirement as Justice of the Madras Bench, concentrated on serving The Theosophical Society and his country, even while on his own spiritual quest. He took to the systematic investigation of many forms of meditation. Consequent to his spiritual pursuits and meditative practice he appeared to have attained certain occult powers, incompatible with a worldly life, and became a recluse. Dr Besant, wrote about Mani Iyer’s last days: ‘He was ill for very long, but to the end his splendid brain remained strong; the last few months were full of pain, but the dear old man remained patient throughout, only longing to go Home; and he went gladly to the Master he loved and served.’ After a lifetime of struggle, knowledge, and wisdom Sir Subramania Iyer took his heavenly abode on 5th December 1924.