B. N. Rau Biography 
Sir Benegal Narsing Rau, shortly called B. N. Rau was an Indian civil servant, jurist, diplomat and statesman from Bangalore who was active in the pre-independent India. One of the foremost Indian jurists in the 20th century, he played a key role in drafting the Constitution of India and also the Constitution of Myanmar (then known by the name Burma). For a brief period he served as the Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir state (1944-1945). This diplomat also served as the country’s representative to the United Nations Security Council from 1950 to 1952. After that he served as a judge of the Permanent Court of International Justice, The Hague till his death in 1953. Regarded as a strong contestant for secretary-general of the United Nations, he passed away in Zurich, Switzerland on 30 November 1953, aged 66.
Shiva Rao was born into a distinguished family of Mangalore on 26 February 1887. He was born into an intellectual family of doctors and diplomats. His father, Benegal Raghavendra Rau was one of the earliest Indian doctors educated in western medicine. His brother B. Shiva Rao was a noted journalist, writer and politician who served as a member of India’s first Lok Sabha. Second brother Sir Benegal Rama Rau was the fourth Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. Padma Bhushan winner and the founder president of Family Planning Association of India - Dhanvanthi Rama Rau was his sister-in-law. Thus noted journalist and author of ‘A Princess Remembers: the memoirs of the Maharani of Jaipur’, Santha Rama Rau was his niece.
An excellent student in academics, he was the University first rank holder of F.A. (Intermediate) examination. He took his Tripos in 1909 from Trinity College, Cambridge. Rau passed the Indian Civil Service Examination in 1909 and returned to India. He was posted in undivided Bengal. After retirement, he was appointed as the Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir state in the year 1944. He was appointed as the Constitutional Adviser to the Constituent Assembly for formulating Indian Constitution. It’s regarded as his best achievement in the diplomatic career.
Published: N/A
Updated: March 06, 2016
