G.D. Naidu: the ‘Edison of India’ who will be brought to life on screen in Madhavan-starrer biopic

With his innovations and experiments, Mr. Naidu came to be known as the ‘Edison of India’, and the legacy he left behind after his passing on January 4, 1974, has been massive

Why do peacocks have long tail feathers? Why do the eyes of dogs and cats gleam at night? What powers cars to run? These were some of the conversations that a barely four-year-old Gopal would have with his father G.D. Naidu at their home, Gopal Bagh in Coimbatore, as they fed animals, scanned newspapers, and read about cars during their leisure time in the early 1940s.

Mr. Naidu, in subsequent years, conducted scientific experiments and demonstrations for students at his institute run by G.D. Charities every week, and encouraged them to ask questions. He started the Arthur Hope Polytechnic and Arthur Hope College of Technology, gave inputs for the home science course curriculum at Avinashilingam University, and was instrumental in establishing the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore.

With his innovations and experiments, Mr. Naidu came to be known as the ‘Edison of India’, and the legacy he left behind after his passing on January 4, 1974, has been massive. Actor Madhavan playing the renowned inventor and engineer in an upcoming Tamil biopic, titled ‘G.D.N’, is a testmanent to his influence. Shooting for the film began in Coimbatore on Tuesday (February 18, 2025).

Mr. Naidu’s scientific inquisitiveness was evident from his teenage years.

Born on March 23, 1893, at Kalangal in Coimbatore district, Gopalsamy Doraisamy Naidu was so mischievous and rebellious as a student that his father had to pull him out of school and make him work in the field. Mr. Naidu would read books in the evenings, teaching himself multiple subjects.

One day, while walking in the field, Mr. Naidu, who was about 18 then, chanced upon an empty bottle with a label. He could not understand what it was because he was not well-versed in English. He asked a revenue inspector who visited Kalangal the next day, and he explained to him that it was a bottle of painkillers made by the American company Parke Davis. Mr. Naidu took the help of the inspector to write to the company, and eventually started importing the drug. He sold the medicine to the villagers, and that was his first business.

In a village that had only carts driven by bullocks or horses, motor vehicles were an unknown entity. One day, Lancashire, an English official, rode to Kalangal on a bike, and that became the turning point in the life of Mr. Naidu. He was not only fascinated by the vehicle but also curious about its operation. He walked all the way to Coimbatore, looking at the factories and motorised vehicles in awe. He worked as a waiter, earned money, and bought the bike from Mr. Lancashire. He dismantled the vehicle, understood its functioning, and assembled it again with a side car.