Biography of N. S. Subba Rao

N. S. Subba Rao was born on 14 March 1885 at Srirangapatnam. His father Nanjanagud Subba Raya was a lawyer by profession. N. S. Subba Rao’s elder brother N. Narasimha Murthy (M. A., B. L.) was also well versed in law and worked in the British Resident – Mr. Fraser’s office at Mysore. Subba Rao also had a younger sister by the name of Kaveramma. 

Early years and Education
He had his schooling at Srirangapatnam. Completing his matriculation exam in 1897, Subba Rao joined Central College, Bangalore for his F. A. course where he was nurtured well by Prof. J. C. Tate who is believed to have counted him one among his favourite students! N. S. Subba Rao with a letter of recommendation from J. C. Tate proceeded to Madras Christian College to pursue his B. A. degree. Here, he came under the influence of Rev. William Skinner and Rev. Earle Monteith MacPhail, who were senior members of the faculty. He was conferred a Gold Medal in 1904 for securing highest marks in the B. A. exam – the award being Benjamin Jowett’s “Dialogues of Plato” volume, something which he treasured till the end. Following his commendable performance in the B. A. exam, he was able to secure from the Mysore Government the prestigious ‘Damodar Das educational scholarship’ which helped him on his way to England for further studies. 

Education in England
Armed with a scholarship, he was able to gain admission into St. John’s College, Cambridge to pursue a M. A. degree in Economics. Here, he additionally learnt Latin and French. At Cambridge, Subba Rao came under the tutelage of Alfred Marshall and came in contact with Maynard Keynes. At the end of four years, Subba Rao completed his Tripos exam (M. A. Cantab.) in addition to securing a Bar at Law qualification. His essay titled ‘‘Political and Economic conditions of Ancient India, as described in the Jatakas’’ earned him the prestigious ‘Le Bas’ award in 1909.

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