He was the founder of the Swatantra Party and the first recipient of India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna.

In 1922, he published a book Siraiyil Tavam (Meditation in jail) which was a day-to-day diary about his first imprisonment from 21 December 1921 to 20 March 1922.

[3] This society coined new words in Tamil for terms connected to botany, chemistry, physics, astronomy and mathematics.

[3] Rajaji was the founder of the Salem Literary Society and regularly participated in its meetings in which he suggested introducing scholarships for Dalit students.

[citation needed] He also wrote books on the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, Socrates, and Marcus Aurelius in English.