# GD Naidu: Class 3 dropout who built first Indian electric motor 2026-08-15T02:08:52+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Gopalswamy Doraiswamy Naidu, called the 'Edison of India', built the country's first electric motor in 1930 despite leaving school after Class 3. Born in 1893 in Tamil Nadu, he saved Rs 300 working as a waiter to buy a British officer's motorcycle, then taught himself mechanical engineering by taking it apart. He later founded Universal Motor Service, which grew to 280 buses, and invented devices including a kerosene fan, electric razor, and mechanical calculator. Naidu also experimented with farming, growing cotton plants 10 feet tall, and established a polytechnic college in Coimbatore after retiring in 1944. He died in 1974. ## Coverage - economictimes.indiatimes.com Tags: Coimbatore, CV Raman, GD Naidu, Universal Motor Service Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/gd-naidu-class-3-dropout-who-built-first-indian-electric-motor/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/gd-naidu-class-3-dropout-who-built-first-indian-electric-motor/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.