G.D. Naidu developed India's first indigenous motor in 1937 along with D. Balasundaram Naidu. The motor's success resulted in the founding of Textool by D. Balasundaram Naidu (Popularly known as Textool Balasundaram) and, later,
Lakshmi Machine Works (LMW). Naidu's 'Rasant' razor incorporated a small motor operated by dry cells, called
Heilbronn. He invited
K. Kamaraj to many functions. Among the Indian stalwarts that Naidu's camera captured were
Mahatma Gandhi,
Pandit Jawarharlal Nehru and
Subhas Chandra Bose. Naidu remained an outsider to politics, despite having contested and lost in the 1936 provincial general elections. He was gifted a Rolls-Royce car and he was the only one who had this luxury car in those times. In 1944, Naidu retired from active involvement with his automobile combine and announced several philanthropic measures including grants for research scholarships and welfare schemes for his employees and the depressed sections of society. In 1967, the G D Naidu Industrial Exhibition was established. G.D. Naidu, Rathnasabapathy Mudaliar and India's first finance minister
R. K. Shanmukham Chetty conducted survey, for bringing Siruvani water to the Coimbatore city. Through Naidu's efforts and donations India's first polytechnic college, the Arthur Hope Polytechnic and the Arthur Hope College of Engineering were set up. Later the college moved to its present location and is now known as
Government College of Technology (GCT). The college was named after the then Madras governor
Arthur Hope. In 1945, GD Naidu was the principal of the college. Naidu was not satisfied with the four-year programs and said that it was a waste of time for students. He suggested that two years was more than enough to teach the same courses, even with different concentrations. However, the British government did not accept his idea and Naidu resigned from his post. The name Hope College for the original site of the college remains in Coimbatore even now. Naidu died on 4 January 1974. Sir C V Raman said of Naidu: "A great educator, an entrepreneur in many fields of engineering and industry, a warm-hearted man filled with love for his fellows and a desire to help them in their troubles, Mr Naidu is truly a man in a million – perhaps this is an understatement!" He is survived by his son G.D. Gopal and grandchildren G.D. Rajkumar and Shantini. A permanent Industrial Exhibition in his memory is in Coimbatore. He provided employment in the engineering and manufacturing sectors to many individuals in the 1950s and 1960s. == Legacy ==