Sir Alagappa Chettiar (6 April 1909 – 5 April 1957) was an Indian businessman and philanthropist. He was awarded the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

, the third-highest civilian award in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, in 1956.

Early life

Chettiar was born in

Kottaiyur Kottaiyur is the Northern Suburb of Karaikudi city in Sivaganga district. Formerly, it was a Town panchayat until getting included into Karaikudi City Municipal Corporation. It's the most populous and a well-developed suburb of Karaikudi. It is ...

in the

Sivaganga Sivaganga () is the City and headquarters of the Sivaganga district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is known for the 16th-century Sivagangai Fort, located in City Centre. Inside the fort, the Rajarajeshwari Amman Temple features many orn ...

District of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

to Kumaraswamy Valayapalayam Aiyah Lakshmana Ramanathan Chettiar and Umayal Achi in India. He attended Presidency College in

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

, where he befriended

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (; 5 September 188817 April 1975; natively Radhakrishna) was an Indian academician, philosopher and statesman who served as the President of India from 1962 to 1967. He previously served as the vice president of ...

, a teacher who later became the

President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

. In 1930, at the age of 21, he was the first person from the

Nattukottai Nagarathar Nagarathar (நகரத்தார்) is a Tamil caste found native in Tamil Nadu, India. The Nagarathar community was not originally a single caste, but developed from an assortment of related subcastes, which over time became known under th ...

community to earn a

M.A. A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in English Language and Literature. After graduation, he began legal studies in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and qualified for the

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

at Middle Temple,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, in 1933. He became a 'Bar-at-Law' in

Chettinad Chettinad (also known as Chettinadu) is a name that collectively refers to a locality that comprises 56 villages in the Sivaganga district and 20 villages in Pudukkottai district, Pudukottai district, which was historically ruled by the Ramnad ...

, India. During that time, He earned a pilot's certificate in

Croydon Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...

, London, and was the first Indian to be trained at

Standard Chartered Bank Standard Chartered PLC is a British multinational bank with operations in wealth management, Wholesale banking, corporate and investment banking, and treasury services. Despite being headquartered in the United Kingdom, it does not conduct retai ...

, London.

Business career

Chettiar's business activities were recognized by the British Government when he was knighted in the

1946 New Year Honours The 1946 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth Realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and to celebrate the passing of 1945 and the beginn ...

at the age of 37. He renounced the title of knighthood when India attained

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

. On 26 January 1956, the President of India conferred the

on him. Chettiar began his career in textiles. In 1937 he started Cochin Textiles, later Alagappa Textiles at Alagappa Nagar near

Thrissur Thrissur (, ), Renaming of cities in India, formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the List of most populous urban agglomerations in Ke ...

in Kerala. The township for Cochin textile staff was named "Alagappa Nagar". He also invested in rubber

plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

tin Tin is a chemical element; it has symbol Sn () and atomic number 50. A silvery-colored metal, tin is soft enough to be cut with little force, and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, a bar of tin makes a sound, the ...

mines,

textile mill Textile manufacturing or textile engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful good ...

s, insurance companies, hotels, theatres, a stock exchange, and a private airline.

Philanthropy

Chettiar supported educational initiatives, including a donation of 100,000 rupees to the Tamil Department of

Travancore University University of Kerala (formerly known as University of Travancore) is a state-run public university in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chithir ...

in 1943. In 1947, at the

Annie Besant Annie Besant (; Wood; 1 October 1847 – 20 September 1933) was an English socialist, Theosophy (Blavatskian), theosophist, freemason, women's rights and Home Rule activist, educationist and campaigner for Indian nationalism. She was an arden ...

centenary celebrations, a proposal was made to establish an arts college in

Karaikudi Karaikudi is the largest city of Sivaganga district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the centre of the Karaikudi Metropolitan Area, the 21st largest urban Agglomeration of Tamil Nadu based on 2011 census data. It is part of the area ...

to support educational development in India. This led to the establishment of Alagappa Arts College, which opened three days later at

Gandhi Maleghai Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British ru ...

. Subsequent financial contributions supported the creation of a number of educational institutions, which formed the basis for the foundation of the

Alagappa University Alagappa University is a public university located in Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India. Originated from Alagappa Arts College, founded by Alagappa Chettiar in 1947, it was established in 1985 by an Act of the Government of Tamil Nadu. It was con ...

in 1985 by the Government of

. He encouraged Prime Minister

Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...

to locate one of the Government's National Research Institutes on the Alagappa campus. At the inauguration of the Central Electro Chemical Research Institute (CECRI) on 14 January 1953, then-Vice President of India

stated: Alagappa Chettiar was the founder of the A.C. College of Technology in

Guindy Guindy is a neighborhood of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The Kathipara junction where Anna Salai, Mount-Poonamallee Road, Inner Ring Road, 100 Feet Road or Jawaharlal Nehru Road, and GST Road meet here. It is one of the important nodal points of ...

. The college, now a constituent of

Anna University Anna University is a public state university located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The main campus is in Guindy. It was originally established on 4 September 1978 and is named after C. N. Annadurai, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Histor ...

, offers specialized courses in fields including chemical engineering, petroleum refining & petrochemicals, textile engineering, leather technology, industrial biotechnology, ceramic technology, pharmaceutical technology, and food technology. Chettiar also donated his residence in

to start a women's college.

Notable donations and institutions

His other foundations and charitable donations included: *Alagappa Chettiar College of Technology, (Now known as

Alagappa College of Technology Alagappa College of Technology is an educational institution located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India that offers higher education in engineering, technology and allied sciences. The college was established in 1944 and was integrated with Anna Uni ...

Campus -

, Chennai) *Alagappa Chettiar Government College of Engineering & Technology (ACCET) at Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu (Now an autonomous government institution) *Alagappa Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Chennai, Tamil Nadu *Alagappa Arts College, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu *Alagappa College of Polytechnic, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu *Alagappa Physical Education College, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu *Alagappa Primary School, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu *Alagappa Montessori School, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu *Alagappa Preparatory School, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu (this is a private school managed by his daughter founded after him) *Alagappa Matriculation School, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu (this is a private school managed by his daughter founded after him) *Alagappa Model Higher Secondary School at his birthplace, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu *A ladies' hostel at

Vepery Vepery is a neighbourhood in the north of Chennai, India. Abutting the transportation hub of Park Town, Chennai, Park Town, the neighbourhood covers a rectangular area north of the Poonamallee High Road. History Vepery is among those oldest nei ...

, Chennai *A gift for the development of the township infrastructure of Kottaiyur *A gift for the Meenakshi club at

Kandanur Kandanur is a part of karaikudi city Municipal corporation in Karaikudi taluk, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This town is famous for Kandaneswarar Sivan Kovil, which is a replica to the Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple built by Nagarathars ...

, Tamil Nadu *A donation for the H.M.I.S Fund *Foundation of an engineering college at

Annamalai University The Annamalai University (AU) is a public state university in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India. The sprawling campus offers courses of higher education in arts, science, engineering, management, humanities, agriculture, and physical education. ...

Chidambaram Chidambaram is a major town and municipality in Cuddalore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, on the banks of the Vellar River where it meets the Bay of Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Chidambaram taluk. The town is believed to b ...

, Tamil Nadu *Foundation of a college of technology at

Madras University The University of Madras is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an ...

, subsequently named Alagappa Chettiar College of Technology,

, Chennai *A donation to establish higher education in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

*A donation to establish the South Indian Educational Society in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

in 1948 *A donation to the Lady Doak College at

Madurai Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District, which is ...

*A donation for constructing "Alagappa Mandapam" at Thakkar Baba Vidyalaya in 1946 – the Foundation Stone was laid by M.K.Gandhi *A donation for publishing ''Tamil Kalangiyam'' *A donation to the Cochin Cyclone Relief fund *A donation for geological research by the

Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...

government *A donation for establishing a maternity hospital and childcare centre in

Cochin Kochi ( , ), formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. The city is also commonly referred to as Ernaku ...

*A donation for indigenous medicine research by Ernakulam Maharaja College *A donation to fund students from Cochin to study abroad *Funding the morning food scheme for Cochin children *Establishing the South Indian chamber of commerce in Cochin

Illness and death

Chettiar was treated for

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

in 1955. After a brief recovery, his health worsened, and he died on 5 April 1957 at his residence in

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

(now Chennai).

References

External links

*http://www.alagappa.org/ Official Website, Alagappa Group of Educational Institutions *http://www.alagappaalumni.com/ Official Website, Alagappa Global Alumni Association {{DEFAULTSORT:Chettiar, Alagappa 1909 births 1957 deaths Businesspeople from Tamil Nadu Indian Knights Bachelor Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in social work Indian businesspeople in textiles 20th-century Indian businesspeople People from Sivaganga district 20th-century Indian philanthropists