S. Shungrasoobyer (1836–1904), also known as Sankara Subha Iyer or Sankara Stibbaiyar, was an Indian administrator who served as the Diwan of

Travancore State 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 Thiruvanant ...

from 1892 to 1898.

Early life

Shungrasoobyer was born in 1836 in

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 ...

. His maternal grandfather was a

pundit A pundit is a person who offers opinion in an authoritative manner on a particular subject area (typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport), usually through the mass media. The term pundit describes both women and men, altho ...

of the Appeal Court. Shungrasoobyer had his schooling at the Rajah's Free School,

Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the largest and ...

. On completion of his schooling in 1853, Shungrsoobyer joined the Travancore state service as a teacher on a monthly salary of Rs. 5.

Civil service

Shungrasoobyer's talents were spotted by the then Diwan, Sir T. Madhava Rao, who appointed him Deputy Sheristadar of Police. Shungrasoobyer served as the Director of Vernacular Education and as Boundary Commissioner, helped resolve a boundary dispute between Travancore and the

Kingdom of Cochin The kingdom of Cochin or the Cochin State, named after its capital in the city of Kochi (Cochin), was a kingdom in the central part of present-day Kerala state. It originated in the early part of the 12th century and continued to rule until i ...

. In 1882, Shungrasoobyer was appointed Settlement Diwan Peishkar of the Revenue Settlement by the then Diwan, V. Ramiengar. He performed his job well, completing the settlement of Najanad, Trivandrum and Chirayinkil taluks. In 1888, Shungrasoobyer was nominated to the Travancore Legislative Assembly. he was ordered Sunday general holiday on 1894

Tenure as Diwan

Travancore was witnessing a movement for Dalit upliftment at the time Shungrasoobyer became Diwan in 1892. There was no representation for the low-caste Hindu

Ezhava The Ezhavas, () also known as ''Thiyya'' or ''Tiyyar'' () in the Malabar region, and Chovar () in the south, are a community with origins in the region of India presently known as Kerala, where in the 2010s they constituted about 23% of the po ...

community in the Travancore Legislative Council, constituted in 1888. Hence, in 1895, the Ezhavas presented a memorial to the Diwan demanding more political representation. They received no substantive response.

Later life and death

Shungrasoobyer retired as Diwan in April 1898 on a monthly pension of Rs. 800. The Government of British India recognized his services by making him a

Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander ( GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) Appoint ...

. Sir

Arthur Havelock Sir Arthur Elibank Havelock, (7 May 1844 – 25 June 1908) was a career British colonial governor, serving as Governor of Sierra Leone from 1880, of Natal, of Madras, of Ceylon from 1890 to 1895, and of Tasmania from 1901 to 1904. Early life ...

, the

Governor of Madras This is a list of the governors, agents, and presidents of colonial Madras, initially of the English East India Company, up to the end of British colonial rule in 1947. English Agents In 1639, the grant of Madras to the English was finalized ...

, appointed him a non-official member of the

Madras Legislative Council Tamil Nadu Legislative Council was the upper house of the former bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It began its existence as Madras Legislative Council, the first provincial legislature for Madras Presidency. It was initia ...

. Shungrasoobyer died in September 1904.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shungrasoobyer, S. Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Diwans of Travancore 1836 births 1904 deaths Members of the Madras Legislative Council

Early life

Civil service

Tenure as Diwan

Later life and death

See also

References