Tonse Ananth Pai (abbreviated: T. A. Pai), (17 January 1922 – 29 May 1981) was an Indian banker and politician, who was responsible for the success of

Syndicate Bank Syndicate Bank was one of the oldest and major commercial banks of India. It was founded by Upendra Ananth Pai, T. M. A. Pai and Vaman Srinivas Kudva. At the time of its establishment, the bank was known as Canara Industrial and Banking Synd ...

as its general manager and later as chairman. He is also the founder of

T. A. Pai Management Institute T.A. Pai Management Institute (TAPMI) is a private autonomous business school in India. It was established in 1980 and is located in the university town of Manipal in Karnataka. It is the fifth management institute in India with dual accredit ...

Early life and career

He was the eldest of four sons of Tonse Upendra Pai. He was the nephew of Dr.

T. M. A. Pai Tonse Madhava Ananth Pai (30 April 1898 – 29 May 1979), was an Indian physician, educationist, banker and philanthropist, most well-known for building the university town of Manipal, India. He was the first to start a private, self-finan ...

. After his early childhood spent in

Udupi Udupi (alternate spelling Udipi; also known as Odipu) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Udupi is situated about north of the educational, commercial and industrial hub of Mangalore and about west of state capital Bangalore by road. ...

district, he graduated in Commerce from

Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics Sydenham College of Economics is a college located in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is affiliated to the Dr. Homi Bhabha State University. The college offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in management. It was awarded a re-accreditat ...

in 1943. He worked at

, which had been established by one of his relatives and in 1970 the

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

appointed him as the chairman of

Life Insurance Corporation Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) is an Indian central public sector undertaking headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Finance, Government of India. The Life Insurance Corporation of I ...

after

got nationalized. He was the first chairman of the

Indian Institute of Management Bangalore Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM Bangalore or IIMB) is a public business school and Institute of National Importance located in Bangalore, India. Founded in 1973, it was the third IIM to be established, after IIM Calcutta and IIM ...

Political career

He was elected to the

Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha, wikisource:Constitution of India/Part V#Article 80, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legisl ...

in 1972 and was appointed the Union Minister for Railways. In 1973, he was given the responsibility for the newly created Ministry of Heavy Industries, and subsequently, additional charge of the Ministry of Steel and Mines. Pai took over the responsibility of the Ministry of Industry and Civil Supplies in 1974. He represented

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-pas ...

constituency in 1977 as an

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British ...

candidate. In 1979 when

D. Devaraj Urs Devaraj Devaraj Urs (20 August 1915 – 6 June 1982) was an Indian politician who served two terms as the eighth Chief Minister of Karnataka (1972–77, 1978–80), a state in southern India. He is also the longest serving Chief Minister of Ka ...

parted ways with

and created

Indian National Congress (U) The Indian National Congress (U) was a breakaway faction of the Indira Gandhi-led Congress (I), formed in July 1979 by D. Devaraj Urs, the then Chief Minister of Karnataka. Urs' explanation of the split was the return of Indira's son Sanjay Ga ...

, Pai joined him and moved to the new party. In the

1980 Indian general election General elections were held in India on 3 and 6 January 1980 to elect the members of the 7th Lok Sabha. The Janata Party alliance came into power in the 1977 general elections amidst public anger with the Indian National Congress (INC) and th ...

he contested again from

Udupi (Lok Sabha constituency) Udupi Lok Sabha constituency was a former Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka. This seat came into existence in 1957. With the implementation of the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies in 2008, it ceased to exist. History The former Co ...

as a nominee of

and lost elections to

Oscar Fernandes Dr. Oscar Fernandes (27 March 1941 – 13 September 2021) was an Indian politician, a senior Indian National Congress leader and was the Union Cabinet Minister for Transport, Road and Highways and Labour and Employment, Government of India i ...

. In 1977, Pai was one among the three ministers from the cabinet of Indira Gandhi who were examined by

Shah Commission Shah Commission was a commission of inquiry appointed by Government of India in 1977 to inquire into all the excesses committed in the Indian Emergency (1975 - 77). It was headed by Justice J.C. Shah, a former chief Justice of India. Backgroun ...

on emergency excesses. Pai gave testimony against Indira Gandhi saying the ministry was 'under siege' and he protested the decisions. The 1998 book by

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal ...

journalist, Hamish McDonald titled The Polyester Prince made references about Pai and his relationship with

Dhirubhai Ambani Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani (28 December 1932 – 6 July 2002), popularly known as Dhirubhai Ambani, was an Indian business tycoon who founded Reliance Industries. Ambani took Reliance public in 1977 and was worth US$2.9 billion in 2002 upon h ...

. The book that was banned in

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

accused that there was gross tax minimization done during Pai's tenure by

Reliance Industries Reliance Industries Limited is an Indian multinational conglomerate company, headquartered in Mumbai. It has diverse businesses including energy, petrochemicals, natural gas, retail, telecommunications, mass media, and textiles. Reliance is ...

by using a company named MyNylon Ltd. a private limited company incorporated in 1973 by Pai family at

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Kar ...

Awards

He was conferred the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan 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 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished servi ...

by the Government of India in 1972.Padma Bhushan Awardees
/ref> He was awarded the degree of D.Litt. by the

Karnataka University Karnatak University is a public state university in Dharwad district of Karnataka state, India. The university is recognized by University Grants Commission and accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). As of 2014 ...

in 1973. The

Andhra University Andhra University ( IAST: ''Āndhra Vișvakalāpariṣhat'') is a public university located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established in 1926. History King Vikram Deo Verma, the Maharaja of Jeypore was one of the biggest ...

decorated him with the degree of D.Litt. in 1975.

References

*http://www.kla.kar.nic.in/assembly/elib/pdf/eresources/T%20A%20PAI.pdf {{DEFAULTSORT:Pai, T. A. Mangaloreans 1922 births 1981 deaths People from Dakshina Kannada district Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in civil service India MPs 1977–1979 Lok Sabha members from Karnataka Rajya Sabha members from Karnataka People from Udupi district Commerce and Industry Ministers of India