Diwan Bahadur Dewan Bahadur or Diwan Bahadur was a title of honour awarded during British rule in India. It was awarded to individuals who had performed faithful service or acts of public welfare to the nation. From 1911 the title was accompanied by a special T ...

'' Sir Satappa Ramanatha Muttaiya Annamalai Chettiar,

Raja of Chettinad ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested fr ...

KCSI (30 September 1881 – 15 June 1948) was an Indian industrialist, banker, educationist and philanthropist from

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is 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 India ...

. He is the founder of

Annamalai University , logo = CampusmapofAU.jpg , image = Annamalai University logo.png , image_size = 225px , motto = "With Courage and Faith" , established = , type ...

Chidambaram Chidambaram is a 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 be of si ...

and one of the founders of Indian Bank, along with his brother

S. Rm. M. Ramaswami Chettiar Diwan Bahadur Satappa Ramanatha Muttaiya Ramaswami Chettiar (1872 – 5 November 1918) was an Indian businessman from what is now the state of Tamil Nadu. Early life Ramaswami Chettiar was born in 1872 to Muttaiya or Muthiah Chettiar of Chi ...

. Born to

S. Rm. Muthiah Chettiar Satappa Ramanatha Muthiah Chettiar (died 1900) was an Indian merchant, banker and philanthropist known for his work in renovating Saivite temples in India. He was the patriarch of the S. Rm. M. family. The M. Ct. family has descended from Muthi ...

of a wealthy Nagarathar family, Annamalai Chettiar joined the family business early and expanded their banking operations to South-East Asia. Annamalai Chettiar was one of the founders of Indian Bank along with his brother

and served as the first governor of the

Imperial Bank of India The Imperial Bank of India (IBI) was one of the oldest and the largest commercial bank of the Indian subcontinent, and was subsequently transformed into the State Bank of India in 1955. Initially, as per its royal charter, it acted as the cen ...

. He also served a term as a member of the Council of State, the upper house of the Imperial Legislative Council of India and was honoured with a knighthood in 1923 and the hereditary title of

in 1929.

Early life

Annamalai Chettiar was born on 30 September 1881 at Kanadukathan in the

Sivaganga estate The estate of Sivaganga ( ta, சிவகங்கை ஜமீன்), as per British records also known as Kingdom of the Lesser Marava, was a permanently settled ''zamindari'' estate in the Ramnad sub-division of Madura district, Madras P ...

of the then Madura district in the

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. His father, S.R. Muthiah Chettiar was a noted banker. His brother Ramaswami Chettiar was one of the founders of the Indian Bank of which Annamalai Chettiar later served as a director. After his schooling, he joined his family business and spent a considerable time in England. On his return home, he became the head of the civic body of Karaikudi and the District Board.

Career

In 1916, he transferred from local affairs to the Legislative Council of Madras Presidency, where he sat for 3 years. In 1920, he stood for election to the Council of State and held his seat in the council for three consecutive terms. He was appointed one of the governors of the

in 1921. Annamalai Chettiar established Sri Meenakshi College at

in 1920. A Tamil College was added in 1927 and an Oriental Training College and College of Music were established. All these institutions were combined to form the

Annamalai University , logo = CampusmapofAU.jpg , image = Annamalai University logo.png , image_size = 225px , motto = "With Courage and Faith" , established = , type ...

on 1 January 1929. He died on 15 June 1948.

Honours

Chettiar was given the title

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

for valuable services rendered to the Crown. Later, he was conferred the honour of knighthood on 2 June 1923. In 1929, he was conferred the title of hereditary

Family and legacy

Annamalai Chettiar's oldest son

M. A. Muthiah Chettiar Raja Sir Muttaiya Annamalai Muthiah Chettiar (5 August 1905 – 12 May 1984) was an Indian banker, politician, philanthropist, socialite and cultural activist who served as Mayor of Madras city (1933) and Minister of Excise and Education ...

, an activist of the Tamil Isai Movement, served as the Minister of Education and excise in the

while his third son

M. A. Chidambaram Muthiah Annamalai Chidambaram (12 October 1918 – 19 January 2000) was an Indian industrialist and cricket administrator. He was the youngest son of Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiar, Raja of Chettinad. Early life Chidambaram was born at Kanadukat ...

and grandson

A. C. Muthiah Annamalai Chidambaram Muthiah (born 1941) is an Indian industrialist and cricket administrator. He served as the Chairman of Southern Petrochemical Industries Limited (SPIC) and is the chairman of Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering (SVCE) ...

both served as presidents of the

Board of Control for Cricket in India The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the national governing body for cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at Cricket centre, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The BCCI is the richest governing body of cricket in the world ...

(BCCI). Annamalai Chettiar is the maternal grandfather of former Finance Minister of India

P. Chidambaram Palaniappan Chidambaram (born 16 September 1945), better known as P. Chidambaram, is an Indian politician and lawyer who currently serves as Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha. He served as the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee ...

. The suburb of

Raja Annamalaipuram Raja Annamalaipuram, known in short as R. A. Puram, is a neighbourhood of Chennai, India. Named after banker and philanthropist, S. Rm. M. Annamalai Chettiar who owned most of the property at one time, Raja Annamalaipuram extends along the north ...

in Chennai is named after Annamalai Chettiar. Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department issued a commemorative stamp in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chettiar, Annamalai 1881 births 1948 deaths Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India Indian Knights Bachelor Indian monarchs Founders of Indian schools and colleges Indian bankers Businesspeople from Chennai Mayors of Chennai Annamalai University 20th-century Indian philanthropists Members of the Council of State (India) Businesspeople in British India