M. R. Ry. Dewan Nanoo Pillai (1827–1886) was a Travancorean statesman who served as the Diwan of

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...

from 1877 to 1880.

Early life

Nanoo Pillai was born in a

Nair The Nair , also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom histo ...

family of Neyyoor village of

in 1827. He was educated privately had his English schooling at the

London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed in outlook, with Congregational m ...

seminary in

Nagercoil Nagercoil, also spelt as Nagarkovil ("Temple of the Nāgas", or Nagaraja-Temple), is a city and the administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District in Tamil Nadu state, India. Situated close to the tip of the Indian peninsula, it lies on an ...

. While young, he caught the attention of General Cullen, the English Resident. He volunteered to work for the General as a translator and later as a secretary in the Resident's office.

Civil service

After serving for 14 years in the Resident's office, Nanoo Pillai joined the Travancore service as Assistant Sheristadar. With a strong recommendation from the then Diwan, Sir T. Madhava Rao, Nanoo Pillai was promoted to be Dewan Peishkar of the Southern Division. He was soon transferred to the Travancore division and officiated as the Dewan in Madhava Rao's absence on six occasions and was eventually appointed as the Diwan on the retirement of Seshayya Sastri in August 1877.

As Diwan

As Diwan of Travancore, Nanoo Pillai brought reforms in the Revenue Settlement introducing the transfer of registries. He also brought measures for irrigating the Southern Division and formulated the Kothayar Project before retiring in 1880.

References

Biographies

* {{Kingdom of Travancore 1827 births 1886 deaths Diwans of Travancore