From India's Digital Archives-8: Representative Men of Southern India

The book featured in this issue, Representative Men of Southern India by Govinda Parameswaran Pillai (1896) is a compilation of brief sketches of eminent personalities of the 19th century from the region.

Born in 1864, GP Pillai as the author was known was a multifaceted personality. Educated at the Maharajah’s College in Trivandrum and the Presidency College in Madras, he qualified as a barrister in England. He was one of the key members of the Indian National Congress in its early years, serving as its secretary in 1894 and 1898. Amongst his achievements as a political activist was the Malayali Memorial, which strove for reservation qualified persons at par with the numerical strength of the communities. In 1892, he took over as the Editor of the Madras Standard, a paper that had been founded in 1877. He came into close contact with Mahatma Gandhi, who used its pages to write extensively on the grievances of Indians in South Africa. In his autobiography Experiments with Truth, the Mahatma writes warmly about his relationship with GP Pillai, who passed away when he was hardly 39.

In the preface to the book, GP Pillai laments that “while the biographies of several eminent men of Bengal and Bombay have been published, India knows little or nothing of the greatest men of South India”. In an attempt to set this right, he started a column titled “Our Portrait Gallery” in the Madras Standard which contained brief biographical sketches of eminent Indians. This book is a collection of twelve of these sketches. While the book profiles some of those whose lives have been well documented, such as Sir T Madhava Row and Sir Savalai Ramaswamy Mudaliar, it also profiles people such as Sir T Muthuswamy Iyer, Rao Bahadur T Gopala Row, Gazulu Lakshminarasu Chetty (MM, Feb 1-15, 2011) and V Ramiengar, whose achievements and contributions have been long forgotten.

Born in 1832, Sir T Muthuswamy Iyer’s humble beginnings were no indicator of the fame and distinction he would achieve as a Jurist. Compelled to work at an early age due to his family circumstances, Muthuswamy Iyer completed his studies thanks to the benevolence of his employer, the village Tahsildar. Joining government service, he held several positions such as the Deputy Collector and Magistrate of Arcot and later Tanjore. Remarkably, he appeared for his BL Examinations during his time as a Magistrate and acquired a First Class. In 1878, he became the first Indian to become a Judge of the Madras High Court.

If Muthuswamy Iyer’s rags to riches story is remarkable, no less inspiring is the profile of Rao Bahadur Thandalam Gopala Row. Born in a Tanjore Marathi family, Gopala Row had little by way of formal education. Having learnt Marathi and Sanskrit from his father, he joined the Education Department as a First Assistant in the Provincial School at Kumbakonam. He graduated with a BA Degree in 1859 with a First Class. He was placed in sole charge of the Kumbakonam College between 1872 and 1874, where he became renowned as a Maths and English scholar but was never appointed its Principal. In 1878, he was transferred to the Presidency College, where he spent the last years of his life. He passed away in 1886. Rich tributes were paid by eminent personalities such as Rev Dr Miller, who wrote that “few of the educated sons of Southern India held so high a place in the regard of the Natives and English equally”.

Dewan V Ramiengar, hailing from the renowned Vembakkam clan was distinguished himself as a civil servant, serving the Government in various capacities during his career. He was the first Indian to serve as an official member of the Madras Legislative Council. On retiring from the service in 1880, he was appointed as Dewan of Travancore, where he is credited with having brought about several educational and revenue reforms and revamping the judicial system in the State.

GP Pillai brought out another book titled Representative Indians the next year, comprising the sketches of 40 personalities from across the country. It was published in London, with the preface by Sir Richard Temple. The Madras Standard got a new lease of life in 1914, when it was bought over by Annie Besant, who renamed it New India.

From India's Digital Archives-7: History of Freemasonry on the Coast of Coromandel

Freemasonry is one of the world’s oldest social movements, with its origins being traced to the times of King Solomon. Modern Freemasonry is however dated to 1717, when the United Grand Lodge of England, the body that has overseen much of the progress of freemasonry across the world was founded. The first lodge formed in our country was in Fort William in Calcutta in 1728. The movement took roots in South India in 1752, with the formation of the District Grand Lodge of Madras. The book featured in this edition, History of Freemasonry on the Coast of Coromandel (1895) traces the origins and early history of the movement in South India.

The book notes that most of the early lodges were what were known as travelling lodges. Owing to the fact that most of the early members of the fraternity were attached to regiments, the lodges shifted bases with the regiments. The fate of these lodges depended on the exploits of their members on the battlefields. Thus, the book records several instances of lodges going out of existence, only to be resurrected by surviving members a few years later at a different place. The year 1786 marked a watershed moment in the history of the movement in South India. It saw the coming together of the Antients and the Moderns, the two competing branches of Masonry that owed allegiance to their parent bodies in England. The Grand Union, as it came to be known was a momentous occasion which put an end to a period of strife and uncertainty surrounding the movement. Marking the Grand Union, a new Lodge, Perfect Unanimity No.1 was formed in 1787. It is the oldest lodge in continuous existence in Madras to this day. This lodge was the pivot around which the entire movement revolved in the region. It was at the forefront along with the Provincial Grand Lodge in overseeing the development of the movement in all aspects. For instance, it was the leader in the practice of the masonic virtue of charity, playing an active role in the founding of the Civil Orphan Asylum and Charitable Committee for the relief of the poor, which was the origin of the Friend in Need Society. The role of the Lodge in leading the search for a permanent home for the fraternity in Madras, which would culminate in the coming up of the present premises in Egmore in 1925 is another noteworthy contribution.

Over the period of its existence, several prominent personalities, both Indian and European who have contributed to the social, political, commercial and cultural landscape of the region have been members of the movement. Notable names from the latter section include that of Dr James Anderson, the botanist, FW Ellis (the Tamil scholar who propounded the Dravidian proof), RF Chisholm, the famous architect and pioneer of the Indo Saracenic style of architecture and GB Bruce, the Father of the Railways in South India. It is also interesting to note that three Governors of Madras, Lord Elphinstone, Lord Connemara and Lord Ampthill were at the helm of the fraternity in South India as District Grand Masters during their gubernatorial tenures.

Indian participation in the movement began to increase only in the 1850s, though the first Indian member, Umdat-Ul-Umrah, the Nawab of Carnatic had been initiated in 1775. In 1883, the first lodge to be exclusively formed by Indians, Lodge Carnatic came into existence. Over the years, the Lodge has had on its rolls several illustrious personalities such as Pammal Sambanda Mudaliar, Sir C Sankaran Nair, C Rajagopalachari, Lodd Govindoss and TMS Mani, ICS (who developed the Neyveli township).

The book, written by Rev CH Malden, Garrison Chaplain of Fort St George and published by Addison and Co, Mount Road is a fascinating account of the early history of the movement. Containing short histories of the old Lodges, the book also has comprehensive appendices which list out the 69 lodges “ever warranted on the Coast of Coromandel” chronologically along with their places of meeting from 1752 to 1895. Malden also authored “A Handbook to St Marys Church” and two other comprehensive works, List of Burials at Madras from 1680 to 1746 and List of Burials at Madras (St Mary’s Cemetery) from 1801 to 1850.

From India's Digital Archives-6: Labour in Madras

Amongst the many distinctions that the city has to its credit is the fact that it was here that the first organised labour union in the entire country, the eponymous Madras Labour Union was founded in 1918. Commemorating the centenary of this pioneering movement, the book featured in this issue traces the origins and the early days of the Union through one of its torchbearers, noted Theosophist BP Wadia.

With the expanding industrial landscape of Madras in the late 19th and early 20th century, labour started voicing out its concerns and agitating against what it felt were unjust working conditions. As early as 1889, the workers of Binny’s Carnatic Mills went on strike demanding that Sunday be made a weekly holiday. Over the course of the next few decades, labour unrest would manifest in the form of sporadic incidents of agitations, such as the one in the Perambur Railway workshops in 1913.

In his foreword to the book, Wadia says that the idea for an association that would fight for the rights of the labour took seed when one day in early 1918, two workers from the Buckingham and Carnatic mills met him and complained about the insufficient time allowed to them for lunch in the factory. On observing the conditions, he found it fit to take up their cause and use it as an opportunity to form a movement that would be the voice of the labour class.

On April 13, 1918 the workers of the textile mills assembled under the auspices of the Venkatesa Gunamrita Varshini Sabha (probably a religious and cultural organisation) on Perambur Barracks Road. BP Wadia addressed the gathering and promised to study their troubles in full and arrive at a resolution. Two weeks later, at the meeting on April 27, it was decided that an association called the Madras Labour Union would be formed. A subscription of one anna was fixed and it was resolved that the Union would not be restricted to the workers of the textile mills alone. It was also resolved to invite several leading figures of Madras to visit and address the meetings. Wadia found a resolute comrade in the fiery orator, Tiru-Vi-Kalyanasundaram Mudaliar, who would translate the speeches into Tamil. In a special note addressed to Tiru-Vi-Ka in the book, Wadia acknowledges his mighty contribution towards the growth of the movement.

The book, published in 1921 is a fascinating account of the early days of the Union through the speeches of BP Wadia. The formation of the Union had unsurprisingly evoked a sharp response from the administration. While the Madras Mail, for long the voice of the Madras Chamber of Commerce wrote against the movement, the Governor of Madras Lord Pentland met Wadia and expressed his reservations on the grounds that the B&C mills were engaged in war work and that this would only serve as a means to disruption. It is interesting to read that at every meeting, Wadia exhorts that workers ought to cooperate with the management and not give them an opportunity to allege that the Union was instrumental in bringing about indiscipline.

Apart from Tiru-Vi-Ka and Wadia, mention also has to be made about the contributions of G Selvapathy Chetty and Ramanujulu Naidu, two businessmen who would be the first general secretaries of the Union. Selvapathy Chetty is remembered even today in a park named after him in Strahan’s Road, Pattalam. A striking feature of the park, which was opened in August 1948 is its beautiful art-deco clock tower. The Union’s own building, which stands in a derelict state even today was inaugurated in 1931 and is named the Selvapathy-Ramanujulu building. Another interesting piece of information, which is recorded in the Madras Labour Gazette of 1959 is that in a tribute to Ramanujlu Naidu, 12436 out of 14721 workers of the B&C Mills struck work on October 2, 1959 for less than a day to mourn his demise.

From India's Digital Archives-5: An outline of the Madras Presidency

The book featured in this issue is one of its kind, an overview of the Madras Presidency written in Gujarati.

The Gujaratis were amongst the earliest migrant communities in the Madras Presidency, their association dating to at least the mid-1500s. Over the course of this period, they have actively contributed to the development of the social, commercial and cultural landscape of the region.

The Malabar Samachar weekly, founded in 1925 was the first Gujarati magazine in the Madras Presidency. It was edited and published by Madhavrai Gigabhai Joshi, a businessman who settled in Cochin after retiring from successful venture in Rangoon. There is no information either on him or as to the trade he was engaged in. Madhavrai took a keen interest in Gujarati literature and wrote a series of articles suggesting several schemes for its promotion, especially for the benefit of Gujaratis living outside the State. He also wrote to the Gujarati Sahitya Parishad (Gujarati Literary Council) requesting that the schemes be discussed and considered for implementation. However, nothing concrete was to come out of it. He was however undeterred by the poor response.

One important scheme proposed was to fix a centre annually from among the commercial centres of the country and to commission a work on that region covering in particular its mineral wealth and the consequential potential for growth. Madhavrai took it upon himself to present the first work, Malabar Pradesh-nu Ruparekha (An outline of Malabar Territory), which came out as the first annual number to the subscribers of the Malabar Samachar.

The suggestion for a similar book on the Madras Presidency was given by BG Anjaria of M/s PD Asher and Co of Tiruppur, well-known cloth merchants. Initially not so keen on the proposal, as he wanted to write a second edition of the book on Malabar, Madhavrai writes that he agreed as he saw the need to win the support of the different sections of Gujaratis who had settled in other parts of the Madras Presidency for business purposes. Thus, was born Madras Ilakanu Digdarshan.

The book comprises an overview of the Geographical and Trade aspects of the Madras Presidency. The trade section is particularly interesting, given the varied businesses the community had a presence in. In addition to a list of factories, tea and coffee estates, this section contains short sketches of successful Gujarati businessmen of the Presidency. Some well-known names covered in the sketches include that of Gocooladoss Jumnadoss and Co (cloth merchants, the family behind the creation of the Vallabhacharya Vidya Sabha which manages institutions such as the DG Vaishnav College), TB Mehta and Sons (diamond merchants), Lalubhai Velchand Desai (one of the earliest Gujarati cycle merchants and after whom a school is named in Bangalore), M/s Surajmals (jewellers) and Khan Bahadur Adam Hajee Mohammad Sait. Also of note is the involvement of the community in charities established and managed by them, such as the Madras Pinjrapole (established 1905) and the South Indian Humanitarian League (1926).

The book, which came out in 1928 was printed in Bhavnagar, at the Gujarati Punch’s printing press. It was clearly intended to be the first in a series, as Madhavrai says that thanks to the large volume of material gathered during his research, he had to restrict the book to the above two aspects. There is however no information as to whether subsequent volumes saw the light of the day.

From India's Digital Archives-4: Towers of higher education

The University of Madras was established by an Act of the Legislative Council of India dated September 5, 1857. It had its genesis in what was known as the ‘Magna Carta of English Education in India’, Wood’s Despatch of 1854. Similar institutions were established in Bombay and Calcutta.

The Despatch, a seminal documentation on education in India, recommended several measures to promote and administer education in the country, such as the establishment of a Department of Public Instruction in each Presidency and the establishment of schools and colleges as well as institutions for training teachers. Special emphasis was given for higher education, with the setting up of universities in each of the Presidency Towns being an important point. It was felt that the progress in English education in the preceding few years had indicated that it was time to establish universities that would offer a regular and liberal course of higher education. With the founding of the University of Madras, the High School of Madras, which had been established in 1841 was reconstituted and became the Presidency College.

The early years of the University were primarily as a body for conducting exams and conferring degrees on the successful candidates. The degrees for which candidates were examined included Degrees in Medicine, Law and Engineering besides Degrees in Arts. It functioned in a portion of the Presidency College building, where it continued to remain till 1873 when the Senate House was completed. The first entrance examination, known as the Matriculation, was held in September 1857, where a total of 36 out of 41 candidates who appeared, passed. The first graduates were C.W. Thamotharan Pillai and Vishwanatha Pillai, both from the American Missionary Seminary in Jaffna, who were the only two to take the University’s final BA exams.

By 1881, the number of colleges in the Presidency had grown to 24, of which seven were first grade and the remaining second grade. As the number grew, the University too started making changes in its administrative pattern and increasing the number of degrees in which examinations were conducted. In 1877, private candidates (students who had not pursued classes at a recognised institution) were allowed to take examinations with the consent of the Syndicate. In 1885, a Degree in Teaching was offered for the first time. The rules for affiliation of colleges were made more stringent and the Syndicate was empowered to refuse affiliation to colleges with inadequate infrastructure. The office of the Registrar was made a whole-time one from 1891.

The centenary of the institution was celebrated in a grand manner in January 1957. The events included a grand exhibition in the grounds of the College of Engineering, Guindy, a Science Symposium and a sports meet. A special convocation was held and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was conferred an honorary degree. He also laid the foundation stone of the Centenary building. Several committees were set up to organise the celebrations.

The Publication Committee, under the convenorship of K. Balasubramania Aiyar, noted lawyer, was entrusted with the task of bringing out an account of the growth of the University. Comprising two volumes, it was written by Dr. K.K. Pillay, Professor of Indian History and Archaeology, University of Madras. The first volume, comprising the history of the first hundred years, is an extensive documentation of the progress of the higher education in South India. The second volume comprises sketches of the various colleges affiliated to the University. Along with W.T. Sattianadhan’s History of Education in the Madras Presidency (1894), these volumes constitute a treasure trove of literature on the progress of education in South India.

From India's Digital Archives-3: Thomas Parry, Free Merchant

Thomas Parry was one of the most prominent merchants in the annals of the business history of the Madras Presidency. Arriving in Madras in 1788, he made the city and, by extension, the Presidency his home for the next three and a half decades before passing away in harness in Porto-Novo in 1824. The subject of this column is a book written in 1938, commemorating the 150th year of his arrival in Madras.

Born in 1768 in Leighton Hall, Welshpool, Thomas Parry arrived in Madras aged twenty and registered himself as a Free Merchant. His first business enterprise was in 1789, in partnership with Thomas Chase, a civil servant, who, besides his official duties, carried on a general banking and agency business. The partnership lasted for three years, before Parry quit in 1792 to strike out on his own. By 1795, he had become a known name in commercial circles, thanks to the success of his shipping business that he had begun in a small way during his partnership with Chase. His reputation led him to being appointed the Secretary of the Carnatic Insurance Co. and Examiner to the Mayor’s Court, positions that he described as “situations of respectability and emolument”. These, however, were short-lived ventures, as he entered the service of the Nawab of Carnatic as Captain in 1796. His job was in the Treasury, where he was in charge of collecting the duties. His private ventures, however, remained unaffected and moved from strength and strength, under several partnerships. His relationship with the East India Company was one that blew hot and cold, and he found himself perilously close to being deported to England in 1800.

Over the course of the next two decades, Parry’s businesses spread across South India. In 1805, he founded the first tannery in Madras, in San Thomé and, four years later, took over sugar and indigo manufacturing units in Chidambaram. He also established a shipbuilding business in Cochin, which by 1820 was building King’s Ships for the Royal Navy.

His commercial success meant that he owned substantial property in Madras. By 1819, he owned seven houses in Madras, one at San Thomé (Leith Castle), two in Nungambakkam (Wallace Gardens and Mackay’s Gardens) and four in Purasawalkam. The business was headquartered at the south corner of First Line Beach, a location which came to be known as Parry’s Corner. His most significant partnership was with John William Dare in 1819, one which would expand the empire substantially long after his death in 1824.

The book, written by G.H. Hodgson, a director in Parry and Co., is compiled from private letters written by Thomas Parry between 1806 and 1809 and ledgers and other records in the possession of the Company.

The first part of the book deals with Thomas Parry’s life, while extracts from the letters form the second part. These letters are of considerable interest, recording Thomas Parry’s views of various events and his business correspondence. Richly illustrated with drawings and photographs from the collection of the Company (including a perspective drawing of the new buildings that would come up in 1940), this book is a delightful account of the eventful and colourful life of Thomas Parry, Free Merchant.

From India's Digital Archive-2: Natesan and his Indian Review

The Indian Review, a monthly periodical “devoted to the discussion of all topics of interest” was founded in 1900. Over the course of the next fifty years, it gained renown as one of India’s leading intellectual journals thanks in no small measure to the fact that its contributors included the best of names from across the legal, political and literary spectrums. That it was able to attract a stellar list was due to the tireless efforts of the founder, the well-known publisher and nationalist G.A. Natesan.

Born in 1879 in Kumbakonam, Natesan graduated with a B.A. degree from Presidency College. A keen debater and thinker on social issues, he was the Secretary of the College’s Literary Society. Advertising as “G.A. Natesan, Student, Presidency College” in his search for lecturers and chairpersons, he was instrumental in organising lectures by several eminent personalities of the time.

Despite being offered a job in Government Service, Natesan chose to train as a journalist and joined the offices of the Madras Times as an apprentice under Glyn Barlow, its longstanding editor. Having learnt the ropes of journalism, he quit the newspaper when it was time to be employed, as important positions, especially in newspapers, were out of bounds to Indians thanks to the European ownership. He was unwilling to take up the small post that Barlow offered to create for him. With the knowledge gained out of his apprenticeship, he founded the eponymously named publishing house, G A Natesan and Co in 1897.

The idea driving the starting of The Indian Review was to bring out a journal that would be devoted to the welfare of India, but at the same time would be independent enough to ensure that both Europeans and Indians could contribute to its columns without any inhibitions. Reflecting this ideal, the design comprised a European and an Indian standing side by side. The motto, “Away with Ill feeling” was chosen by Glyn Barlow.

The magazine was a success right from its inception. Edited by Natesan himself, it covered topics of varied interests and championed several causes both within the country and abroad. Over the years, its contributors included the likes of Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyer, Rt. Hon’ble V.S. Srinivasa Sastri, V. Krishnaswamy Aiyer, C.A. White (Chief Justice of Madras), J. J. Cotton, Alfred Chatterton and R.C. Dutt.

G.A. Natesan as early as 1896 had been in touch with a barrister in Natal who had been fighting for better treatment for Indians in the colony. In 1915, when this barrister came to Madras, he stayed with G.A. Natesan at his residence in Thambu Chetty Street. Their friendship grew closer as the Independence movement gained steam and the barrister gradually changed his role to become known as Mahatma Gandhi.

Natesan passed away in 1949 and the magazine was edited thereafter for some time by his son Maniam Natesan. It wound up in 1962 and was resurrected in 1970 by T.T. Vasu, who bought the journal as a space for his father T.T. Krishnamachari to voice his views on the happenings of a young nation. Helping out in this venture was M.C. Subrahmanyam, veteran journalist and founder of the Public Health Centre in West Mambalam. After TTK’s death in 1974, Subrahmanyam kept it going for a few more years. His demise in 1982 brought about its closure.

The DLI has in its archives several editions of the magazine whose contribution to the Independence movement and in shaping the political and social discourse of the times through its pages largely remains in the shadows today.