Alagappa Chettiar


Sir Alagappa Chettiar was an Indian businessman and philanthropist. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award in India, in 1956.

Early life

Chettiar was born in Kottaiyur in the Sivaganga District of Tamil Nadu to Kumaraswamy Valayapalayam Aiyah Lakshmana Ramanathan Chettiar and Umayal Achi in India. He attended Presidency College in Chennai, where he befriended Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a teacher who later became the President of India. In 1930, at the age of 21, he was the first person from the Nattukottai Nagarathar community to earn a M.A. degree in English Language and Literature.
After graduation, he began legal studies in England and qualified for the Bar at Middle Temple, London, in 1933. He became a 'Bar-at-Law' in Chettinad, India. During that time, He earned a pilot's certificate in Croydon, London, and was the first Indian to be trained at Standard Chartered Bank, London.

Business career

Chettiar's business activities were recognized by the British Government when he was knighted in the 1946 New Year Honours at the age of 37. He renounced the title of knighthood when India attained independence. On 26 January 1956, the President of India conferred the Padma Bhushan on him.
Chettiar began his career in textiles. In 1937 he started Cochin Textiles, later Alagappa Textiles at Alagappa Nagar near Thrissur in Kerala. The township for Cochin textile staff was named "Alagappa Nagar". He also invested in rubber plantations, tin mines, textile mills, insurance companies, hotels, theatres, a stock exchange, and a private airline.

Philanthropy

Chettiar supported educational initiatives, including a donation of 100,000 rupees to the Tamil Department of Travancore University in 1943.
In 1947, at the Annie Besant centenary celebrations, a proposal was made to establish an arts college in Karaikudi to support educational development in India. This led to the establishment of Alagappa Arts College, which opened three days later at Gandhi Maleghai. Subsequent financial contributions supported the creation of a number of educational institutions, which formed the basis for the foundation of the Alagappa University in 1985 by the Government of Tamil Nadu.
He encouraged Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to locate one of the Government's National Research Institutes on the Alagappa campus. At the inauguration of the Central Electro Chemical Research Institute on 14 January 1953, then-Vice President of India Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan stated:
Alagappa Chettiar was the founder of the A.C. College of Technology in Guindy. The college, now a constituent of Anna University, offers specialized courses in fields including chemical engineering, petroleum refining & petrochemicals, textile engineering, leather technology, industrial biotechnology, ceramic technology, pharmaceutical technology, and food technology. Chettiar also donated his residence in Kottaiyur to start a women's college.

Notable donations and institutions

His other foundations and charitable donations included:

Illness and death

Chettiar was treated for cancer in 1955. After a brief recovery, his health worsened, and he died on 5 April 1957 at his residence in Vepery, Madras.