Rm. Alagappa Chetiar, (1909 - 1957), recipient of the Padma Bhushan
award (1956), of the Government of India, is an Educationist,
an Industrialist and a Philanthropist. He had his schooling in
SMS Vidyasala, karaikudi and after completing his M.A. (Literature)
from Presidency College, Madras, he was the first Indian trainee
at the Chartered Bank in London and he qualified for the Bar at
Middle Temple in England. He held diverse portfolios as a Businessman
- owning Hotels (in Bombay), a Cinema Hall (in Madras), Rubber
plantations and Tin Mines (in Burma), Textile mills (in Kerala),
General Insurance and a privat airline. His flourishing business
in the Stock Market made him head the Bombay Stock Exchange. The
National Electro-Chemical Research Institute in Karaikudi was
started with a donation of 300 acres of land and 1.5 Million Rupees
by this Philanthropist. He was a voracious reader and held his
own with political leaders of the caliber of Jawaharlal Nehru
and Rajagopalachari (Rajaji). The Alagappa Chettiar College of
Technology in Madras is named after him and the Ramanujan Institute
which is today an integral part of the University of Madras is
due to his foresight. He died prematurely at an age of 48, at
the peak of his career due to an incurable skin disease leading
to bone disorders. He has left behind a legacy for his descendents
to emulate, especially in the educational areas of immense interest
to him.
