P. Theagaraya Chetty

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Pitti Theagaraya Chetty
150px birth_place = Egathur, Madras Presidency, British India
Born (1852-04-27)April 27, 1852
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Madras, British India
Occupation lawyer, businessman, politician

Sir Pitti Theagaraya Chetty KCSI (April 27, 1852 - April 28, 1925) was an eminent lawyer, industrialist and a prominent political leader from the erstwhile Madras province. He was one of the founders of the Justice Party in 1916 along with C. Natesa Mudaliar, Dr. T. M. Nair. T.Nagar is a locality in Chennai which is named after him.

Theagaraya Chetty was born in a Telugu Chetty family of Madras Presidency. After graduating from Presidency College, Madras he served as a corporator and legislator. He had an avid interest in politics and served as a member of the Indian National Congress before founding the South Indian Liberal Federation in 1917. He served as the President of the federation from 1917 till his death in 1925.

Theagaraya Chetty is regarded as one of the founders of the non-Brahmin movement in Tamil Nadu and the first to lead the movement.

Early life

Theagaraya Chetty was born in Egathur, Madras Presidency in a Telugu Devanga Chetty family on April 27, 1852.[1] He did his schooling in Chennai and graduated in law from Presidency College, Madras.[1] On graduation, he entered public life and served as a member of the Corporation of Madras from 1882 to 1922.[1] He also served terms as the President of the Corporation of Madras,[1] and then as a Councillor till 1922.[2] He was the first non-official President of the Madras Corporation.[2]

Theagaraya Chetty was one of the founder-members of the South Indian Chamber of Commerce and served as its President.[3] from 1910 to 1921. When the Industrial Conference came to Madras, Theagaraya Chetty was the Chairman of the Reception Committee.[3] Theagaraya Chetty fought on behalf of the Indian Patriot newspaper and its editor Karunakara Menon against Dr T. M. Nair who later became his close associate.[3]

The Dravidian Movement

The Madras Non-Brahmin Association was formed in 1909 by two lawyers from Madras city, P. Subramanyam and M. Purushotham Naidu.[4] Sir Theagaroya Chetty did not involve himself in the movement until 1912, when the Madras United League (Later renamed as Madras Dravidian Association) was formed.[4]

At a meeting held in Madras in November 1916 by a group of about thirty people, including Theagaraya Chetti and Dr. T. M. Nair, it was resolved to start a company for publishing newspapers advocating the cause of the non-Brahmin community.[4] The newspaper was named Justice and started publishing from February 26, 1917 onwards.[5] Dr. T. M. Nair was its first Editor.

The South Indian People's Association was later formed as the mouthpiece of non-Brahmins with organizing the media arm of the non-Brahmin Movement as its main objective.[4] A political party was organised by the South Indian People's Association under the leadership of Sir P.Theagaroya Chetty and Dr. T. M. Nair and was named the South Indian Liberal Federation. It later came to be popularly known as the Justice Party after the English daily Justice which the party published.[4] The Federation was organised in October 1917 and its objectives were defined as :

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  • to create and promote the education, social, economic, political, material and moral progress of all communities in Southern India other than Brahmins,
  • to discuss public questions and make a true and timely representation to Government of the views and interests of the people of Southern India with the object of safeguarding and promoting the interests of all communities other than Brahmins and
  • to disseminate by public lectures, by distribution of literature and by other means sound and liberal views in regard to public opinion ".[4]

Early Years of the Justice Party

Theagaraya Chetty was elected the first President of the Justice Party and served as President until his death in 1925. A constitution was drawn on October 17, 1917.[6] District and city boards were established all over the Presidency.[7][8]

In the initial stages, the Justice Party concentrated its energies on work of a social character than political. During this period, the Justice Party held all-India non-Brahmin conferences to unite non-Brahmins all over the country.[9] The Justice Party argued for separate electorates and reservations in government jobs and civil service for non-Brahmins, at the British Parliament in London.[10] In 1919, Dr. T. M. Nair, the President of the Justice Party and leader of the delegation died in London at the age of fifty-one and was succeeded as President by Theagaraya Chetty.[2]

1920 elections

When elections were held in December 1920 in the Madras Presidency as per the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms, the Justice Party obtained a comfortable majority by winning 63 seats out of 98. The Governor of Madras invitied Theagaraya Chetty to form the Government. However, Theagaraya Chetty refused on account of his old age and failing health.[2] As a result, A. Subbarayalu Reddiar was appointed Chief Minister. He served for a few months before being succeeded by the Raja of Panagal.

Attitude towards Brahmins

In his speech as the President of the Reception Committee of the First Non-Brahmin Confederation, Theagaraya Chetty spoke:

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Towards the Brahmins, we cherish no feelings of bitterness. If we have to fight them we do so in the interests of truth and justice, and we shall be prepared to extend to them too the right hand of fellowship, when they shall see the wrongs inflicted upon us and repent. Ours is essentially a movement of love and not of hate, or love based upon a sense of what is due to the various classes which constitute the population of this vast and ancient land[11]

Death and legacy

History holds the fact that the credit of demolishing the ill and unfair influence of brahminism against the other communities belongs to the Justice Party and its successor party Dravidar Kazhagam. Theagaraya Chetty died on April 28, 1925[1] and was succeeded by the Raja of Panagal as the President of the Justice Party.[12] He is usually credited for the victories of the Justice Party in the 1920 and 1923 elections and for turning the Justice Party into a formidable force in the Presidency that continued to be so for a couple of decades.[12]

The locality T Nagar in Chennai is named after him. It is an important commercial centre today.

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Encyclopedia of Political Parties, Pg 146
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Some Madras Leaders
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  5. ↑ Encyclopedia of Political Parties, Pg 17
  6. ↑ Encyclopedia of Political Parties, Pg 141
  7. ↑ Encyclopedia of Political Parties, Pg 151
  8. ↑ Encyclopedia of Political Parties, Pg 153-155
  9. ↑ Encyclopedia of Political Parties, Pg 160-163
  10. ↑ Encyclopedia of Political Parties, Pg 173-174
  11. ↑ Encyclopedia of Political Parties, Pg 164
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Encyclopedia of Political Parties, Pg 187

See also

References

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External links

Preceded by
None
 President of the South Indian Liberal Federation
1917–1925		 Succeeded by
Raja of Panagal
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