T. Namberumal Chetty
T. Namberumal Chetty | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Indian |
Diwan Bahadur Thaticonda Namberumal Chetty (c. 1856 – 3 December 1925) was an Indian contractor, engineer, builder and businessman who constructed a number of public buildings in the city of Madras in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Career
[edit]Namberumal Chetty was born in Madras (now Chennai) in 1856.[2] He belonged to a Komati Chetty family.[2] Namberumal Chetty started his business as a builder in 1880.[3] During his career, Chetty constructed the buildings of the Government Museum, Chennai,[2] Victoria Technical Institute, YMCA, Madras Law College, Connemara Library, Bank of Madras and the Victoria Memorial Hall.[3] The National Bank of India building that he constructed in 1914 was demolished in the late 20th century.[4] Many of the buildings constructed by Chetty use red brick manufactured in kilns that Chetty owned.[2]
Apart from building activities, Chetty was also a popular merchant and imported timber from Rangoon and Moulmein.[3] He served as the managing director of the Trichur Timber and Saw Mills Ltd. which exported timber to Bombay, Calcutta, Colombo, London, Liverpool, Germany, New York and South Africa.[3] He also owned the Trivellore Light Railway,[5] a small tramway line which functioned as a feeder to the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway.[3] In 1936, the railway owned one locomotive, three railcars, 14 coaches and one goods wagon.[6]
Legacy and honours
[edit]In November 1901, Namberumal Chetty was awarded the title of "Rao Sahib".[3] Later he was awarded a "Rao Bahadur" title and in 1923, a "Diwan Bahadur" title was bestowed upon him.[2] At the opening of the Victoria Students Hostel on 29 January 1900, Sir Arthur Havelock, governor of Madras said:
Mr. Namberumal Chetty will have his name recorded in Madras with many small and beautiful buildings in stone, brick and mortar. It should be a proud remembrance for him and his descendants that he has so much to do with the beautifying of the city[3]
Namberumal Chetty was also the first native Indian in Madras city to own an automobile.[2][7]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Victoria Public Hall restoration to be completed by June, The Hindu, 3 May 2011
- ^ a b c d e f de Neve, Geert; Donner, Henrike (2006). The meaning of the local: politics of place in urban India. Routledge. pp. 105–106. ISBN 1844721140.
- ^ a b c d e f g Playne, Somerset; J. W. Bond; Arnold Wright (1914). Southern India: Its History, People, Commerce, and Industrial Resources. p. 650. ISBN 9788120613447.
- ^ S. Muthiah, The splendour of banker's row, The Hindu (Metro Plus Chennai), 18 December 2002
- ^ "Trivellore Light Railway". Retrieved 16 November 2022.
- ^ World Survey of Foreign Railways. Transportation Division, Bureau of foreign and domestic commerce, Washington D.C. 1936. p. 226b.
- ^ Sriram, V. (16–31 January 2009). "Historic Residences in Chennai-10". Madras Musings. 18 (19).