Latest news with #Chettiar
Hans India
2 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
The Sona Story: The Textile to Tech Journey of Chettiar Industrialist C. Valliappa
Bengaluru: In the pantheon of India's IT revolution, few real estate addresses are as iconic as Sona Towers on Bengaluru's Millers Road. And fewer still are the stories as quietly powerful as that of the man behind it—C. Valliappa, the Chettiar industrialist whose foresight laid the very foundations for what would become India's Silicon Valley moment. Chitra Narayanan's 'The Sona Story' by Bloomsbury captures this remarkable journey with depth, subtlety and a strong narrative pulse. At the heart of the book lies the gripping account of how Valliappa, a textile magnate with no prior experience in commercial real estate, constructed Sona Towers with unwavering commitment to quality. In 1984, Texas Instruments (TI), the American semiconductor giant, chose this building to house India's first offshore software development centre using remote uplink using a satellite dish atop Sona Towers—a landmark event that catalysed India's software exports and tech services boom. With its wind-tested structures, earthquake-resistant foundation, and uninterrupted power supply, Sona Towers was years ahead of its time. As Nandan Nilekani, co-founder of Infosys, notes in his advance praise, 'Mr Valliappa was the first entrepreneur to work with a global multinational like Texas Instruments to put up India's first remote software development centre using a satellite dish.' His efforts also unlocked a wave of government support, including the STPI programme, further fuelling Bengaluru's ascent as a global tech hub. What makes the book especially compelling is its multidimensional portrayal of Valliappa—not just as a businessman, but as a compassionate human being. Whether it's his refusal to let a tenant compromise his ethics or his focus on philanthropic efforts in education, healthcare, and rural development, the portrait that emerges is of a man who blended Vyaparam (enterprise) with Dharmam (giving). As Bhaskar Bhat, former MD of Titan, housed at Sona Towers in its early years, reflects, Valliappa's life 'will go a long way in helping budding entrepreneurs conduct themselves through life.' And IM Kadri, the architect of Sona Towers, aptly calls it 'a delightful and inspiring journey.' The book is gripping, grounded, and full of quiet revelations. A very honest glimpse into how one man's foresight created a launchpad for big tech dreams. Lovely read, and worth finding a permanent place on bookshelves. For those interested in entrepreneurship, technology, and the soul of Indian business, The Sona Story is a rich and rewarding read. By Chitra Narayanan | Published by Bloomsbury India Rs 499
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
How Bharathidasan Parambarai boxed social evil with verses and created an enduring legacy of tamil poetic heirs
Subramania Bharati inspired millions , but not many of his disciples can claim to have spawned a family of poets who reinforced his literary legacy with such verve. Born in Puducherry on April 29, 1891, Kanaga Subburathinam was a Tamil teacher who, until the age of 30, wrote only devotional poetry. It was his association with popular poet and social reformer C Subramania Bharati that made him move from praising gods to championing the cause of people. Bharathidasan first met poet Bharati, the firebrand nationalist bard, at 17, during a gathering at his physical education teacher Venu Naicker's home in Puducherry. Upon Venu's request, Subburathinam sang a few songs, unaware they were Bharati's compositions. After that interaction, Subburathinam renamed himself Bharathidasan — meaning 'disciple of Bharati', out of reverence for the Mahakavi. "After my meeting with Subramania Bharati, I found a new voice in my language," Bharathidasan later wrote in one of his songs. From that point on, he chose to write poems about social issues instead of religious idols. Over time, he went beyond Bharati in his verses on Tamil identity, society, and culture, which later earned him the title 'Paavendhar' or the king of poetry. At Bharati's request, Bharathidasan wrote 'Engengu kaaninum sakthiyadaa' (Wherever I look, there is power). Bharati not only endorsed it but also sent it to Swadesamitran, where he once worked as an assistant editor. Bharati, while recommending the poem for publication, wrote: "The poem was written by Kanaga Subburathinam of Sri Subramania Bharati Kavitha Mandalam (Sri Subramania Bharati's poetry circle)." That was how Bharati came to see Bharathidasan as his literary heir. In turn, Bharathidasan tried to carry the legacy forward, launching a monthly magazine 'Sri Subramania Bharati Kavitha Mandalam' in 1935 to discover and nurture Bharati's next heirs. But the magazine, published from Puducherry, folded after just six issues. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo While Bharati found only one true successor in Bharathidasan, the latter had 48 literary heirs. How those heirs were identified is a story, says Mu Elangovan, associate professor of Tamil at Kanchi Mamunivar Government Institute for PG Studies and Research in Puducherry. "Bharathidasan was invited to speak at Athangudi in Sivaganga district, a village dominated by the devout Chettiar community," says Elangovan. "He was asked to speak on rationalism and atheism. As the topics didn't sit well with the people of the region, not a single villager showed up." But ten others did. Six were members of the Dravidar Kazhagam (founded by rationalist Periyar) and four were students from Konapattu (now part of Pudukottai district). "Among them was Murugu Subramaniam, a student who went on to launch the magazine 'Ponni' in 1947." Moved by Bharathidasan's speech, Subramaniam was determined to contribute to the development of Tamil. At the time, Bharathidasan was only popular in Dravidar Kazhagam circles. "Ponni was started with the sole aim to popularise Bharathidasan's works," says Elangovan. The magazine ran from 1947 to 1954. Between 1947 and 1949, it started to publish poems of budding poets who followed the style, structure, and content of Bharathidasan. The series was titled ' Bharathidasan Parambarai '. One of the poetic heirs, Suradha, short for Subburathina Dasan, compiled these 48 poems into a book with the same name. By then, Murugu Subramaniam moved to Malaysia, where he was the editor of 'Tamil Nesan', a now-defunct Tamil daily. Elangovan, whose doctoral thesis was on 'Bharathidasan Parambarai', says this literary lineage wasn't confined to those introduced by Ponni. "I found two more categories of descendancy — poets who were introduced by Bharathidasan in his magazine 'Kuyil' and those inspired by the poet's works," he says. The first wave of Bharathidasan Parambarai included prominent personalities such as V C Kulandaisamy, the second Vice-Chancellor of Anna University; politician Nanjil K Manoharan, who served in DMK and AIADMK regimes; and Subbu Arumugam, the villupattu exponent. All 48 poets in this group wrote 'marabu kavithai', a traditional format with a defined set of rules. "Bharathidasan wrote about rationalism, Tamil pride, and communist thought. He also penned lyrics for films," says Senthalai Na Gowthaman, Sulur Paavendar Peravai, a group that popularises the works of Bharathidasan in Coimbatore district. "The literary heirs chose to focus on different themes Bharathidasan touched. For example, poets Mudiyarasan and Perunchithiranar focused on Tamil pride, Tamil Oli wrote about communism, and in films, Kannadasan and Pattukottai Kalyanasundaram reflected Bharathidasan's style." Gowthaman says the lineage didn't end with the 48 poets. "It continues, especially through Tamil cinema." When 'Puthukavithai' (free verse) became popular in the Tamil literary world by breaking the rules and grammar of poetry, 'marabu kavithai' started to lose its sheen. "It was then that some poets in Coimbatore founded 'Vaanampaadi', a poetry circle which brought together new verse and old traditional poetry formats in line with Bharati and Bharathidasan," says Gowthaman. Some of the well-known poets of the 'Vaanampaadi' style include Abdul Rahman, Sirpi, Puviyarasu, Erode Tamilanban, Inquilab, and Kovai Gnani. "Writer Sujatha, through his columns, introduced various grammar and rules of Tamil poetry. He also identified some of the new poets such as Na Muthukumar, who later went on to become a popular lyricist in the Tamil film industry. Today, lyricists such as Arivumathi, Palani Bharathi, and Yuga Bharathi retain Bharathidasan's style, structure, sentiments, and content," says Gowthaman. The Tamil diaspora, says Gowthaman, has been urging the state govt to announce a 'Tamil language day'. "Now, chief minister M K Stalin has announced 'Tamil Week' (between April 29 and May 5) after Bharathidasan's birth anniversary instead of 'Tamil day', which is a good sign for our literary heritage." Email your feedback with name and address to MSID:: 120800031 413 |
Hindustan Times
25-04-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
The Chettiars could have rivalled the Marwaris had history played out differently: New book
In his new book Fortune Seekers, economic historian Raman Mahadevan maps the rise of the Chettiars — and why their vast Southeast Asian network didn't last. The Chettiars were reportedly known as the 'bankers of the East'. Exactly how powerful were they in their heyday? They were really big and economically quite influential. Some estimates suggest that the total assets of the Chettiar community, which were valued at around ₹10 crore in the 1880s, had by 1929 grown phenomenally to about ₹200 crore. Keeping in mind that this was a small community — some surveys suggest they numbered just around 1,25,000 in the 1930s — this was a very impressive achievement. Their migration to the Far East picked up in the 1870s, catalysed by the opening of the Suez Canal, which effectively shrank the distance between Asia and global markets. That had a huge impact on the whole process of commercialisation and created business opportunities, which, in a sense, triggered the movement of Chettiar capital to these regions. In Burma, for instance, while Europeans owned the big rice mills, the financing of agricultural production was almost entirely in the hands of the Chettiars. That's where they made their money. Similarly, the global automobile industry required rubber and tin — both of which came from Malaya — and again, the Chettiars financed the production of these commodities. In Ceylon, they funded the non-European coffee, tea, and coconut plantations. The crisis began with the Great Depression and deepened with the Second World War. Counterfactually, you could argue that had these global shocks not occurred, the economic landscape in India might have been very different. If the Chettiars had managed to bring all that capital back to India, they could well have become what the Marwaris were in Bombay and Calcutta. How did they differ from the Marwaris and Banias? One major difference was that the Chettiars went abroad in large numbers. The Marwaris did go too, but far fewer. While many Marwaris were bankers, they were also predominantly traders. My theory is that the transition from trade to manufacturing is easier — their access to market and commercial intelligence provided a certain edge to the trading class and gave them a head start in industrial ventures. In western India, Marwaris and Gujarati Banias were able to move into paper, sugar, and textiles. But the Chettiars' domestic footprint was relatively limited until the 1930s, as much of their capital remained locked overseas. More importantly, as the return on investment through banking in Southeast Asia was significantly higher than in Indian industry, there was no major inclination on their part to invest in industry. The risk the Chettiars took was also much greater as compared to other business communities. All business communities are risk-takers, of course, but the Chettiars, by moving out of South India to Southeast Asia and by learning new languages, operating in remote foreign regions governed by different legal systems, would seem to suggest that they displayed greater risk-bearing qualities. Another distinctly unique system they developed to enable them to make good use of their capital investment was the intra-community credit network — where one Chettiar would finance another. That speaks to a high degree of enterprise and trust. This is clearly suggestive of a system where mutual faith and a high degree of trust was central to their business enterprise. While many Chettiar firms faded post-independence, a few built lasting business houses. What set them apart? The Chettiars began repatriating some of their capital back to India in order to invest during the 1940s, when World War II created highly profitable conditions for business. Apart from textiles, a major area was plantations. Some Chettiars also ventured into Bombay. One such example is Alagappa Chettiar, who invested heavily in insurance companies but lost out due to overtrading. The MCT Group, which founded Indian Overseas Bank, also had investments in Elphinstone Mills. But large-scale domestic investment remained limited. After independence, you see figures like M.A. Chidambaram, after whom the cricket stadium in Chennai is named, making more serious moves. He acquired Automobile Products of India, the makers of Lambretta scooters, and also invested in diesel engine production. Later, he diversified into chemicals. The Murugappa Group is a standout example of Chettiar success. Two factors, I think, set them apart. First, the intrafamilial bonds were exceptionally strong, and the elders in the family ensured that the cohesive spirit was maintained across generations. Most business families begin to fragment by the third or fourth generation — but in their case, it seems clear this was anticipated and addressed early on. Second, they maintained a disciplined focus on core competencies — especially engineering-related sectors like Tube Investments and Carborundum Universal. Only after consolidating in those sectors did they diversify, for instance, with the acquisition of Parry & Co., which was in a different line of business. What can today's small and medium enterprises in India learn from the Chettiar model — especially in how to institutionalise trust, capital, and scale across generations? I think the most important lesson that today's entrepreneurs — small and medium included — can draw is the notion of trust and mutual accommodation, a feature central to the Chettiar model. This would enable entrepreneurs to optimise costs and cut down competition. The export-oriented Tiruppur knitwear industry is a good example of the Chettiar model. Chettinad cuisine is famous for its fiery meat dishes, but the community began as vegetarian. Did their migrations reshape their cuisine? Food isn't my area of expertise, but you could well be right. The Chettiars were — and are — devout Shaivites, and vegetarianism was a natural offshoot of this faith. In fact, the Tamil word for vegetarian food is 'saiva saappadu'. So yes, the long years of exposure to overseas cultures must have played a significant role in the evolution of their cuisine — from an exclusively vegetarian to a more inclusive cuisine. Their use of spices is also quite distinct from what you find in other parts of South India, and even here, it is possible to discern other influences. You've written about efforts to rekindle the Chettiars' entrepreneurial spirit. How far do you think this will go? Many Chettiars in the diaspora have moved into finance and IT, rather than traditional business. This shift worries some of the older generation, who feel there's a disconnect from their industrial legacy. So conferences and community events have been organised to revive that entrepreneurial zeal. But honestly, I think that time is over. The chapter of Chettiar dominance in traditional sectors is closed. ALSO READ: Book commemorates life and legacy of abstractionist Bimal Das Gupta
Zawya
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Zawya
A New Immersive and Interactive Images of Singapore Experience at Madame Tussauds Singapore
Experience the past, celebrate the present and inspire the future like never before. SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 20 March 2025 - Madame Tussauds Singapore is excited to unveil the NEW Images of Singapore exhibit! Join us on a highly interactive and immersive journey through the rich tapestry of Singapore's history and culture. Interact and talk to our AI digital humans and see history come to life through the eyes of four historical icons - Sir Stamford Raffles, Ah Mei the Samsui woman, Pillai the Chettiar money lender, and Ahmad the Malay regiment soldier. - Discover History with Technology: Experience history like never before with our larger-than-life AI digital humans. Guests can ask them questions directly and listen to their stories of how they contributed to Singapore's nation building. - Immersive moments in history: Travel through time and immerse yourselves in our captivating displays. Explore the vibrant story of Singapore, tracing its journey from a humble fishing village to a 21st-century powerhouse. - Play & Learn: Learning about history has never been more fun! Our multi-touch interactive screens offer a wealth of information, allowing you to learn more about Singapore's iconic locations and their unique stories. Test your knowledge with engaging games and climb the leaderboard for bragging rights - See the Past and Present: Witness Singapore's transformation with our Time Portal screens, a powerful way to see how far Singapore has come in 60 years! - Capture Unforgettable Moments with your Friends: There are endless photo opportunities throughout the zone: from the striking wall mural of the Samsui Woman to immersive sets like the Streets of Chinatown, Coolie quarters and more! Try on the traditional cultural costumes and take your best selfie! Visitors can complete this unique Singapore experience throughout Madame Tussauds Singapore; hop aboard the 'Spirit of Singapore', the first ever Madame Tussauds boat ride, and see a different view of modern-day Singapore. Meet Singaporeans leaders such as Lee Kuan Yew and Lee Hsien Loong who have made an impact on the world stage. Encounter many inspiring sports heroes such as Paralympian Yip Pin Xiu, and celebrate their triumphs! Head to for tickets and more information. Hashtag: #madametussaudssg #madametussauds #singapore #sentosa The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. About Madame Tussauds Singapore Madame Tussauds Singapore, opened in 2014 at Sentosa, features a variety of interactive experiences under one roof; including Images of Singapore, the one and only "Spirit of Singapore" boat ride, the Marvel Universe 4D Cinema, Thrillcoaster Singapore and VR racing experience! Featuring 12 incredible zones from glamourous Hollywood actors to your favorite K-pop stars, artists, musicians and sports heroes, the incredible Madame Tussauds Singapore is where guests will get an immersive and interactive experience at every corner! Madame Tussauds Singapore welcomes guests from 10am to 7pm daily (final admission at 6pm). Madame Tussauds Singapore
New York Times
22-02-2025
- Health
- New York Times
She Got a Baby, but Lost a Bonus
Maternity-Leave Moola It's unfair, in my opinion, but in this case my opinion carries little weight. This is a legal question, and a very interesting — albeit complicated — one. I spoke to Inimai Chettiar, president of A Better Balance, a nonprofit legal advocacy organization, to get her take. Ms. Chettiar says that if there's a prorated bonus and it's clearly based on performance, then what your wife and her colleague experienced was legal. But what does 'performance' mean? Does going on medical or maternity leave mean a person has demonstrated a lesser performance than, say, someone who didn't? The additional wrinkle here is that you say in general everyone gets the same bonus, so it's unclear that it is in fact a performance-based bonus. This is one of those gray-area examples where it comes down to interpretation of the law and the individual circumstance, and whether your wife is being treated the same as other people who took leave. For example, if workers who took leave for something other than disability or medical reasons did NOT have their bonuses prorated, Ms. Chettiar says, that would clearly be discrimination under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which make it illegal to retaliate against workers for being pregnant or because of pregnancy-related needs. In this case, however, it seems that your wife is being treated the same as her nonpregnant colleague. Marylou Fabbo, an employment lawyer in Massachusetts, your home state, said it was important to know that there's also the Family and Medical Leave Act, a federal statute that entitles employees to take unpaid leave for specific medical or family-related reasons, which include a birth, a relative with health issues that require employee care or, as the website of Department of Labor says, 'a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the essential functions of his or her job.' Massachusetts has a fairly new paid-leave law that is similar to that federal law, Ms. Fabbo added. In this circumstance, she said, while the prorated bonus didn't sound strictly discriminatory, it didn't sound particularly fair. She suggested that it would probably in your wife's best interest to consult an employment lawyer just to be sure. A statute like the Family and Medical Leave Act would probably require an employer 'to pay the full amount, depending on the laws that are applicable to the particular employee,' Ms. Fabbo said. And if you're worried that the legal fees would exceed the bonus amount, she pointed out that many employment statutes, including those related to discrimination or failure to pay wages, required the employer to pay the employee's legal fees if the employee won the case. You may want to start by contacting the Massachusetts attorney general's office, Ms. Fabbo added, and go from there. Good luck. Why Is the Apple Polisher Getting Ahead? OK, you have two questions. One: whether there's anything more that you can do to communicate your concerns about your colleague E. Two: whether there's a way to contain your frustration about her continued enabling. My response to Question 1 is: No. I don't think there is. You've made attempts to broach the subject, and your frustrations appear to have been acknowledged by your boss, at least to a certain degree. But your boss doesn't want to really hear them or doesn't want to act on them, or both, for reasons that are unclear and, in the end, unimportant. The situation is what it is, no more, no less. Bringing it up again will probably just frustrate you more. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, a professor of business psychology at University College London and the author of the book 'Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?,' pointed out, delicately, that just because you think something is unfair doesn't necessarily mean it is. Perhaps, he said, E is great with managing (or sucking) up while at the same time offering your boss something actually useful or valuable. You're not necessarily going to know. If the goal of talking to your boss is to simply vent, this won't go very well. The best way to communicate your ongoing concerns is not to communicate them as complaints. You don't want to walk out of a conversation with your boss having compromised your reputation with your manager; you want to have improved it, Mr. Chamorro-Premuzic said. As for the question of having to pick up the slack for E, he suggested having a conversation with your boss that's less about E and more about the team as a whole. (One risk is that your boss will perceive that you're criticizing him or her for being unfair and inequitable.) 'You don't want to look like a high school snitch,' Mr. Chamorro-Premuzic said. 'Maybe 10 or 20 percent of it should sound like a complaint, and 80 percent of it should sound like something that shows maturity and engagement and a deliberate attempt to improve the team performance.' He suggested leading with questions like 'Is there something that can be done to improve the team dynamics?'' to reframe the conversation as a positive one. There is, however, something you can do to directly address your specific situation, which is to say your frustration. Karen Dillon, a former editor of The Harvard Business Review and the author of 'HBR Guide to Office Politics,' said she, too, once spent way too much time complaining about underperforming colleagues and talking about unfair favoritism. Now, she said, she has concluded that this was largely a waste of her time. She, not the colleague getting the special treatment, ended up the loser. 'As hard as it is, I think the advice I'd give people is focus on shining in their right,' Ms. Dillon said. Feeling resentment toward someone else will start to affect your performance, if it hasn't already. 'You have to decide it cannot affect how you do your job, because it's really destructive to you and you can be seen as the complainer or the critic or the downer person by if you're constantly talking to other colleagues about it or to your manager,' she said. 'When I let go of that, I think I just became a better employee myself.' Listen, I know you want your boss to take direct action — but keep in mind that you're not seeing the entire picture. Your boss may not feel empowered to further address the problem with E because E, as you say, is adept at managing up, meaning that there may be people your boss isn't willing to go 'against.' Think of it this way: Your boss also has to manage up, and if E has strong allies farther up the food chain, I'm afraid to say there's no real advantage for your boss to make waves by making E an issue. It's also hard to address favoritism when its origins come from elsewhere. Your boss may be an enabler, but she's definitely not the impetus. Your former boss is. Your current boss may also be unwilling to take action because he or she is in some sort of denial. As a manager who has occasionally overseen subpar employees, I know that it can feel easier to put one's head halfway in the sand and take on the employee's work myself. I'm not proud of that, but there it is. As Mr. Chamorro-Premuzic puts it, 'Most managers, like most humans, prefer to avoid complicated issues.' Which brings me to this: Your boss knows about E's failings and just doesn't care. It's a possibility, Mr. Chamorro-Premuzic said. It may even be a probability. And raising the issue with your boss 'is not a battle that you can easily win,' he said, not to mention politically unsavvy in an office where playing the game clearly matters. 'You might not like the rules of the game, but you cannot change them,' he said. You can, maybe, hope for some self-reflection at some point from your boss. Ms. Dillon said managers reading this column might be well served by asking themselves: "Are they creating two different sets of standards for people who report to them?' If so, she said, 'you will not be seen as a great leader by your peers if you're not seen as managing your full team effectively.'
