Sir Pitti Theagaraya Chetty – the man who helped mould the Presidency’s politics

It is perhaps one place in city that almost every Chennaiite has visited at least once. It is also visited by people from other parts of the State – and country – by the thousands, having grown to become the retail hub of the city. But among the millions who visit T Nagar every year, only afraction would know what ‘T’ stands for,and even lesser might be aware of the man, Sir Pitti Theagaraya Chetty,and the role he played to shape the politics of the Presidency – an influence that remains till date.

P Theagaraya Chetty was one of the earliest graduates of the Madras University, obtaining his BA degree in 1876.On graduation, he became engrossedin family business, trading in hides and skins, besides establishing large tanneries in the city.

But that was not the only this that attracted his attention. Theagaraya Chetty was very interested in the governance of the city and local politics. He also took efforts to help students from the oppressed and marginalised communities, most important of which was founding a school for them in Washermenpet. It aimed at not only providing education, but also stay and meals for them. Over the years, the North Madras Hindu Secondary School became Sir Theagaraya College.

Interestingly, what eventually made him a colossus of the Presidency’s political history was a defeat.

In the local council polls of 1916, Theagaraya lost the elections which left him demoralised. By sheer coincidence, his political rival TM Nair and the Rajah of Panagal also lost elections that year, the one to the Imperial Legislative Council. The common thread was that they were all defeated by Brahmin candidates.

Theagaraya and Nair smelt a conspiracy, which brought the political foes together and the formation of a new political organisation to represent the interests of non-Brahmins, the South Indian Liberal Federation. It was popularly known as Justice Party after the English daily published by it. The political association was also a joint stock company that floated 640 shares of hundred rupees each to buy the printing press.

The first meeting took place in the historic Victoria Public Hall. Chetty served as the President of the federation till his death in 1925. His north Madras house served as a place of gathering.

In December 1916, Theagaraya spearheaded “The Non Brahmin Manifesto”. While carefully avowing its allegiance to the British reign, the manifesto denounced what it termed Brahminic bureaucratic supremacy. Theagaraya organised a series of conferences and cabled the Montagu Commissionasking for communal representation in the provincial legislature for non-Brahmins (similar to the one granted to Muslims in 1909).

Surprised by the polarisation,the non-Brahmin members from Congress formed the Madras PresidencyAssociation with ‘Periyar’ EV Ramasamyand Tiruvarur Viruttachala Kalyanasundaram (Thiru Vi Ka) were amongthe prominent members. Notsurprisingly, Theagaraya denouncedMPA as a Brahmin creation intended to weaken their cause.

When elections were held in Madras Presidency as per the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms in December 1920, the Justice Party obtained a majority by winning 63 out of 98 seats. The Governor of Madras invited Theagaraya to form the government and be the “first minister” (the term chief minister not being used). But Theagaraya declined it.

By then, he had made a name for himself in local politics. For over 40 years, Theagaraya strode the corridors of the Ripon Building with his spotless white dress and turban and a walrus moustache. He served as its president(the post mayor not being used that time)for four years. The first midday meal in Madras Presidency was served in the corporation school in Thousand Lights in 1920 during his term.

When the Prince of Wales visited Madras in January 1921, Sir Theagaraya, as the head of the Corporation, read the city’s welcome address. Gandhi, meanwhile, had called for a civil disobedience movement and the prince was boycotted. Because Theagaraya was the face ofloyal citizenry, the protestors turnedtheir ire on him. His house was ransacked and he was not allowed to come out to attend some of the functions that the Prince attended.

Theagaraya considered Gandhi to be a radical threatening to upset the applecart. When Chetty served as the president of Cosmopolitan Club, Gandhi visited the premises without a shirt on (the club had strict dress codes). Chetty boycotted the visit and it was the vice president of the club who welcomed Gandhi with a garland of yarn.

For his services to the public and to the Empire, he was knighted in 1921 – the title of Rao Bahadur was conferred on him much earlier, in 1909.

Caste is perhaps the greatest force in Indian society, defining much of our history and politics and continues to do so. What started as a struggle inMadras Presidency against the humiliation of students not being allowedentry into public spaces like hostels and hotels in early 1900s grew to be the most powerful political movement that rewrote the history of the State for a century and beyond.

In many ways Theagaraya was a prime mover of the movement. Decades later, the Justice Party government named its prime land development project after him – Theagaraya Nagar.