It is often said that one should dream big as one's dreams may also double up as one's projected goal in life. But there exists a thin line which may be termed as the 'border of rationaility', crossing which one's dreams or goals may be considered as the figment of an unrealistic mind. Way back at the end of the nineteenth century if a young commoner individual from the Chettinad region had prophesied that he would one day die as a hereditary king, few would have probably taken him seriously. But the truth is such a person really did exist and he did die a hereditary 'Rajah' and his name was Rajah Sir (Dr) Annamalai Chettiar, LLD, the 1st Rajah of Chettinad.
The Family
Rajah Sir Annamalai Chettiar was born at Kanadukathan on the 30th of September, 1881 as the third son of Muthiah Chettiar. "Rajah Sir Annamalai Chettiar - Commemoration Volume" published in 1941 and edited by Dr B.V. Narayanaswamy Naidu mentions that Muthiah Chettiar was a rich banker who was known for his pious pedigree and his inclination toward philanthropy which included providing funds for the reconstruction of temples and other religious monuments. The other elder brothers of Annamalai Chettiar were Chidambram and Ramaswamy. The eldest of the three brothers, Chidambram had an inclination towards infrastructural development and he played an important role in the construction of roads in Chettinad. His son in turn was knighted by the British empire. The second son Dewan Bahadur Ramaswamy Chettiar served as a member of the Legislative Council. He endorsed the Ramaswamy Chettiar High School and for a good duration headed the Chidambram Municipality and also served as the President of its Taluk Board.
The Beginning and Important Years
Annamalai Chettiar was the favourite of his father and from an early age he started picking up the tricks of the trade of the banking industry on which the wealth of his privileged family greatly depended. After his father's death aged nineteen years, the brothers divided the business among themselves and Annamalai Chettiar spent the next decade in preparing as an entrepreneur. This was the turn of the twentieth century and the presence of old-school titled snobs existed in every field. Amidst them the young Annamalai slowly started his rise, both as a businessman and as a noble. He travelled extensively across South Asia, Europe and even the United States of America and thus picked up a hobby that remained with him till the end of time. This was his hobby of 'building' where he personally paid attention to the design and erection of every monument, building or palace belonging to his estate. In the 1910s he held important positions like chairman of the municipality, member of the Legislative Council of Madras, one of the Governors of the Imperial Bank and as member of the district board and even assisted in his personal capacity to maintain law and order in the region whenever required. All this led to the initial title of Rao Bahadur which soon progressed to that of a Dewan Bahadur in 1922 and then a Knighthood in 1923.
House of Chettinad
His greatest feat alongside his entrepreneurial achievements was the foundation of the Sri Minakshi College, whose work had started in 1918 was finally completed in 1923. This progressed in 1929 to the passing of the Annamalai University Bill which led to the foundation of the now famous university. This same year the high and unique title of 'Rajah of Chettinad' was conferred upon him, which though being an honorary title was supplemented by the landholdings, public positions held by him and his sons and thus created the overall impression of a hereditary prince of princely India. The family held land holdings across India and Burma in excess of a hundred thousand acres which at roughly 400 square km was as big as a small princely state and also maintained their own airport and fleet of aircraft. Alongside the wonderfully designed and constructed region of Annamalainagar which housed the university complex and which somewhat became the capital city of his honorary Kingdom, wherein the hereditary capacity of Founder & Pro-Chancellor, both he and his descendants maintained considerable administrative control. In those days just how many suburban princes maintained city properties and palaces, similarly he built himself a palace in Chennai on the banks of the Adyar River on a plot of land which was so huge that the area became known as Raja Annamalai Puram. Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiar had three sons. The eldest Kumararajah Sir M.A. Muthiar Chettiar, served as the Mayor of Madras, as a State Minister and as the leader of the Justice Party and later succeeded his father as the 2nd Rajah of Chettinad while also being a member of the Constituent Assembly of India. The second son Ramanathan served for some time as the Under-Sheriff of Madras, while the third son M.A. Chidambram, who became a well-known industrialist and cricket administrator later headed the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Raja Sir Annamalai also had a daughter by the name of Lakshmi. Rajah Sir Annamalai breathed his last on the 15th of June, 1948 at a time when the history of the subcontinent was passing through a phase of change. Over seventy years have passed since then and in India princely titles have been long abolished, with many historic Rajahs and Maharajahs alongside their royal houses being forgotten except among some others, the House of Chettinad whose founder's name still stands tall as the name of a university where thousands of students have started the journeys of their lives.
