Karumuttu Thiagarajan Chettiar

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14:41, 24 January 2007 (UTC)KarumuttuThiagarajan kannan Kalaithanthai Karumuttu Thiagarajan Chettiar, Son of Thiru. Muthukaruppan Chettiar and Thirumathi. Vinaitherthal achi(Sivakami achi) was born on 16 June 1893 at A.Thekkur in Sivagangai district of Tamil Nadu.He was the tenth and last child in his family. He was educated at St. Thomas College, Sri Lanka. He edited a newspaper championing the cause of the plantation workers. After his return to India he started Meenakshi Mills, Madurai in 1925.

He took an active part in the struggle for the Indian Independence . He founded fourteen textile mills, nineteen educational institutions, Bank of Madura, and Madurai Insurance Company. He also published for a number of years a daily called 'Tamil Nadu daily'. He was ardent lover of architecture, music and literature.He hosted many guests including Mahatma Gandhi and Rajaji.Thiagarajar Preceptors College and Thiagarajar school of Management were also founded by him. He also founded Thiagaraja College of Arts and Science on the banks of the Theppakulam in Madurai.He was the first person to start a school in Thekkur named Visalakshi Kalasalai which provides education for rural children in and around the chettinad region.His interest towards Tamil literature had no bounds.He knew byheart the verses of Tiruvasakam by saint Manickavasagar.The houses he built still stand as examples of his love towards art and interest towards architecture.He was also an ardent lover of Shakespear's literature which made him buy libraries from the british for whatever cost they sold it at.The mills he started and temples of education he built provide employment and quality education to thousands today. Karumuttu Thiagarajar Chettiar died on 29 July 1974.

His torch is today carried by his son and heir shri Karumuttu Thiagrajar Kannan.