If you have been a resident of Chennai for a long time and if you happen to visit the Paris Corner or the nearby High court complex built by the British, you might often hear people mention about Thumbu Chetty (also spelled Thumboo Chetty) street, an important commercial center. Have you ever thought about who Thumboo Chetty was and why the street is named after him?
T. R. A. Thumboo Chetty (Trichinopoly Rayalu Arakiaswamy Thumboo Chetty; April 1837 - 19 June 1907) was a man of great repute. A well accomplished man, he had the distinction of being the first Indian Chief Judge of the Chief Court of Mysore. Besides, when Sir K. Seshadri Iyer, the famous Dewan was on leave or on a long assignment, it was Thumboo Chetty who officiated for him and carried on the official duty with dedication and care.
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| Sir Thumboo Chetty, Civil servant of Mysore en.wikipedia.org |
Born in April 1837, in a Catholic family (sixth child) in Trichinopoly (Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu), he was brought up with care and due attention to his education by his parents. His father Desayi Royalu Chettiin was in the employ of a Mercantile Firm - Griffith's and Co. ,as a Chief Book keeper and was held in great esteem in the local Christian community. When he was 12 years old, he lost both his parents, however, his relation brought him and other kids with care and attention. He had his education in English in the famous Free Church Mission Institution (later renamed Madras Christian College).
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| Maharajah Jaya Chamaraja Wadiyar of Mysuru.swarajyamag.com |
Upon leaving the school, Thumboo Chetty became an apprentice in Mercantile Firm, Griffith's and Co., where his father, had worked for a long time. He married Rajamma, the daughter of one Ponnoo Chettiar and his wife Sinnammalle, In December 1855, he got a job in the Public Service Dept. as a clerk, and later became an indexer, in the Office of the Quarter Master General of the Madras Army. In 1862, Thumboo Chetty being the manager of the first Madras Legislative Council got a chance to move closely with the Legislative secretary John Dawson Mayne, an eminent barrister. John Mayne, who happened to be the Professor of Law in the Madras Presidency College, was quite impressed with Thampu Chetty and advised him to study law. Upon his advice, he joined the law college and completed his law degree in 1866 and won the first prize for his proficiency in law.
After his stint as a judge in the Court of District Munsiff (under the Madras High Court) of Purghi, Bellary- 1866-1867, he soon became Sheristadar of the Judicial Commissioner's Court at Bangalore in 1867. It was in the year1879, he was appointed as the District and Sessions Judge of Nandidroog Division, the first Indian to get the highest Judicial post in those days. For the next five years he presided over many court cases and gave correct judgement without deviating from his line of duty. He excelled in this post and won the appreciation of the British administrators and law officers.
The Mysore Kingdom was under the British and in 1881 Rendition took place on account of severe criticism in the British media and public. Subsequently, the young Maharajah became the ruler and Thumboo Chetty was nominated as an ex-officio Senior Member of the Maharajah's Council Chamarajendra Wodayar was the ruler. When the Chief Court of Mysore, the highest court of appeal in the kingdom, came up in 1884 to offer fair justice to the people, Thumboo Chetty was among the three judges appointed by the Dept. of Judiciary; later, in July 1890, he became the first Indian Chief Judge of the Chief Court of Mysore., a distinction earned by this hard-working man who had a roller-coaster life earlier. At that point of time the Raj offered jobs to the educated Indians and they were subaltern in nature. Soon he was awarded the covetous tittle "Companion of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire in 1895."
When Sir K. Seshadri Iyer, the dynamic diwan of Mysor was in charge and carried out many reforms, civic improvements, etc in the kingdom . Thumboo Chetty was an active member of the administration and officiated for him on three different occasions, in 1890, later in 1892, and 1893. In 1894. When Maharajah Chamarajendra Wodayar suddently died, his eldest son Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV was a minor at that time, Mr. Thumboo Chetty's was nominated in 1895 as the Senior Member of the Regency Council of Mysore of Maharani Kempa Nanjammani Vani Vilasa Sannidhana, indeed a crucial and difficult time.To continue his services as a full-time Councillor, Thumboo Chetty was relieved of the post of .the Chief Judge on 4 November 1895.
Dewan Seshadri Iyer, who had served the state since 1 January 1883, owing to his personal health issues, resigned the office of Dewan and President of the State Council
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| Sir Thumboo Chetty,Dewan,Mysore commons wikipedia |
The electrification projects for Bengaluru was initiated way back by the late Diwan Sir Shehadri Iyer.. This project would have dropped off midway or stopped but for the efforts of Thampu Chetty. Being the officiating Diwan of Mysore in the 1800s, he and Diwan P.N. Krishnamurthy were instrumental in breathing life to the Sivasamudram Hydro-electric power plant, an important project envisioned by the late Diwan Sir .Seshadri Iyer. This innovative project made Bengaluru, the first city in India, perhaps in Asia to be electrified.
Many public servants in those days gave due importance to philanthropy and Thumboo Chetty's family was no exception to it. His wife Rajammah in 1898 started the Rajammah Thumboo Chetty Girls’ School in Narainpillai Street, Shivaji Nagar and a dispensary in her husband's name on 24 December,1898. His 4th son Sir Bernard Thambu Chetty, an alumnus of Central College and St Joseph’s College, entered the Mysore Civil Service in 1904 and later became Huzur (private)secretary to the ruler of Mysore in 1924. A little known fact is the popular Neo-Gothic styled St Philomena’s Church in Mysuru (1936) funded by the Maharajah owes its origin to him. Reproduced from the old post 2015 navrangindia.blogspt.com
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