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Creating first post w/ infobox

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{{Short description|Indian-Singaporean contractor and philanthropist}}
[[File:B. Govindasamy Chettiar.png|thumb|Govindasamy in 1938.]]
'''Balaguru Govindasamy Chettiar''' (5 September 1889 – 6 April 1948) was a contractor who supplied the [[Singapore Harbour Board]] with labourers. He eventually became one of the board's three major contractors. A philanthropist, he helped fund the construction of several local religious buildings and the renovations of the [[Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore|Sri Mariamman Temple]], being a member of its management committee.

==Early life==
Govindasamy was born in India on 5 September 1889. His parents came from the villages of [[Komalammal]], which was in Southern India, [[Thirunaapalli]] and [[Udayarpalayam]].<ref name = "Pioneers">{{cite book|title= Indian Pioneers of Singapore|page= 22-24|isbn= 9812210644|access-date=|author= Pugalenthi Sr.|publisher= VJ Times International|year=1998|url=}}</ref> According to his nephew S. L. Perumal, the entire family was mostly split between these three villages. Perumal also claimed that it was 'tradition' for men in the family to come to Southeast Asia for work.<ref name = "Yan"/> Govindasamy received his education at the Tamil School in the French Thirumalairayan town.<ref name = "Pioneers"/>

==Career==
Govindasamy came to Singapore as a young adult in the mid-1900s.<ref name = "MT1">{{cite news |last= |first= |date= 7 April 1948|title= Death Of Former SHB Contractor|url= https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/maltribune19480407-1.2.47|work= [[The Malaya Tribune]]|location= Singapore|access-date= 22 June 2025}}</ref> He began working for Mohammed Yusoff, a contractor who supplied labourers to the [[Singapore Harbour Board]],<ref name = "Pioneers"/> as a clerk. In December 1921, he entered a business partnership with Farid Serang, forming the Tamil Labour Company, a contracting firm which succeeded Yusoff as the Singapore Harbour Board's labour contractors.<ref name = "MT1"/> They provided the board with Indian and Chinese labourers to work at the wharves and dockyards.<ref name = "IHFS">{{cite web |url= https://indianhalloffame.sg/?page_id=20655|title= B Govindasamy Chettiar|last= |first= |date= |website= [[Indian Hall of Fame Singapore]]|publisher= |access-date= 22 June 2025|quote=}}</ref> Following the death of Farid Serang in 1933, his son, K. P. Mohammed Yusoff, succeeded him as Govindasamy's partner and the business was renamed the [[Indian Labour Company]].<ref name = "MT1"/> His offices and the company's labourers' quarters were located along Keppel Road, opposite where the old [[Custom Operations Command]] building presently stands.<ref name = "IHFS"/>

According to Laura Yan, the business initially "seemed to function like a family firm", with family members or other residents of the villages his family lived in being recruited as labourers. Eventually, however, most of Govindasamy's labourers were hired from villages in India through recruiters due to the local labour shortage. Migrants were also recruited as labourers. Yan stated that Govindasamy "conceived of generosity and donations as exchange for labor." Perumal claimed that Govindasamy's workers would approach him for donations, advances or other benefits individually as there was no formal benefits system. Yan wrote that it was through this that Govindasamy "presented" himself as a leader of the local Tamil community. However, she notes that, like the other harbour contractors, Govindasamy "made sure to foster and maintain ethnic divisions amongst workers."<ref name = "Yan"/> ''[[National Heritage Board (Singapore)|Roots.sg]]'' stated that he was "well known for distributing free meals at his shed to port workers and to members of the community", and that he had come to be known as "Kottai Govindasamy" for this reason.<ref name = "Roots"/> He continued to work as a port contractor during the [[Japanese Occupation of Singapore]], which lasted from February 1942 to September 1945.<ref name = "IHFS"/> However, The partnership between him and K. P. Mohammed Yusoff ended in February 1942.<ref name = "MT1"/> By his death, Govindasamy had become one of the three major labour contractors at the harbour following the end of the occupation, along with [[Tan Chong Chew]] and [[Ching Kee Sun]]. As he did not have a formal benefits system, he was not subject to union negotiations and regulations.<ref name = "Yan">{{Cite journal|url=https://jiows.mcgill.ca/article/view/97|title=“Owned them like a Father": Labor Contractors, Port Workers, and the Makings of Ethnicity in Singapore|first=Laura|last=Yan|date=26 August 2021|journal=Journal of Indian Ocean World Studies|volume=5|issue=1|pages=25-46}}</ref> However, his business ended when the Singapore Harbour Board instead turned to hiring labourers directly in early 1948.<ref name = "MT1"/>

In January 1930, Govindasamy was elected a member of the managing committee of the [[India-Ceylon Club]] in Singapore.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date= 25 January 1930|title= INDIA-CEYLON CLUB|url= https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19300125-1.2.86|work= [[The Straits Times]]|location= Singapore|access-date= 22 June 2025}}</ref> In February of the following year, he was elected a member of the [[Hindu Advisory Board (Singapore)|Hindu Advisory Board]] of Singapore.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date= 10 February 1931|title= HINDU ADVISORY BOARD IN MALAYA.|url= https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitsechomail19310210-1.2.10|work= Straits Echo|location= Singapore|access-date= 22 June 2025}}</ref> Govindasamy was elected the vice-president of the [[Singapore Indian Association]] at a general meeting held on 28 February.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date= 5 March 1931|title= THE INDIAN ASSOCIATION.|url= https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/singfreepressb19310305-1.2.36|work= [[The Singapore Free Press|The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser]]|location= Singapore|access-date= 22 June 2025}}</ref> He was also the association's trustee of immovable properties. However, he resigned from this position by December and was succeeded by [[K. Raghunathan (doctor)|K. Raghunathan]].<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date= 9 December 1931|title= Untitled.|url= https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19311209-1.2.58|work= [[The Straits Times]]|location= Singapore|access-date= 22 June 2025}}</ref> In May 1934, he was elected a member of the committee for the [[Ramakrishna Mission Singapore|Ramakrishna Mission in Singapore]].<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date= 4 May 1934|title= RAMAKRISHNA MISSION|url= https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19340504-1.2.71|work= [[The Straits Times]]|location= Singapore|access-date= 22 June 2025}}</ref> Govindasamy, fellow community leader [[Vayloo Pakirisamy Pillai]], M. Vaithilingam Pillay and A. Tharumalingam Pillay were appointed by the [[Hindu Endowments Board]] in May 1935 to serve on the management committee of both the [[Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore|Sri Mariamman Temple]] on [[South Bridge Road]] and the [[Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple]] on [[Serangoon Road, Singapore|Serangoon Road]].<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date= 27 June 1935|title= Untitled|url= https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/maltribune19350627-1.2.113|work= [[The Malaya Tribune]]|location= Singapore|access-date= 22 June 2025}}</ref> He helped fund renovation works which were carried out on the Sri Mariamman Temple.<ref name = "IHFS"/> In July 1938, Govindasamy was appointed a [[Justice of the peace|Justice of the Peace]]. The Singapore Indian Association then staged an "At Home" at the [[Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall|Victoria Memorial Hall]] in tribute. This was reportedly attended by "several leading Indians of the city, besides prominent men of other nationalities." By then, he had also helped fund the construction of the [[Ramakrishna Mission Building]] on Norris Road, the [[Sultan Mosque|Masjid Sultan]] and a prayer hall in [[Bukit Timah]].<ref name = "MT">{{cite news |last= |first= |date= 2 July 1938|title= INDIAN ASSOCIATION HONOURS AN OFFICIAL|url= https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/maltribune19380702-1.2.36|work= [[The Malaya Tribune]]|location= Singapore|access-date= 22 June 2025}}</ref> In July 1941, he was elected a member of the committee of the [[Southern Indian Chamber of Commerce (Singapore)|Southern Indian Chamber of Commerce]] in Singapore.<ref>{{cite news |last= |first= |date= 3 July 1941|title= S. Indian Chamber Of Commerce|url= https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/maltribune19410703-1.2.104|work= [[The Malaya Tribune]]|location= Singapore|access-date= 22 June 2025}}</ref> In the 1940s, Govindasamy helped manage the [[Sri Vadapathira Kaliamman Temple]].<ref name = "Roots">{{cite web |url= https://www.roots.gov.sg/stories-landing/stories/From-the-Coromandel-Coast-to-the-Straits#Duality-and-Diversity|title= From the Coromandel Coast to the Straits: Revisiting Our Tamil Heritage|last= |first= |date= |website= Roots.sg|publisher= [[National Heritage Board (Singapore)|National Heritage Board]]|access-date= 22 June 2025|quote=}}</ref>

==Personal life and death==
Govindasamy was Hindu.<ref name = "MT"/> He lived on [[Cantonment Road, Singapore|Cantonment Road]]. Govindasamy died in his home on 6 April 1948. The funeral, held later that day,<ref name = "MT1"/> reportedly "attracted attendees from all races."<ref name = "Roots"/> On Govindasamy's death, all labourers at the Singapore Harbour Board who were of Chinese and Indian ethnicity stopped working for four hours. According to Laura Yan, this was significant not only due to the decline of contractors but also because "unity was fraught between Chinese and Indian laborers on the waterfront."<ref name = "Yan"/> Govindasamy has been posthumously inducted into the [[Indian Hall of Fame Singapore]]. He was also awarded the organisation's [[Navroji Mistri]] Excellence Award For Philanthropy.<ref name = "IHFS"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:1889 births]]
[[Category:1948 deaths]]
[[Category:Singaporean philanthropists]]

B. Govindasamy Chettiar - Revision history

GavinEspinoza2: Creating first post w/ infobox