58.182.137.144: /* Personal life */Fixed spelling of name

2021-05-31T18:34:05Z

Personal life: Fixed spelling of name

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{{For|the politician from Tamil Nadu|S. Muthiah (MLA)}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Indian name|Muthiah|Subbiah}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Subbiah Muthiah
| image = File:Muthiah_(Derivative).jpg
| image_size = 200px
| caption = S. Muthiah speaking at a Madras Day 2015 presentation on "The story of photography in Madras"
| birth_name = Muthiah
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1930|04|13}}
| birth_place = [[Pallathur]], [[Madura District (Madras Presidency)|Madura District]], [[Madras Presidency]], [[British India]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2019|4|20|1930|4|13|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Chennai]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]
| nationality = Indian
| other_names =
| known_for = books on the [[History of Chennai]], conservation activities
| education =
| employer = T. T. K. Maps
| occupation = journalist
| title = <small>{{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|commas=on|MBE}}</small>
| height =
| weight =
| spouse = Valliammai Muthiah (1950–2013) m. 1969 till her death
| children = Ranjani,<br />Parvathi
| signature =
| website =
| footnotes =
}}

'''Subbiah Muthiah''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|commas=on|MBE}} (13 April 1930 – 20 April 2019),<ref name="NM">{{Cite web |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/master-chronicler-madras-no-more-s-muthiah-passes-away-89-100395 |title=Master chronicler of Madras no more: S Muthiah passes away at 89 |last=Rao |first=manasa |date=2019-04-20 |access-date=2019-04-20}}</ref> was an Indian writer, journalist, cartographer, amateur historian and heritage activist known for his writings on the political and cultural history of [[Chennai]] city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lifeinchennai.com/chennai.htm
| title=Chennai|publisher=lifeinchennai.com|access-date=27 July 2009}}</ref> He was the founder of the fortnightly newspaper ''[[Madras Musings]]'' and the principal organizer of the annual [[Madras Day]] celebrations. Muthiah was also the founder-President of the Madras Book Club.

== Early life and education ==
Muthiah was born in [[Pallathur]] in the [[Ramnad district]] of [[Madras Presidency]], [[British India]] in a [[Nagarathar]] family on 13 April 1930.<ref name="thehindu_20021103">{{cite news|title=Crusader for Chennai|work=[[The Hindu]]|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/03/11/stories/2002031100160200.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040228070455/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/03/11/stories/2002031100160200.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 February 2004|first=Savita|last=Gautam|date=3 November 2002}}</ref> Muthiah had his early schooling in Ladies' College, [[S. Thomas' Preparatory School]] and [[Royal College, Colombo|Royal College]] in Colombo<ref name="stcg">
{{cite web|title=GO, THORA, GO; THOMIANS BECOME ASIAN SCHOOLS ROWING CHAMPIONS|first=S.|last=Muthiah|publisher=St Thomas' College, Gurutalawa|url=http://www.stcg62group.org/PDF/Articles/74_Go_Thora_Go.pdf}}</ref> and completed his matriculation in India in 1946. Between 1946 and 1951, Muthiah studied arts and engineering in the United States of America and returned to Ceylon after obtaining his master's degree in International Relations in 1951.

== With ''The Times of Ceylon'' ==

On his return to Ceylon, Muthiah took up a job with ''[[The Times of Ceylon]]'' and served the newspaper for 17 years eventually rising to the second position in the newspaper's hierarchy and heading the weekly Sunday edition.<ref name="thehindu_20110414">{{cite news|title=Muthiah Discovered|first=Bishwanath|last=Ghosh|work=The Hindu|date=4 April 2011|url=http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article1696891.ece}}</ref> When the citizenship laws of the country were amended in 1968, Muthiah, who was not yet a citizen of Ceylon lost his job and had to move to India.<ref name="thehindu_20021103" /><ref name="thehindu_20110414" />

== In India ==

Muthiah settled down in the city of Madras and took up a job with T. T. K. Maps, a newly formed cartographic division of T. T. K. Healthcare Ltd where he was tasked with preparation of tourist guides and books on South India.<ref name="thehindu_20021103" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/s-muthiah-chronicler-of-chennai-is-no-more/article26899166.ece|title=S. Muthiah, chronicler of Chennai, is no more|last=Kolappan|first=B.|date=2019-04-20|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-04-25|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> In 1981, Muthiah wrote his first book ''Madras Discovered'' based on the research he had done to prepare tourist guides on Madras city.<ref name="thehindu_20021103" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/the-man-who-loved-madras-and-chennai-loved-back/article26902126.ece|title=The man who loved Madras, and Chennai loved back|last=Kolappan|first=B.|date=2019-04-21|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-04-25|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> He followed it with two more books on Madras and one each on Parry's and Simpson's Ltd.

== Post-retirement ==

On his retirement from T. T. K. Maps in 1990, Muthiah took up writing full-time and founded the fortnightly newspaper ''Madras Musings''.<ref name="thehindu_20021103" /> Muthiah also involved himself in heritage activism for Madras city and wrote regular columns for Indian newspapers most prominently ''[[The Hindu]]''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/a-history-lesson-every-friday/article26917729.ece|title=A history lesson every Friday|last=Alexander|first=Deepa|date=2019-04-23|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-04-25|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/s-muthiah-and-the-writing-of-madras-miscellany/article26910825.ece|title=S Muthiah and the writing of Madras Miscellany|last=V|first=Sriram|date=2019-04-22|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-04-25|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> In 1999, Muthiah co-founded ''Chennai Heritage'', a foundation for heritage conservation in Chennai. Muthiah was also one of the brains behind the annual Madras Day celebrations held in Chennai city on the anniversary of the founding of the settlement of [[Fort St. George]] by [[Andrew Cogan]] and [[Francis Day]] on 22 August 1639.

In 2011, Muthiah published the book ''Madras Miscellany'', a collection of articles from weekly columns of the same name that he had written for ''The Hindu'' since November 1999.<ref name=":0" /> Muthiah also volunteered to edit the gazetteer on Chennai that was commissioned by the [[British Council]] through the Association of British Scholars, India Chapter. Volume one of the 3-volume gazetteer titled ''Madras, Chennai: A 400 year record of the first city of Modern India'' on "The Land, People and Governance" and volume two on "Services, Education and the Economy" were published in 2008 and 2014 respectively and a third on "Information, Culture and Entertainment" is under preparation.

== Honors ==

On 7 March 2002, Muthiah was made an "[[Order of the British Empire|Honorary Member of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire]]".<ref name="thehindu_20020308">{{cite news|title=Muthiah Honoured|work=[[The Hindu]]|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/lf/2002/03/08/stories/2002030800940200.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041128233933/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/lf/2002/03/08/stories/2002030800940200.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 November 2004|date=8 March 2002}}</ref><ref>[http://chennaionline.com/chennaicitizen/1999/muthiah.asp Chennai Online]</ref> The award was presented to him by Michael Herrige, British High Commissioner to India at a function in Chennai.<ref name="thehindu_20020308" /> The citation read that the award was presented for "service by those who are not British citizens but who have pursued ideals which Britain values and shares".<ref name="thehindu_20020308" />

== Personal life ==

Muthiah's father, N. M. Subbiah Chettiar (1905–2002)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/2002/06/05/16hdline.htm|title=Obituary : Wednesday, June 05, 2002|website=The Hindu|access-date=2019-04-25}}</ref> was a stockbroker and politician who served as a mayor of [[Colombo]], [[British Ceylon]] and was one of the founders of the [[Ceylon India Congress]] formed in 1939.<ref name="profile_viator">{{cite web|title=Subbiah Muthiah|publisher=Viator Publications|url=http://www.viator-publications.com/pp.php?ipp=50|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804132319/http://www.viator-publications.com/pp.php?ipp=50|archive-date=4 August 2009|df=dmy-all}}</ref> He even stood for elections for the [[House of Representatives of Ceylon]] from the [[Nuwara Eliya]] constituency in 1947 and lost.<ref name="profile_viator" />

Muthiah married Valliammai Achi (1950–2013) in 1969.<ref name="thehindu_20130918">{{cite news|title=The chronicler loses his companion|work=The Hindu|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/the-chronicler-loses-his-companion/article5138999.ece|first=V.|last=Sriram|author-link=V. Sriram|date=18 September 2013}}</ref> The couple had two daughters Ranjani and Parvathi.<ref name="thehindu_20130918" /> Valliammai worked as a Company Secretary till her death in 2013.<ref name="thehindu_20130918" /> Muthiah lived in Chennai where he spent most of his day on his desk. After spending the evening at the Madras Club, he used to retire to his home, where he had two glasses of Indian whisky before dinner.

== Criticism ==

At the inauguration of the 2009 edition of the [[Chennai Book Fair]], [[M. Karunanidhi]], [[Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu]] regretted the fact that Muthiah's book ''Madras Rediscovered'' did not make even a passing mention of the tenures of [[C. N. Annadurai]] or himself.<ref name="thehindu">{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/article73117.ece
|title=Chief Minister inaugurates Chennai Book Fair|work=The Hindu|access-date=1 January 2010}}</ref>

== Works ==

* {{cite book|title=[[Madras Rediscovered|Madras Discovered]]|last=Muthiah|first=S.|publisher=East West Books (Madras) Pvt Ltd|year=1981}}
* {{cite book|title=Parrys 200: A saga of resilience|last1=Ramaswami|first1=N. S.|last2=Muthiah|first2=S.|publisher=Affiliated East West Press Pvt. Limited|year=1988}}
*Muthiah, S. (1987). ''Madras discovered : a historical guide to looking around, supplemented with tales of "Once upon a city".'' Affiliated East-West Press.
* {{cite book|title=Tales of old and new Madras: the dalliance of Miss Mansell and 34 other stories of 350 years|last=Muthiah|first=S.|publisher=East West Books (Madras) Pvt Ltd|year=1989}}
* Muthiah, S. (1990). ''An atlas of India''. OUP
* {{cite book|title=Madras, the gracious city|last=Muthiah|first=S.|publisher=East West Books (Madras) Pvt Ltd|year=1990}}
* {{cite book|title=Getting India on the move: the 150 year saga of Simpsons of Madras|last=Muthiah|first=S.|publisher=Higginbotham's|year=1990}}
*Muthiah, S. (1990). ''Madras, its yesterdays, todays, and tomorrows.'' Association of British Council Scholars, South India.
* {{cite book|title=Words in Indian English: A reader's guide|last=Muthiah|first=S.|publisher=Indus|year=1991}}
* {{cite book|title=The splendours of South India|last1=Muthiah|first1=S.|last2=Khullar|first2=Rupinder|publisher=UBS Publishers' Distributors|year=1992}}
* {{cite book|title=A planting century: the first hundred years of the United Planters' Association of Southern India, 1893–1993|last=Muthiah|first=S.|publisher=Affiliated East West Press|year=1993}}
* {{cite book|title=Madras, its past and present|last=Muthiah|first=S.|publisher=East West Books (Madras) Pvt Ltd|year=1995|ISBN=978-81-85938-24-0}}
* Muthiah, S. (1995). ''At home in Madras. Overseas Women’s Club.''
* {{cite book|title=The Spencer Legend|last=Muthiah|first=S.|publisher=East West Books (Madras) Pvt Ltd|year=1997}}
* {{cite book|title=The spirit of Chepauk: the MCC story, a 150 year sporting tradition|last=Muthiah|first=S.|publisher=East West Books (Madras) Pvt Ltd|year=1998}}
* Muthiah, S.; Ramnarayan, V. (1998). ''All in the game, a pictorial history of the Madras Cricket Club''. The Madras Cricket Club.
*erera, S. S.; Muthiah, S. (1999).''The Janashakthi book of Sri Lanka cricket, 1832-1996''. Janashakthi Insurance.
* {{cite book|title=Looking back from "Moulmein": a biography of A.M.M. Arunachalam|last=Muthiah|first=S.|publisher=East West Books (Madras) Pvt Ltd|year=2000}}
* {{cite book|title=Madras that is Chennai, Queen of the Coromandel|last=Muthiah|first=S.|publisher=Palaniappa Brothers|year=2000}}
* Muthiah, S. (2002). ''The ace of clubs, the story of the Madras Club''. The Madras Club.
* Muthiah, S. (2002). ''B.S. Abdur Rahman – a visionary with a mission.''
*Muthiah, S.; Kalpana, K., Schiffer, Frank. (2003). ''Madras : the architectural heritage.'' Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage.
* Muthiah, S. (2004). ''60 landmark years.'' L&T and ECC.
* {{cite book|title=Madras Rediscovered|last=Muthiah|first=S.|publisher=East West Books (Madras) Pvt Ltd|year=2004}}
* {{cite book|title=Changing Chennai: a symposium on the queen of the Coromandel|last=Muthiah|first=S.|publisher=Singh|year=2004}}
* Muthiah, S. (2004). ''The Indo Lankans, their 200-year saga.'' Indian Heritage Foundation.
* Muthiah, S. (2005). ''Madras that is Chennai, gateway to the South''; Ranpar Publishers.
* Muthiah, S. (2006). ''150 Years of excellence, a pictorial history of the University of Madras''. University of Madras.
* Muthiah, S. (2006). ''The Chettiar heritage, T''he Chettiar Heritage.
* Muthiah, S. (2006). ''A tradition of Madras that is Chennai, the Taj Connemara''. The Taj Connemara.
* Muthiah, S. (2006). ''A work of genius, the Senate House of the University of Madras''. University of Madras
* Muthiah, S. (2007). ''Overcoming challenge: the 125 year saga of Chennai Port, the harbour that men made''. Chennai Port Trust.
* {{cite book|title=Moving India on wheels: The story of Ashok Leyland|last1=Muthiah|first1=S.|last2=Gopalan|first2=K. N.|publisher=[[Ashok Leyland]]|year=2008}}
* {{cite book|title=Born to dare: the life of Lt. Gen. Inderjit Singh Gill, PVSM, MC|last=Muthiah|first=S.|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|year=2008|ISBN=978-0-670-08188-2}}
* Muthiah, S. (2008). ''Madras, Chennai: a 400 year record of the first city of modern India'', Vols. 1, 2 and 3; Association of British Scholars; Vol. 1 came out in 2008 and Vol. 3 in 2019.
* Muthiah, S. (2009). ''The school in the Park, a hundred years of the Sacred Heart School.''
* {{cite book|title=The Raj Bhavans of Tamil Nadu|last1=Muthiah|first1=S.|last2=Sathyanarayanan|first2=S.|last3=Satish|first3=Swapna|last4=Sathasivam|first4=Kumaran|publisher=South Zone Cultural Centre|year=2009}}
* Muthiah, S. (2010). D''own by the Adyar.'' Madras Boat Club.
* {{cite book|title=Madras Miscellany: a decade of people, places and potpourri|last=Muthiah|first=S.|publisher=East West|year=2011|isbn=978-93-8003-284-9}}
* Muthiah, S. (2012). ''Walkabout in Oz.'' Ranpar Publishers.
* Muthiah, S. (2012). ''A Kodaikanal icon, the 125 year old history of a Kodi landmark (the story of the Kodaikanal Club)''. Ranpar Publishers.
* Muthiah, S.; Maclure, Harry. (2014) ''The Anglo Indians, a 500 year history.'' Niyogi Books.
* Muthiah, S.; Meyyappan Junior. (2014). ''A Chettiar album.'' The Chettiar Heritage.
* Muthiah, S. (2016). ''The Madras Musings silver jubilee book''. Chennai Heritage.
* Muthiah, S. (2016). ''T.T. Vasu – The man who could never say no''. Ranpar Publishers.
* Muthiah, S. (2016). ''Office chai, planter’s brew''. Westland.
*Muthiah, S. (2016). ''The magnificent Shevaroys.'' Ranpar Publishers.

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Chennai topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muthiah, S.}}
[[Category:Indian male journalists]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan Tamil journalists]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:2019 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of Royal College, Colombo]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan people of Indian descent]]
[[Category:Alumni of S. Thomas' Preparatory School, Kollupitiya]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian historians]]
[[Category:People from Sivaganga district]]
[[Category:Writers from Tamil Nadu]]

S. Muthiah - Revision history

58.182.137.144: /* Personal life */Fixed spelling of name