imported>BD2412: /* Philanthropy */Typo fixing for Wikipedia:Typo Team/moss, replaced: ,T → , T

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Philanthropy: Typo fixing for Wikipedia:Typo Team/moss, replaced: ,T → , T

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{{Short description|Indian merchant (1840–1911)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Savalai Ramaswami Mudaliar
| image = Raja Sir Ramaswamy Mudaliar Kt.C.I.E.jpg
| caption =
| alt = Portrait of Raja Sir Ramaswamy Mudaliar Kt.C.I.E
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1840|10|13}}
| birth_place = [[Pondicherry]]
| office = Municipal Commissioner, Madras
| term = 1877
| office2 = Vice President, [[Madras Mahajana Sabha]]
| office3 = [[Sheriff of Madras]]
| term3 = 1886, 1887, 1905
| office4 = First President of [[Suguna Vilasa Sabha]]
| office5 = Committee member of Indian Famine Charitable Relief Fund
| term5 = 1897
| honorific_prefix = Raja [[Rao Bahadur]] [[Sir]]
| death_date = {{Death date|df=yes|1911|03|06}}
| death_place = [[Madras]]
| honorific_suffix = [[Order of the Star of India|KCIE]]
| spouse = Ranee Thayyal Nayagi Ammal, Lady Janaki Ammal
}}
'''Raja Sir Savalai Ramaswami Mudaliar''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CIE}} (1840–1911) was an Indian merchant, d''ubash'', politician and philanthropist who was known for his wealth. He was also one of the early leaders of the [[Indian National Congress]].

== Early life ==

Ramaswami Mudaliar was born in 1840 to a building contractor of a [[Sengunthar]] Kaikkola Mudaliar family from Pondicherry.<ref name="hindubio">{{cite news|title=The Raja Forgotten|date=11 October 2004|work=[[The Hindu]]|url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2004/10/11/stories/2004101100190300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041112103123/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2004/10/11/stories/2004101100190300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 November 2004}}</ref> His father had been declared insolvent and moved to Madras in order to escape creditors.<ref name="hindubio" /> Ramaswami Mudaliar joined Dymes and Co. and soon rose to become its ''dubash''and As ''dubash'', Ramaswami Mudaliar amassed a huge fortune.<ref name="hindubio" />

== Philanthropy ==

Mudaliar was known for his philanthropic activities in Madras Presidency. He established choultries at Park Town near Central railway station and one at Thirukazugukundram in memory of his first wife Ranee Thyal Nayagi Ammal hospitals in Madras Royapuram, Thirukazhgukundram, Cuddalore and Kanchipuram apart from a library in Madras <ref name="anniversary_thehindu">{{cite news|title=Ramaswamy Mudaliar remembered|url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/10/14/stories/2008101458160200.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017015112/http://www.hindu.com/2008/10/14/stories/2008101458160200.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 October 2008|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=14 October 2008}}</ref> He built a child-care hospital in Cuddalore which is presently being maintained by the Cuddalore municipality.<ref name="hindubio" /> In 1884, Mudaliar started a choultry near Chennai Central railway station.<ref name="hindubio" /> This Choultry survived till the 1969s latter taken over by AG &OT of Madras High Court and the charities are continuing till today.<ref name="hindubio" />

In 1902, Mudaliar was chosen to represent the city of [[Madras]] at the coronation of King [[Edward VII]] and Queen [[Alexandra of Denmark|Alexandra]] scheduled for June that year.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |articlename=The Coronation |day_of_week=Tuesday |date=29 April 1902 |page_number=10 |issue=36754}}</ref> The coronation was postponed when the king fell ill, and Mudaliar returned to India in July,<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |articlename=The Coronation |day_of_week=Wednesday |date=16 July 1902 |page_number=10 |issue=36821}}</ref> missing the rescheduled coronation the following month.

== Indian Independence Movement ==

Mudaliar was associated with the Indian National Union and was a part of its 1885 three-member delegation to England.<ref name="indianevolutionp136">[[#Indian National Evolution|Indian National Evolution]], Pg 136</ref> He was also associated with the Indian National Congress in its early stages.<ref name="indianevolutionp186">[[#Indian National Evolution|Indian National Evolution]], Pg 186</ref>

Mudaliar also participated in the third session of the Indian National Congress held at Madras in 1887.<ref name="besantp62">[[#Besant|Besant]], Pg 62</ref> He was a part of the welcoming committee.<ref name="besantp51">[[#Besant|Besant]], Pg 51</ref> A resolution was moved demanding more representation for Indians in the administration.<ref name="besantp60">[[#Besant|Besant]], Pg 60</ref> Ramaswami Mudaliar endorsed the resolution and spoke:

{{quotation|Gentleman, while we are humbly praying out Government to grant us some small representative element in the Government, we have actually got full-blown representative institutions flourishing in this country under our very noses. I do not know whether you are aware how they are flourishing in Pondicherry and other places which are subject to the French government. England will not as yet allow us the smallest modicum of representative institutions, but in Pondicherry every man has a right to elect his representative. He enjoys manhood suffrage!<ref name="besantp62" />}}

On the third day of the Madras session, Mudaliar moved an amendment suggesting that the question of establishing a Public Service Commission be postponed to the next session.<ref name="besantp65">[[#Besant|Besant]], Pg 65</ref> Ramaswami Mudaliar also participated in the fifth session of the Indian National Congress held in 1889.<ref name="besantp81">[[#Besant|Besant]], Pg 81</ref> He also participated in subsequent sessions of the Indian National Congress. In the 1894 Congress, he proposed Alfred Webb for the presidency of the Congress and he was duly elected.<ref name="besantp183">[[#Besant|Besant]], Pg 183</ref>

== Death ==

Mudaliar died in 1911 at the age of 71 and was buried at his private burial ground at Kilapuk Garden Road Kilpauk, [[Chennai]]. His statue was erected by his friends which is kept in the Choultry.<ref name="hindubio" /><ref name="anniversary_thehindu" />

== Legacy and honours ==
[[File:1891-01-01 Raja Title.jpg|alt=Raja Title conferred to Sir Savalai Ramaswami Mudaliar Kt.C.I.E|thumb|246x246px|The title of Raja conferred on Sir Savalai Ramaswami Mudaliar Kt.C.I.E]]
Ramaswami Mudaliar was made a [[Order of the Indian Empire|Companion of the Order (C.I.E) of the Indian Empire]] on 6 June 1885.<ref name="indiaofficelistp146">{{cite book | title=The India List and India Office List| last=Great Britain India Office| year=1905| pages=146| publisher=Harrison and Sons| location=London}}</ref> He was also awarded the titles of "Rao Bahadur".<ref name="hindubio" /> In 1886, he became the 158th [[Sheriff of Madras]], the first Indian to hold the post.<ref name="hindubio" /> He was knighted on 14 February 1887 in the Queen's Golden Jubilee Honours List.<ref name="hindubio" /><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=25673|page=788|date=15 February 1887}}</ref> The title of '<nowiki/>''[[Raja]]''' was conferred upon him as a ''personal distinction'', i.e. it was not hereditary since he was a non-royal, by [[Queen Victoria|Her Most Gracious Majesty]]. It was conferred on ''1 January 1891 at [[Fort William, India|Fort William]] by [[Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne|Marquess of Lansdowne]], Viceroy and Governor General of India'' <ref name="The golden book of India, page 258">''The golden book of India, page 258: [https://archive.org/details/goldenbookofindi00lethrich/page/258]''</ref><ref name="Narrative of the celebration of the jubilee of ... queen Victoria ... in the presidency of Madras, page 230">''Narrative of the celebration of the jubilee of ... queen Victoria ... in the presidency of Madras, page 230: To be..etc.[https://books.google.com/books?id=8N0TAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA230]''</ref>

Mudaliar's birthday is celebrated each year through a public function at his choultry opposite to Central Railway station .<ref name="hindubio" /><ref name="anniversary_thehindu" /> The function is organised by Ramaswamy Mudaliar charities which is managed by AGOT of Madras High Court and Co-Trustee S.V.R.Ramprasad, great grandson of Mudaliar.<ref name="anniversary_thehindu" />

== Notes ==

{{reflist}}

== References ==

* {{cite book|title=Indian National Evolution|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.201046|author=Amvika Charan Mazumdar|publisher=[[G. A. Natesan|G. A. Natesan and Co.]]|place=Madras|year=1917|ref=Indian National Evolution}}
* {{cite book | title=How India Wrought for freedom | url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.201490 | last=Besant| first=Annie | author-link= Annie Besant| year=1915| publisher=Theosophical Publishing House| location=Adyar, Madras|ref=Besant}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mudaliar, S. Ramaswami}}
[[Category:1840 births]]
[[Category:1911 deaths]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire]]
[[Category:Knights Bachelor]]
[[Category:Indian knights]]
[[Category:Indian merchants]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Puducherry]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Puducherry]]
[[Category:Sheriffs of Madras]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian politicians]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian businesspeople]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian businesspeople]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian politicians]]
[[Category:Puducherry politicians]]

S. Ramaswami Mudaliar - Revision history

imported>BD2412: /* Philanthropy */Typo fixing for Wikipedia:Typo Team/moss, replaced: ,T → , T