A. T. Pannirselvam Explained

Honorific-Prefix:Rao Bahadur Sir
A. T. Pannirselvam
Order1:Minister of Home of Madras Presidency
Term Start1:1934
Term End1:?
Governor1:John Erskine, Lord Erskine
Primeminister1:Raja of Bobbili
Term Start2:1 April 1937
Term End2:14 July 1937
Governor2:John Erskine, Lord Erskine
Primeminister2:Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu
Order3:Minister of Finance of Madras Presidency
Term Start3:1 April 1937
Term End3:14 July 1937
Governor3:John Erskine, Lord Erskine
Primeminister3:Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu
Birth Date:1 June 1888
Birth Place:Perumpannaiyur,
Madras Presidency,
British India
(now Tamil Nadu, India)
Death Place:Gulf of Oman
Nationality:British Indian
Party:Swarajya Party
Profession:Politician
Spouse:Pappammal

Rao Bahadur Sir Arogyaswami Thamaraiselvam Pannirselvam (1 June 1888 – 1 March 1940) was an Indian attorney, landlord, politician and leader of the Swarajya Party.

Early life

Pannirselvam was born on 1 June 1888 into a Udayar community family from Perumpaniyur (or "Perumpannaiyur"; in present-day Tiruvarur district, Tamil Nadu, India).

Political career

Pannirselvam was the leader of the Tanjore Municipal Corporation during 1918–20 and a member of the Tanjore District board during 1924–30.[1] [2] He was an alumnus of Cambridge University[3] and the first Indian Christian to be appointed as adviser to the Lord Zetland, Secretary of State for India.[4] He attended the 1930 Round Table Conference on India as a nominee of the Viceroy to represent Indian Christians.[5]

In 1937, Pannirselvam succeeded Mohammad Usman as the Minister for Home of the Madras Presidency, in the Raja of Bobbili cabinet. In 1936 he became the member for Home in the Executive Council of the Governor of MadrasLord Erskine.[6] He also served as the Minister for Home and Finance, in the short lived interim provincial government of Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu during 1 April – 14 July 1937.[7] [8] After the defeat of the Justice party in the 1937 Assembly elections, Pannirselvam became the leader of the Justice party. He was one of the few Justice leaders to win in the 1937 elections, defeating George Joseph of the Indian National Congress from the Tanjore Constituency.[9] The party under his leadership supported the Anti-Hindi agitations of 1937-40.[10] He remained the leader of the party till 1938, when Periyar E. V. Ramasamy took over the leadership of the party in December 1938.

Pannirselvam was knighted in the 1938 New Year Honours list.[11]

Death

On 1 March 1940, Pannirselvam was traveling to London to join the Secretary of State's Indian Council, when the Imperial Airways flight he was flying in, Handley Page H.P.42 Hannibal, disappeared in the Gulf of Oman, killing everyone aboard.[12]

Legacy

In 1997, the Tamil Nadu Government named the newly created Tiruvarur district as "Pannirselvam Tiruvarur" district in his honour.[13] (However, it reverted to its old name in 1997, when all names of persons were dropped from the names of districts and transport corporations.)[14] On 31 December 2008, the Government of India issued a stamp (valued at Rs. 5) in his honour.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Vasudevan, Ravi. Making meaning in Indian cinema. Oxford University Press. 2000. 67. 978-0-19-564545-3. 44413767.
  2. Book: Irschick, Eugene F. . Tamil revivalism in the 1930s. Cre-A. 1986. 218. 15015416.
  3. Book: Paramasivam, K. Justice Party golden jubilee souvenir. 1968. 827. 714082.
  4. News: British Aide Lost on Airliner. 6 March 1940. The New York Times. 25 September 2009.
  5. Natesan. Ganapati Agraharam . The Indian review.. Indian Review: Monthly Periodical Devoted to the Discussion of All Topics of Interest . 31. 644. 0019-6304. 1606107.
  6. Book: Proceedings of the Legislative Council of the Governor of Madras. Official Report, Volume 83. Madras Legislative Council. 1936. 415.
  7. Book: Paramasivam, K. Justice Party golden jubilee souvenir. 1968. 56. 714082.
  8. Book: Alva, Joachim Ignatius Sebastian . Men and supermen of Hindustan. Thacker & Co. Ltd. 1943. 68. 37526649.
  9. Book: Joseph, George Gheverghese. George Joseph, the life and times of a Kerala Christian nationalist. Orient Blackswan. 2003. 240–241. 978-81-250-2495-8.
  10. Book: Paramasivam, K. Justice Party golden jubilee souvenir. 1968. 833. 714082.
  11. http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/34469/supplements/3 London Gazette, 1 January 1938
  12. News: Loss of "Hannibal". 6 March 1940. [Flight Archives]. 14 October 2009.
  13. https://web.archive.org/web/20090401201738/http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/29/stories/2009032959650500.htm Additional Judges to be sworn in on 31 March
  14. http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?203878 Name Of The Game Outlook Magazine, 16 July 1997