Benegal Rama Rau

Sir Benegal Rama Rau CIE, ICS (1 July 1889 – 13 December 1969[1][2]) was the fourth Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 1 July 1949 to 14 January 1957.[3]

Sir
Benegal Rama Rau
CIE, ICS
Rau in March 1938
4th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India
In office
1 July 1949 – 14 January 1957
Preceded bySir C. D. Deshmukh
Succeeded byK. G. Ambegaonkar
Ambassador of India to the United States
In office
1948–1949
Ambassador of India to Japan
In office
1947–1948
Personal details
Born(1889-07-01)1 July 1889
Died13 December 1969(1969-12-13) (aged 80)
Alma materKing's College, Cambridge
OccupationCivil servant
Signature

Early life and family

He was born in a Konkani-speaking Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin[4] family from Mangalore. His elder brother Sir Benegal Narsing Rau went on to become an Indian civil servant, jurist, diplomat and statesman known for his key role in drafting the Constitution of India, and his younger brother B Shiva Rao became a journalist and politician.[2]

He was educated at Presidency College of Madras, and at King's College in Cambridge.[2]

He married Dhanvanthi Rama Rau, of Kashmiri Brahmin descent and a leader in the Indian women's rights movement who was the International President of Planned Parenthood and the founder of Family Planning Association of India, their younger daughter Santha Rama Rau became a travel writer, marrying and settling in the United States.[5]

Career

Joining the Indian Civil Service in 1919, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in 1930,[6] and was knighted in 1939.[7] He was a member of the Indian Civil Service. While he had the longest tenure as Governor of the RBI, it was cut short when he resigned just before the expiry of his second extended term, due to differences with Finance Minister T. T. Krishnamachari.[3]

On joining the ICS and before joining the RBI he held the following posts.[8]

  • Under-Secretary and Deputy Secretary to the Government of Madras (1919–1924)
  • Finance Department (1925–1926) as Secretary to the Indian Taxation Committee
  • Finance Department (1926–1928) as Deputy Secretary
  • Simons Commission (1928–1930) as Financial Adviser
  • Industries Department Joint Secretary
  • Round Table Conference as Secretary
  • Indian Bill (1931–1934) in the Joint Select Committee of Parliament
  • Deputy High Commissioner for India in London (1934–1938)
  • High Commissioner for India inthe Union of South Africa (1938–1941)

When he returned to India, he was appointed Chairman of the Bombay Port Trust (1941–1946). After serving in the post he once again served as a diplomat as the Indian Ambassador to Japan (1947–1948), and as the Ambassador to the United States (1948–1949). His last position was as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. He had been the longest-serving R.B.I Governor to date.[9]

References
  1. "World Chronology: 1969". Answers.com. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
  2. "Sir Benegal Rama Rau". Munzinger. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
  3. "List of Governors". Reserve Bank of India. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
  4. Deccan Herald, 25 January
  5. "Band of brothers". New Indian Express. 2 March 2010. Archived from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  6. Gazette, 30 May 1930
  7. Tuesday 15 August 1939 London Gazette
  8. "Sir Benegal Rama Rau". SOUTH AFRICAN HISTORY ONLINE. Archived from the original on 17 December 2005. Retrieved 9 December 2006.
  9. "A Mangalorean PM and his RBI Governor Brother: The Extraordinary story of the Benegal Brothers". www.mangaloretoday.com. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
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