Shanmugha Rajeswara Sethupathi
Shanmugha Rajeswara Sethupathi (9 November 1909 – 4 March 1967) or Naganatha Sethupathi was an Indian politician of the Justice Party and later, the Indian National Congress and head of the zamindari of Ramnad or Ramnad kingdom from 1929 to 1967. He was a member of the Madras Legislative Assembly from 1951 to 1967 and served as a minister in C. Rajagopalachari and K. Kamaraj's cabinets. He was popular as the main political opponent of U. Muthuramalingam Thevar.
His Highness Raja Shanmugha Rajeswara Sethupathi | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Public Works (Madras state) | |
| In office 13 September 1953 – 13 March 1957 | |
| Premier | C. Rajagopalachari, K. Kamaraj |
| Preceded by | N. Ranga Reddi |
| Succeeded by | P. Kakkan |
| Minister of House Rent Control (Madras state) | |
| In office 10 April 1952 – 13 September 1953 | |
| Premier | C. Rajagopalachari |
| Preceded by | None |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 November 1909 Ramanathapuram, Madura District, Madras Presidency, British India |
| Died | 4 March 1967 (aged 57) Madras, India |
| Nationality | British subject (1909-1947), Indian (1947-1967) |
| Political party | Justice Party (1929-1946) Indian National Congress (1946-1967) |
| Children | Ramanatha Sethupathi, Latha |
| Alma mater | Madras Law College |
| Cricket information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Role | Batsman | ||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||
| 1941/42–1943/44 | Madras | ||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Source: Cricinfo, 1 March 2022 | |||||||||||||||
Sethupathi had a passionate liking for horses and was a fine sportsman. He represented the Madras cricket team in four first-class matches.
Early life
Shanmugha Rajeswara Sethupathi was born to Raja Rajeswara Sethupathi or Muthuramalinga Sethupathi who ruled the estate of Ramnad [1] on 9 November 1909.[2] Shanmugha Rajeswara Sethupathi had an English education and graduated in law.[1] He succeeded to the throne on the death of his father in 1929.[1]
As soon as Shanmugha took over the administration of the estate, the land became embroiled in a number of disputes and lengthy court cases. Between 1935 and 1945, the estate was administered by the Court of Wards.[1]
Politics
Electoral records
He served as the Member of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu. He was elected to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly as an Indian National Congress candidate from Ramanathapuram constituency in 1952 and 1962 elections[3][4] and as an Independent candidate in 1957 election.[5]
Justice Party
Shanmugha Rajeswara Sethupathi joined politics at an early age. He was elected to the Madras Legislative Council as a candidate of the Justice Party and served as a member of the Madras Legislative Council until 1937 when he lost to Pasumpon Muthuramalingam Thevar of the Indian National Congress. During his period of service with the Justice Party, he served in the Economic Depression Enquiry Committee which enquired into the causes and impact of the Great Depression in Madras Presidency.[6]
Indian National Congress
Shanmugha Rajeswara joined the Indian National Congress in 1946 and was elected again to the Madras Legislative Council as an Indian National Congress candidate. He stood in the 1951 elections from Ramanathapuram assembly constituency and was elected to the Madras Legislative Assembly.[7] He served as the Minister of House Rent Control from 10 April 1952 to 13 September 1953 and as the Minister of Public Works from 13 September 1953 to 31 March 1957.[8]
Other interests
Shanmugha Rajeswara Sethupathi had a passionate liking for horses. He owned a stable of over 50 horses in Calcutta.[9] He also owned an extensive car collection including Rolls Royces and Bentleys.[9] The Raja owned extensive land in different parts of Madras city. Hotel Woodlands is located on the exact spot where the Raja's official residence in the city had earlier stood.[9] The Shanmugha Sethupathi Cup for horse racing has been instituted in his memory.[10]
Shanmugha Rajeswara Sethupathi was also a fine cricketer. He played four first class matches during the 1941/42 and 1943/44 seasons for the Madras cricket team scoring 129 runs at an average of 21.50.[11] He also played for the Indians against the Europeans.[12][13]
Death
Shanmugha Rajeswara Sethupathi died on 4 March 1967 and was succeeded as the titular Raja of Ramnad by his son.[14]
References
- N. Subrahmanian (1977). History of Tamilnad. Koodal Publishers. p. 87.
- N. Vanamamalai Pillai (1929). The Setu and Rameswaram. V. Narayanan & Bror. pp. ix.
- 1951/52 Madras State Election Results, Election Commission of India Archived 20 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- 1962 Madras State Election Results, Election Commission of India Archived 7 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- 1957 Madras State Election Results, Election Commission of India Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- Manikumar, K. A. (2003). A Colonial Economy in the Great Depression, Madras (1929–1937). Orient Blackswan. p. 142. ISBN 8125024565, ISBN 978-81-250-2456-9.
- "Statistical report on General Election 1951 to the Legislative Assembly of Madras" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 February 2007.
- "Council of Ministers and their Portfolios (1952-1957)" (PDF). A Review of the Madras Legislative Assembly (1952-1957). Government of Tamil Nadu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2013.
- "When the postman knocked". The Hindu. 29 December 2003. Archived from the original on 2 May 2008.
- "Star Phoenix wins feature". The Hindu. 20 February 2009. Archived from the original on 24 February 2009.
- "Cricinfo - Players and Officials - Raja of Ramnad". Cricinfo.
- "First Class Match: Indians v Europeans at Madras, 26-27 Dec 1942". Scorecards from Cricinfo. Cricinfo.
- "First Class Match: Indians v Europeans at Madras, 25-26 Dec 1943". Scorecards from Cricinfo. Cricinfo. Archived from the original on 7 January 2013.
- "Obituary Reference" (PDF). The Madras Legislative Assembly, Fourth Assembly - First Session, March 15–30, 1967 Resume. Government of Madras. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 September 2011.