: Forgotten Pioneer Who Launched An Airline To Ferry Refugees During Partition #IndiaNEWS #History Every year on 6 April, residents of a small village named Alagappa Nagar—originally a township for

Forgotten Pioneer Who Launched An Airline To Ferry Refugees During Partition #IndiaNEWS #History
Every year on 6 April, residents of a small village named Alagappa Nagar—originally a township for the staff of the Cochin Textile Mill, near Thrissur district, Kerala—cut a cake to honour the birth anniversary of a man who changed their lives forever over a century ago. Born in 1909 in Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, this man was only in his 20s when he arrived in the village, and built homes, schools, temples and a polytechnic for the residents of the village. His name was Dr Alagappa Chettiar.
Now, as the marks its 75th year of Independence on Sunday, Dr Chettiar’s grandson, Dr Ramanathan Vairavan—who wrote a book on his grandfather’s life in 2015, called Alagappa: A Beautiful Mind—sits down with The Better India to honour his grandfather.
Dr Alagappa Chettiar (Source: Dr Ramanathan Vairavan)
Though his story is lesser-told, his contributions to a newly-Independent India have been monumental.
“To him, life was all about giving,??? Dr Vairavan, currently based in California and the chairman of the Alagappa Group of Educational Institutions, says, “He went through a lot of struggles and challenges, mainly due to health reasons. My grandfather wanted to be in the Indian Foreign Service, for which went to the UK to study. ???
There, Dr Chettiar developed a skin disease called Hansen’s Disease, also known as leprosy. “Today, even if you have one pimple, you’d try to hide it. But back then, his entire face was disfigured, and that too in a land that already hated Indians,??? Dr Vairavan notes. While Dr Chettiar passed his exams, he failed the physical due to his skin condition. However, this did not demotivate him — instead, he went on to pursue a law degree.
This, Dr Vairavan notes, was the point where things changed for his grandfather. He came from an extremely affluent family, but wanted to use his wealth for the greater good of the nation.
Dr Chettiar returned to India, particularly to Kerala, where he rebuilt Alaggapa Nagar. “When I went to the village a few years ago, they told me that there was no one who could have done for them what he did. This was very early on in his life as well, he was barely 27 or 28,??? Dr Vairavan says.
Through his life, the businessman launched many ventures — the Alagappa Textiles in Kerala, rubber plantations in Malaya, tin mines in Burma, insurance companies in Calcutta, theatres in Madras, hotels in Bombay, a stock exchange company and even a private airline.
Dr Chettiar also launched a private airline (Source: Dr Ramanathan Vairavan)

A fleet of aircrafts for a new India
Dr Chettiar always had a fascination with flying, and when he was in London, he obtained a pilot’s license in Croydon.

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