MADRAS CHRISTIAN COLLEGE – GLIMPSES FROM THE PAST

A COLLECTION OF ARTICLES AND PICTURES

COMPILED

BY

PAUL H. JEYASINGH,

AN ALUMNUS OF MCC

A SHORT HISTORY OF MCC

Madras Christian College traces its origin to the General Assembly School founded by Rev. John Anderson, a Missionary from the Church of Scotland, on April 3, 1837. The school had a humble beginning with just 59 boys, and housed in a rented building in the Armenian street in the Black Town of Madras. Anderson was a pioneer in introducing English medium education in South India. He soon opened branch schools in the neighboring towns like Kanjeevaram, Chingleput, Nellore, and other places in Madras like Triplicane. Anderson's colleagues Rev Robert Johnston, Mrs and Rev John Braidwood, and converts such as Rev P Rajagopaul lent an able hand in successfully running these schools.

Anderson carried out several bold academic experiments such as monitorial and tutorial system of teaching and evaluation, opening up education for females and oppressed sections of the society, staring a periodical called Native Herald. His uncompromising Christian convictions led Anderson to fight several evils of the day. He and his wife Margaret Locher sacrificed much for building the Institutions, and their tombs in a Madras cemetery are a silent witness to their ultimate sacrifice, and love for an alien land and culture.

The Rev. William Miller, just 24 years old arrived in 1862, and was destined to become the greatest architect of the College. Within two years of his arrival, Miller upgraded the School into a college adding F.A. (1865) and later B.A. (1867) courses. With the support of few other Protestant Missions in Madras, Miller transformed the Institution into an ecumenical, co-operative enterprise, and named it Madras Christian College on January 1, 1877. With his bold academic vision combined with generous contributions from his family, the Government, and many philanthropic old students, Miller raised most impressive facade of buildings opposite the present High Court, and also Hostels in the service of the needy students. The various societies, associations, and fora of the College gave ample opportunities for students to develop their leadership qualities. Miller's catholic vision, personal touch, fight for the social causes, combined with his contributions to education, endeared him to generations of students, and the College became a household name in South India. He was ably assisted by Scottish colleagues such as Skinner, Hogg, Meston as well as Indian teachers such as Rungiah Chetty, Chinnathambi Pillay and Joseph Muliyil.

The rapid expansion of the College and the paucity of the space necessitated the shifting of the Institution to a more spacious place. Accordingly, the College under the Principalship of Skinner initiated the Tambaram Project in 1919, which was single most audacious and challenging decision ever taken in the history of the College. Rev Gordon Matthew as the Town Planning secretary skillfully negotiated with the Government, which had graciously alienated 390 acres of the former Selaiyur forest land in Tambaram.While Mrs and Prof. Edward Barnes meticulously planted rare tress and worked out the physical landscape, the Swiss architect Schaetti carved the impressive buildings on the new campus.

The 'Great Migration' took place in the year 1937, exactly after 100 years of stay in the heart of the city. On 30th January, Governor Erskine declared open some buildings. The academic life and character smoothly trasposed into the sylvan, idyllic site of Tambaram. The Hostel set up was soon to give birth to three Halls of residence - *Selaiyur, Thomas' and *Heber. Women students were admitted on regular basis from 1939, and a hostel for them came up in Guindy in 1950.

What Miller was to Black Town era, was Dr. Alexander Boyd for the early Tambaram era. Boyd as the illustrious Principal of the college for 18 long years between 1938 and 1956 further enhanced the reputation of the College, in shaping the institution in the new environs, and in the midst of testing times of independence struggle. Nonetheless the College witnessed great progress. Several Postgraduate departments came into existence; and the number of staff and students phenomenally increased. The buzzling Hall life and its traditions, both sound and silly, transformed the College into a much sought after destination for higher education in India The Rural Social League, the Pammal leprosy centre etc., added to the social vision of the College. Dr. J.R. Macphail was last of the great Scots to serve the college as Principal between 1956 and 1962.

Devanesen, Macphail and Boyd:

A new era dawned in 1962, when Dr. Chandran Devanesen took over as the first Indian Principal, who further expanded the academic horizons of the college involving the neighborhood community. Educated at Cambridge, and securing a Harvard-Doctorate, and imbued with Gandhian vision, Devanesen transformed the College into a reputed academic community. Several buildings and Projects such as the Zoology building, Women's lounge, Farm, Guest House, Macphail's Arts centre, Faculty residences tell the success story of this 'Devanesen Decade'.

The year 1978 was a milestone in the academic life of the College when the Institution was granted Autonomy, which has helped the college to carry out many academic innovations and remain at the cutting edge of knowledge. Another distinct academic achievement in recent years has been the introduction of the Choice-based Credit System.

 Spiritual vitality, academic excellence, social relevance, leadership and character formation have always been the defining marks of the Institution. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, who took part in the 170th year celebrations on 23rd February, 2007, paid an eloquent tribute to the history and contribution of MCC in just one sentence: It takes 365 days for the earth to go around the sun once a year. Madras Christian College is 170 years old, which means that, the College has gone around the sun 170 times. (Source: College websites)

For college milestones from inception please refer:

http://www.mcc.edu.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=168&Itemid=580

Campus wildlife tour video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw35MkyHQJY

NOTE:  

I have given plenty of interesting historical details in the last few pages of this compilation. Please take time to read them, at least once. You will not be disappointed. 

*Selaiyur & Heber Halls - Bishop Heber College, Trichy connection:

Selaiyur Hall, the oldest one on the college campus, was founded in 1937 and was named after the Selaiyur forest reserve, a part of which was set apart for the college.

The Hall constitution is derived from the British constitution and the governing body follows the British parliamentary system, reflected in the Cabinet and its manner of functioning since the residence's inception. The Cabinet each year consists is headed by the nominal-executive President (Hall Warden) and the Chairman and consists of seven Secretaries. Finance, Appraisal and Jury committees are appointed by the Chairman and the Cabinet in consultation with the President. Four general body sessions in the presence of 2/3rd of the residents are conducted each year to pass budgets and coordinate planning.

A prestigious line of alumni including India's former Chief Election Commissioner T.N. Seshan and K. Mathew resided at Selaiyur Hall during their years at MCC.

The history of Bishop Heber Hall could be traced back to a similar school started by the first German missionary Christian Frederick Schwartz at Trichy in 1762, near the famous Rock Fort. This school (later called Bishop Heber Memorial School) gradually grew in stature and became a High School in 1864, a second grade college in 1873 and a first grade college in 1883. The college was named Bishop Heber College after Bishop Reginald Heber (1783–1826), the hymn writer and erstwhile Bishop of Calcutta. The college introduced Honours courses in History and Mathematics as early as 1925. In 1934 this college was closed and merged with Madras Christian College. The teachers and students who shifted to Madras formed the Bishop Heber Hostel at Vepery. After a short stay at Vepery and later at Royapettah, the hostel moved out with the rest of Madras Christian College to Tambaram in 1937. The chapel, the hall library and the coat of arms are reminders of the transformation of the college at Trichy to the Bishop Heber Hall at Tambaram. (Source: Wikipedia and others)

“Madras miscellany - A teaching university”, Metro Plus, July 31, 2011 by S. Muthiah:

Bishop Heber College, Trichinopoly, and Bishop Heber Hall, Madras Christian College. What was later named as the Heber Memorial School in Trichinopoly is where Bishop Heber drowned in his bath while passing through on his way back to Calcutta after a journey through India and Ceylon. When the Bishop Heber College that it became was closed, on its merger with Madras Christian College in 1934, Bishop Heber Hall (a hall of residence) and its Bishop Heber Chapel commemorated the merger and remembered a Bishop who had never visited the College. After much campaigning in Trichy, Bishop Heber College — that had been the first college in Trichy — was revived in 1966.

Dr. GU Pope of Sawyerpuram and Bishop Heber College connection:

An East India Company merchant called Samuel Sawyer was stationed in Palayamkottai where he prospered. He donated sufficient money to a group of Christians converted by Raja Clorinda (Miscellany, March 8, 2010) and who had settled south of the River Tamprabarni in the South Tiruchendur Taluk. In the face of difficulties (persecutions) there they (these new converts) wanted to move — and so they used Sawyer's donation to buy 150 acres ten miles southwest of Tuticorin and north of the River Tamprabarni in 1815. When Sawyer died the next year, the (Christian) villagers named their settlement Sawyerpuram. And it was to this village that the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG) sent Pope on his first assignment soon after arriving from England.

Pope arrived in Sawyerpuram in 1842, to establish a new headquarters of the SPG in the Madras Presidency's southern districts which it took over in 1826 after the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) decided it was too far stretched and decided to concentrate on the Presidency's northern districts. In 1843-1844 he cleared the jungle nearby and established a seminary there that flourished for several years, becoming a Second Grade College of the University of Madras.

The College was moved by Bishop Caldwell to Tuticorin, where too it struggled and was then moved to Trichinopoly where it now thrives as Bishop Heber College. Meanwhile, in Sawyerpuram, which Pope left in 1850 for Tanjore, the middle school Bishop Caldwell had left there as a substitute for the college grew into a high school by 1930. Today, Sawyerpuram, a town panchayat, has several educational institutions remembering George Uglow Pope. They are: Pope Memorial Higher Secondary School for Boys; Pope's College, a postgraduate, co-ed institution with hostel facilities; Pope's College of Engineering; and Pope's College of Education (graduate teacher training). Will Sawyerpuram one day host a Pope University?

Pope's contribution to Tamil is well-remembered, even with a statue on the Marina. But Sawyerpuram and what his mission there started is little known outside Tirunelveli District.

 “Madras miscellany: “The first couple”

S. Muthiah, Metro Plus, The Hindu, October 16, 2011

Barnes Villa today (above); and Edward and Alice Barnes

Note: This is the house of Alice and Edward Barnes, the first house to be constructed inside the Tambaram campus, as early as 1932.

Mere mention last week that I'd have more to say about Edward (Ted) and Alice Barnes this week had the postman busy these past few days with several readers providing bits and pieces of information on a couple who, they agreed, should be called ‘The First Couple of MCC's Tambaram campus'. Indeed, no sooner work began on Madras Christian College's campus in Tambaram on January 5, 1932, the first building to be raised was a house into which the Barnes' moved in October that year. Barnes Villa, as the bungalow came to be known, was to remain their home till Ted Barnes passed away at the young age of 49 in 1941.

Prof. Barnes joined MCC as Professor of Chemistry in 1919. While in University in Britain during the Great War, he narrowly missed being arrested as “a conscientious objector”, being out of his ‘digs' when the warrant was brought. A member of the Society of Friends, he and Alice Varley, whom he married in 1930, were to be pacifists all their lives and dedicated Quakers. There may have at the time been no connection between the two events, but it was the year Barnes joined MCC that the College authorities decided they needed to move out of the city to more spacious surroundings and the search began for such space. This became a more formal decision in 1925 when a search committee was appointed. When it was learnt that the Forest Department was abandoning a block of scrub-and-palmyra land in Selaiyur, near the new railway station in Tambaram, the College zeroed in on it and, in April 1927, Ted Barnes was asked to inspect it. The College thereafter applied for 600 acres of this scrub forest and was granted 400 acres by Government on March 15, 1930 together with Rs.16.4 lakh, half of what it had sought for buildings. The fact that Madras had two Prime Ministers that year, Dr. P. Subbaroyan and B. Muniswami Naidu, who were alumni of the College certainly helped.

The first persons to move into the wilderness, the Barnes were to play a major role in transforming it into the tree-shaded, green campus it is today, rich in flora and fauna. Hundreds of species of plants and trees, many of them exotics, were introduced in the campus by them, several supplied by other members of the faculty as well as alumni. The couple nurtured the seedlings in their home and supervised their transplantation. Barnes not only documented all the species in the campus but he wrote profusely about them to international journals. But perhaps his most valuable written contribution was The New Environment: Detailed Description of the Tambaram Site (1937) which detailed “the physical boundaries, nature of water and soil, the kinds of tests done on them, the climatic conditions, the meteorological descriptions, and the wild life of the campus,” according to Joshua Kalapati and Ambrose Jeyasekaran in their history of the College.

Even while he worked on greening the campus, Barnes teamed with Henry Schaetti, the Swiss architect, and, it is said, played a signal role in the planning of the lay-out and the buildings that were inaugurated on January 30, 1937. Truly were Ted and Alice Barnes the first curators of the Selaiyur campus.

Additional Information about MCC:

MCC by Arun Janardhanan, The Times of India, May 18, 2011 (excerpts)

Joshua Kalapati, a professor of philosophy and co-author of The Life and Legacy of Madras Christian College', recalls the social life of MCC in the pre-Independence era. "The police were hunting for MCC students who took part in the Independence struggle. Alexander Boyd, the then principal, would never allow the police to enter the campus to arrest the students. During the Quit India movement, MCC used to give shelter and admission for students who were expelled from other institutions without asking for a transfer certificate. Several students were jailed for more than six months for taking part in the fight against the British. The management stood by the students," says Kalapati. This free spirit and energy of the campus moulded the persona of people like S Radhakrishnan, a great teacher and former president of India, who studied at the old MCC campus during 1904- 1908.

Professors like Duncan Forrester, who taught political science for a decade in MCC in the 1960s, moulded the intellectual life of many students including CPM general secretary Prakash Karat. When the first government of Independent India formed the cabinet ministry, there were two MCC alumni in it-- economist Dr. John Mathai and RK Shanmukham Chetty.

Hostels in MCC, known as halls, facilitates a community living rather than a hostel life. The halls maintain an active space for learning and interactions among students and tutors. Forty-six professors and their families living with 900 students on the campus. They meet up for early morning walks and bird watching expeditions or some farming.

Selaiyur Hall, MCC (My Hostel. Those were the days!)

Madras Miscellany, Remembering two scholars: (Excerpt)  

(S. Muthiah, The Hindu, December 11, 2017)

 Remembered at commemorations in Madras recently were two contrasting Gandhians. One, a man whose family I knew better than him, the other, I confess with regret, I had not even heard of. Of both I learnt so much subsequently, that two items in a column seem pitifully inadequate. If you hear about them again from me it will be because there are so many stories to tell about Dr Chandran Devanesen and Mahakavi Bala Bharathi Sankagiri Duraisamy Subramania Yogiar.

Both were sons of scholars. Chandran Devanesen was the first professor at Madras Christian College who was the son of an earlier academic there, David William Devanesen, a Professor of Biology who later retired as Assistant Director of Fisheries. Devanesan Senior wrote prolificly on subjects ranging from oysters to Vedanayagam Sastriar, the evangelist poet of Tanjore.

As the first Indian Principal of MCC, Chandran Devanesen is known for successfully transforming an institution influenced by Scots to one more Indian. But that exercise is not my focus. What is, is the little remembered founding of the North-Eastern Hill University in 1973. Starting from scratch in territory he knew little about, Devanesen developed in Shillong an institution to serve Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram and, for a while, Arunachal Pradesh. He spent a year boning up on the Northeast before heading to it as Vice-Chancellor, but what he remembered best of that time was meeting this Central University’s Chancellor, Indira Gandhi, before leaving for his new home. The Prime Minister told him she trusted his vision and leadership on academic development, but “I can advise you on the tribal dynamics of the Northeast and its diversity.” He learnt more about the area in that one hour with her than in the year spent in libraries, he was to later recall.

The first Chair he established there was the Mahatma Gandhi Visiting Professorship, the second the Dr Verrier Elwin Chair, remembering that expert on the tribes of much of India. From early in life Devanesen was interested in Gandhi. His doctoral thesis, titled ‘The Making of the Mahatma’, focussed on the first 40 years of Gandhi’s life. The thesis was dedicated to two ardent disciples of Gandhi, Devanesen’s uncles, J(oseph) C and (Benjamin) Bharathan Kumarappa, from the Cornelius family of Tanjore.

Another significant Devanesen creation was the Estuarine Biological Laboratory by Pulicat Lake he helped Dr Sanjeeva Raj to set up. Devanesen did not live to see it come to naught in the new Millennium when Lake and surroundings, including environmentally sensitive islands, were despoiled by modern development. When he was alive he’d visit the Lab regularly with his family on weekends and return to Tambaram with a basketful of mud-crabs to distribute to faculty families. He considered the crabs, which Pulicat Lake has the highest yield of, the “greatest delicacy” on his menu. His Sinhalese wife Savitri’s Ceylon crab curry was always the “top” non-veg dish at dinners he hosted. Today, these mud-crabs are a ‘top’ export.

Madras Miscellany, A gifted polymath:

 (S. Muthiah, The Hindu, April 10, 2011)

 Two Gift Siromoney endowment lectures on successive days recently, one on Statistics and the other on Mohenjodaro, reflected the wide range of interests the late Prof. Gift Siromoney of Madras Christian College had. If ever there was a gifted polymath, it was he.

He may have been Professor of Mathematics at MCC, but his interests were from A to Z, from archaeology to zoology. Computer science, theology (of which he was a student), music, sculpture, epigraphy, linguistics, birds, butterflies and plants, tribals, kolam, child health. Mamallapuram, Mohenjodaro and the Harappan script were all subjects on which he wrote well-researched and well-received papers. In none of his interests was he considered a dabbler; in fact, he was considered an authority.

Out of his interest in linguistics and scripts there emerged, designed by him, the first teleprinter keyboard in Tamil. Tamil literature and the flora of Tambaram he teamed together in a publication tracing the origins of some of the Selaiyur flora in early Tamil literature. He worked with Michael Lockwood, a fellow Professor, on the sculptures of Mamallapuram. Computer science — he was a pioneer in the field in Madras — and study of scripts had him using the computer to try and decipher the Harappan script.

His passion for statistics had him get his students to work on several statistical surveys whose findings in fields ranging from politics to child vision attracted considerable official attention. Gift Siromoney, who joined MCC's Mathematics Department in 1954, came under the influence of its head, Dr. Walter F. Kibble, another polymath who had specialised in statistics and got Siromoney interested in the subject. The Mathematics Department gave birth to a separate Statistics Department in 1970, with Siromoney as its first Head. With elections around the corner, it would only be appropriate to recall that under Siromoney's leadership, the Statistics Department initiated a series of pre-election studies of voting patterns. I don't know whether the Election Commission has made such studies illegal now, but I haven't heard of any such study this year. Gift Siromoney's wife Rani was also a mathematician and headed the Department at MCC from 1979 to 1988. She took a lead role in setting up the Kibble Computer Centre at the College in 1993 and establishing a Department of Computer Science, both among the first in arts and science colleges in Tamil Nadu. She was present at last year's first and this year's second Gift Siromoney Endowment lecture at the Roja Muthiah Research Library's Indus Valley Civilisation research centre. The latest lecture was delivered by Dr. Michael Jansen of Aachen University, Germany, who is a major player with UNESCO's team working on further excavations at Mohenjodaro. The first were in 1922 after R.D. Banerji discovered the site and Sir John Marshall organised the ‘dig'. 

Madras Miscellany,

 (S. Muthiah, The Hindu, April 08, 2012)

Paul Chandrasekharan Sabapathy CVO CBE was Lord Lieutenant of the West Midlands of England, from 2007 until his resignation in September 2015. In 2007, Paul Sabapathy, C.B.E., was appointed by the Queen as Lord Lieutenant of the West Midlands County, the second largest in Britain with a nearly 4 million population, which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton and Walsall. As Lord Lieutenant he was the Queen's personal representative in the West Midlands, a sort of Governor. To his credit, he was the first non-white Lord Lieutenant in the United Kingdom. Earlier, he was also appointed Chairman and Pro-Chancellor of the University of Central England, Birmingham, a post he held till 2008; given that the student body is about 40 per cent South Asian, He was born in Chennai, India.

Paul Sabapathy graduated in 1957 from Madras Christian College. He later migrated to the United Kingdom in 1964, obtained a master's degree from Aston University and acquired British citizenship in 1984. He was in Madras to speak at the 175th anniversary celebrations of his alma mater, Madras Christian College, whose Convocation he had addressed a few years ago.

The Reverend Astronomer:

I knew there'd be a reader out there who'd respond to my invitation for more information about Government Astronomer Michie Smith, but when it arrived from Prof.Joshua Kalapati of Madras Christian College it truly provided a surprise. Michie Smith was the Rev. Charles Michie Smith! The Rev. Michie Smith, educated at Edinburgh University, arrived in Madras as a 22-year-old in 1876 to teach at MCC. In 1877, he was appointed Professor of Mathematics. Two years later he started the Department of Physical Sciences and taught in it till he was appointed Government Astronomer in 1893. It was while heading the Physical Sciences Department that he became interested in Meteorology and Astronomy, making himself an expert in both.

When the Observatory moved from Madras to Kodaikanal in 1899, it was Michie Smith who supervised the entire operation and then focussed on the study of Solar Physics in the facility he set up. He headed the Kodaikanal Observatory till 1920 and during all those years he kept in close touch with the College and helped many a student. Of him it was said, “Nobody can be said to have seen Kodaikanal, who has not seen Michie Smith.” He died in 1922. Curiously, nowhere in the records in Kodaikanal have I seen him referred to as the Rev. Michie Smith.

 Worries over dwindling population of deer at Madras Christian College:

(By Samuel Merigala, The New Indian Express, 10th April 2018)

 Not long ago, herds of spotted deer were found grazing in the sports fields and crossing the silent roads on the 365-acre Madras Christian College campus at will. Today, deer sighting has become rare with just a few remaining rarely venturing out of the scrub jungle. The last internal deer census conducted a decade ago estimated that around 100 deer live on the college campus. However, a large section of the college fraternity fears that only less than half that number remain.

Spotted deer population in the college had blossomed  since the early 1980s. With no natural predators, the deer became a part and parcel of the college campus. But, in the last decade, they are meeting painful deaths at the hands of a new animal climbing to the top of the food chain. Packs of stray dogs have slowly managed to eat into the deer population. Multiple eyewitnesses recollect incidents of stray dogs killing or seriously injuring deer after long chases. “Usually five or six dogs gang up on a baby deer (fawn) and manage to kill it. We try to stop it whenever we can,” said a senior professor residing on campus. Students say they have witnessed dogs feeding on deer carcasses on the college campus between 2011 and 2013.

The college had faced a lot of heat for the stray dog menace in 2014 when a student died after contracting rabies from a stray puppy in the college. They cracked down heavily on dogs by deporting dogs from campus in a bid to ensure safety of its students and staff. “The college took measures to remove the dogs from the college with the help of an NGO and ensured that new strays don’t enter the campus,” said R W Alexander Jesudasan, Principal. He agrees that the stray dog menace on college campus, in view of the dwindling deer population, has to be dealt with.

However, with dog numbers on the rise despite measures, college staff across grades fear that more deer will die in the summer. “When the college closes for summer, they don’t get the excess food from the canteens and there is an increase in killings. The sparsely populated college campus becomes their hunting ground’, said a former professor, who lived many years on campus. Some workers in the college claim that these deer are quickly buried in the college and the matter is hushed up. The forest department has also confirmed they have no data about the deer at MCC.  “The department only keeps track of areas notified as reserve forests,” said a  local forest range officer.

“Madras miscellany: A host of anniversaries”

S. Muthiah, The Hindu, Friday Review, April 1, 2012

Madras Christian College this year marks several anniversaries, starting with Founders' Day on Tuesday when it celebrates the 175th anniversary of the Rev. John Anderson starting in Armenian Street with 59 boys the school that grew into Madras Christian College.

What Anderson started the Rev. William Miller nurtured over a period of 45 years and ensured that it became a premier institution that would contribute significantly to the new India that was stirring. It was 150 years ago this year that Miller arrived in Madras to begin his signal contribution to education in India. For that contribution he deserves separate recognition and that I will do further on. Exactly a hundred years after Miller's arrival, Scots' leadership gave way to Indian leadership, another major figure in Indian education, Dr. Chandran Devanesen, taking over as Principal of MCC in 1962.

In between, the College moved to Tambaram in 1937, seventy-five years ago, and 125 years ago there were set up the first campus student associations: the Dravida Bhashabhivirddhi Sangham (now known as the Tamil Peravai), the Andhra Bhashabhiranjani Sanghamu, the History Students' Union and the Philosophical Society.

The Dravida Sangham was founded on September 14, 1887 to foster the study of Tamil literature among the students of the College. It was called the Tamil Sangham after the move to Tambaram and was then renamed, in 1951, the Tamil Peravai. Its library, the Miller Tamil Sangham Library, had, among its wealth of books, about 200 volumes of the Tamil classics gifted to it by the Raja Setupati of Ramnad, an old student of the College. (Note: Raja Rajeswara Sethupathi or Muthuramalinga Sethupathy was the Raja of Ramnad from 1903 to 1929). Among those who addressed meetings of the association were Annadurai in 1933, Kamaraj in 1960, Karunanidhi in 1963 and Sivaji Ganesan in 1965.

Among the members of the Telugu Sangham, also founded in 1887, were S. Radhakrishnan and B. Pattabhi Sitaramayya. Radhakrishnan, as well as Paul Appasamy and Muhammad Usman, were office-bearers at various times of the Philosophical Society that was founded in the same year. Its founder-patron was the Rev. Charles Cooper, who had been appointed Professor of Philosophy and Logic in 1883 and headed the Department of Philosophy for 27 years. A later principal, the Rev. William Skinner, was for several years President of the Union. Among the office bearers of the fourth association founded in 1887, the History Students' Union, were, at different times, S. Satyamurti and John Mathai. One of its members who became one of the greatest historians of South India was K.A. Nilakanta Sastri.

It was by encouraging societies like these, where students and faculty not only got to interact, but also got the opportunity to make presentations and participate in debates that Miller developed MCC into an outstanding educational institution.

Miller of Madras:

There is a tendency to think of the Rev. William Miller only in terms of his contribution to Madras Christian College. Little remembered is the signal contribution he made to education in the Madras Presidency as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Madras from 1901 to 1904. Miller was appointed Vice-Chancellor even while he was guiding the fortunes of his College and, in a remarkable show of managing time, he continued to guide both University and College as institutions of excellence through his three years as Vice- Chancellor. Among his contributions to the University was the formal starting in 1903 of a library worthy of a major university.

Shortly before he was made Vice-Chancellor he became the first person to be conferred an honorary doctorate of the University of Madras. This was at the convocation held on March 28, 1900. He was also conferred honorary doctorates by the Universities of Aberdeen and Edinburgh. The Madras doctorate was in recognition of his contribution to the University from virtually his arrival in the city. He was Examiner and Chairman of the Board of Studies in English and History. He was made a Fellow of the University in 1867 and was a member of the Syndicate for nearly 30 years. He delivered the Convocation Addresses in 1871 and 1894. And he was a member of the Madras Legislative Council in 1893, 1895, 1899 and 1902.

As a member of the Indian Educational Commission in 1882 (the Hunter Commission), he was a vociferous advocate of changing the prevailing examination system; he sought an “anti-mugging, anti-cramming, and anti-memorising society.” We still haven't achieved this 130 years later. Miller, born in the north of Scotland to a merchant-ship-owning family, took his degrees from the Universities of Aberdeen and Edinburgh. At both Universities he was an active member of various student associations and it was this culture that he brought to MCC. He was only 25 when he arrived in Madras and asked to take charge of what was then a school — and one that was failing. When he left the country in 1907, a sick man for many of those last years, he had established a college which had an Asian reputation and was well-recognised in Britain.

The Central Institution that the Free Church of Scotland had established in Madras was in none too good a shape when Miller arrived to head it. No sooner he arrived, he determined to make the school a college affiliated to the University of Madras. In 1864, he persuaded three students who had matriculated in 1864 to enrol in the First Arts (F.A.) class (then a one-year one) in 1865. Three others joined them. The next year the F.A. Class had 30 students on its rolls. And the College was on its way. Success in the F.A. exams had Miller starting a Junior B.A. Class in 1867 and making the institution a First Grade College. When five students from the College obtained their B.A. degrees in 1869, the Director of Public Instruction noted that the Central Institution had the best results among all the private colleges in the Presidency. The main branches of the B.A. course were Mathematics and Natural Philosophy, Physical Science, Natural Science, Mental and Moral Science, History and Economics, and English Language and Literature. Miller himself taught in the English Department where he developed a first rate faculty by recruiting brilliant young graduates, training them while they served as his personal assistants, and then appointing them as full-time faculty.

Looking beyond the Central Institution in 1874, Miller envisaged a first rate Christian college that would serve the entire Presidency. He saw it as an institution of excellence to which college the best students from junior colleges throughout the Presidency would come. The various missionary societies bought into his idea and, so, on January 1, 1877 the Central Institution became the Madras Christian College. The College began with 242 FA and BA students, a long way from the six students who joined the first FA class in 1865.

Though he left Madras in 1907, Miller remained Principal till 1909. He was then made Honorary Principal, until his death in 1923. Over the years — and in his will — he and his younger brother Rev. Alexander Miller made numerous contributions to the College and, in many ways, those were what enabled the institution to flourish, enjoying as it did a degree of financial comfort.

Global MCC Alumni Reunion 2013

“An inimitable institution of excellence”

Education Plus, The Hindu, December 5, 2011

DR. Chandran Devanesan (My Principal. He was a great friend and mentor)

The Madras Christian College, the institution considered by many as an intellectual powerhouse, will be launching its year-long 175th year celebrations on January 7.

“May God grant us continuing courage and faith to so transform and regenerate our college that she may serve Him and our country in an ever-widening circle beginning with our immediate environment and reaching out to the far boundaries of the world till all mankind is knit together in one great, universal fraternity.”  -  Chandran Devanesan, First Indian principal, Madras Christian College. (1962-73)

An institution known for pioneering education and research in the country since 1837, The Madras Christian College (MCC), is all geared up to celebrate its 175th year. Located in 365 acres of sylvan scrub jungle in Tambaram, the college today has 6,000 students and 32 academic departments. The college campus is bustling with activity as the students' union office-bearers, along with the core committee is working out elaborate plans for the great event. The MCC will, beginning in January 2012, celebrate its glorious past, and prepare itself for a promising future.

175 glorious years:

The MCC will kickstart its year-long quartoseptcentennial celebrations with an inaugural worship programme on Janaury 7. The event will be graced by the dean of Canterbury. He holds a very high spiritual office in the Church of England. It was the English missionaries from the U.K. who founded the MCC and therefore it is apt that he will bless the institution at the worship service. The same day, a two-week exhibition on the legacy of MCC will be inaugurated.

“The celebrations are on throughout 2012. We will have two events per month and it will culminate in a grand alumni meeting during the last week of December,” says R.W. Alexander Jesudasan, college principal. The prime minister will participate in the founder's day celebrations on April 3, 2012. A national conference on ‘Indian higher education: new perspectives for future' will be organised in July.

Sylvan campus:

Says Sooraj S.V., cultural convener of the college: “This year many new events will find their way into ‘Deepwoods', our annual cultural festival and it will be a grand gala celebrations. Apart from this we are organising an inter-district football match in March. We will attempt to enter the Limca book of records for the longest human chain sometime in 2012.”

MCC has always been actively organising various cultural events and also involved all of its students in some activity or the other and thereby providing them a learning experience during the student says, PWC Davidar, IAS, Commissioner of Chennai Corporation, and alumnus of the MCC. “Even today the campus has retained its vibrancy and vitality and most importantly the flora and fauna have been well preserved. The MCC campus is incomparable to any other campus in the country,” he says.

The hangouts:

“The traditions, the legacy, the buildings, the flora and fauna, the landmarks — nothing much has changed in MCC. Alumni who visit the campus even after 50 years could still relate to the campus of their days,” says K. Vigneshwara, chairman of the students' union. “The students bond with the institute so well that they relate to their alma mater forever,” says Mr. Davidar.

The Millar statue, the quadrangle, sun-dial, botany tank, zoo tank, the bell tower,  Anderson hall, college union society,  stone bench, pavilion and the gutters have been the most happening hangouts within the campus for many decades.

Selvaraj, secretary of the Alumni Association of MCC, says, “Apart from the landmarks mentioned here, what used to be also popular were the tea shops outside the campus. Students and lecturers thronged these tea shops till late in the night and used to have discussions on a range of topics for hours together.”

Green campus:

Professor D. Narasimhan of the department of botany, MCC, says the most remarkable 363 acres of green campus that we see today is 60 years old. This tropical dry evergreen natural vegetation is one of the few green patches found in the East coast of India. The forest was allowed to regenerate naturally by giving simple protection. The campus has 150 species of birds and 75 species of butterflies listed. “The biodiversity here is very well balanced and it's the best green campus in the country with ample facility for rainwater harvesting,” he says.

Students' involvement in protecting the biodiversity is highly remarkable, says the college principal. A very important agenda during the 175th year celebration is to construct a multipurpose auditorium and an indoor stadium within the college campus.

“We are undertaking studies to identify the most suitable location to construct these buildings without affecting the biodiversity of the campus,” says Mr. Narasimhan.

Celebrating history:

With the theme for the 175th year celebrations being ‘Celebrating history, Serving humanity', the principal, management, staff and students of the institution are striving with a vision to ensure the institution grows further. “We will be celebrating the 175th year of founding of MCC and 75th year of moving into the Tambaram campus. The alumni around the world are involved in the celebrations and actively raising funds to build the auditorium,” says Mr. Jesudasan. The vision for MCC is two-pronged: academic innovation and infrastructure development. This will be implemented without deviating from the original founding principles of MCC.

Many doyens and stalwarts who worked in the MCC have immensely contributed to the state of higher education in India. “One of the earliest to organise a workshop on the feasibility of autonomous status was the MCC and was also the first to get the autonomous status in 1978,” says R. Sridhar, associate professor, department of political science, MCC. The institution that pioneered many new concepts must leap forward, he says.

“The MCC's strength is its infrastructure and competent faculty. It must evolve into a university in the course of time and serve the society at large,” says Prof. Selvaraj. “The MCC has huge potential to grow further. By realising its strength in the past and by ensuring a glorious future, the institution can grow manifold,” says Mr. Davidar. The MCC needs to upgrade itself from time to time and also collaborate with other institutions around the world and sign MoUs and be in sync with the latest developments around the world. Most importantly the college must play a vital role in shaping the individual profile of the students and ensure that the students are well-rounded personalities, he says.

“Even today the campus has retained its vibrancy and vitality and most importantly the flora and fauna have been well preserved. The MCC campus is incomparable to any other campus in the country.”

“Alumni continue to be a pillar of support”

K.M. Mammen, Education Plus, The Hindu, April 3, 2012

The dynamic process of an institution's growth is governed by its inherent strength to connect its legacy and heritage of the past, its achievements and accomplishments in the contemporary context and its resilience to face the challenges of the future. It is not sufficient that the management strives to realise this historical linkage to achieve its mission with the best efforts of faculty and present students. The role of the alumni provides the required balance in the array of stakeholders, as they are part of the legacy of the institution. They enthusiastically participate to support the academic programmes with their expertise and experience and to help in the development of infrastructure.

THE ASSOCIATION:

The Madras Christian College Alumni Association started in 1891 by the legendary principal Dr. William Miller was then known as the College Day Association and this oldest alumni association in the country celebrated its Centenary in 1991. Dr. Miller had exhorted the alumni to play an active role to support their alma mater. Since then, the MCC Alumni Association has had a very close coordination with the college. Dr. Chandran Devenesan, the first Indian principal, opened a separate office for the Alumni and Public Relations in the mid-1960s.

GREAT BONDING:

The alumni of Madras Christian College have a unique emotional bonding with the Halls of Residence and the College. They have played an important role in building the International Guest House, the C.A. Abraham Cricket Pavillion, the Intercom System, the Braille and Video Library for the Visually Handicapped, helping to launch the highly popular “Deep Woods” event, planning to set up a management institute, Endowment of Scholarships and Prizes for the students, the list continues... Quite a number of our alumni have helped in the signing of MoUs with universities abroad.

In the 175th year of the college history, the Alumni Association has planned to establish a multi-purpose auditorium on the campus. Besides this, the Association has for the past 12 years, been holding the Annual Carol Concert in the city, every December and this has carved a niche for itself with music lovers and carol groups. At present, the Association has grown in terms of the number of Chapters, both in India and abroad; a number of networking groups of alumni have been holding batch-wise reunions on and off campus. A part of the 175th year celebration also includes a big reunion of alumni to be held in December 2012.

ILLUSTRIOUS ALUMNI:

It is a matter of great pride and honour that many of our alumni are outstanding government, Civil Service and Public Service personnel and also in the Private Corporate Sector:

The alumni have continuously supported the college in terms of workshops, guest lectures, campus interviews and sponsorships. As MCC competes in the international arena partnering several universities overseas, with its faculty and student exchange programmes, continuing research, which is the gauge of its intellectual credibility, the Alumni Association will continue to be a pillar of support to the college in all its innovative initiatives.

Note: In the 175th year of the College's history, the Alumni Association has planned to establish a multi-purpose auditorium on the campus.  

ILLUSTRIOUS ALUMNI LIST:

(Sourced from Wikipedia, MCC Alumni records, Magazines, News Paper reports)

Alumni are referred to as MCCians.

Madras Christian College has received many awards and recognition in the fields of academics, sports and extra-curricular activities at various levels, i.e., city, state and national levels. It has, among its professors and alumni, several civil servants, administrators, educators, business people and political leaders, around the world. Leaving their legacy behind is a galaxy of illustrious alumni like President Radhakrishnan. Such was the stature of the Institution that Mahatma Gandhi agreed to preside over a college debate marking the inauguration of Madras Christian College debate society, in its premises in George Town in 1916, while Billy Graham spoke in the famous Anderson Hall in Tambaram in 1956.

Note: A few years after Women’s Christian College was founded, it hosted its most famous visitor Mahatma Gandhi. In 1925, he addressed the students who were reportedly so excited about the visit that they dressed in their finest silks and then ‘in the nick of time’ (according to an article printed in the college magazine, The Sunflower, that year) switched their silks for khadi to impress him. The students’ choir also sang ‘Abide with me’ which was one of his favourite hymns.

Statesmen:

Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was an Indian philosopher, academic, and statesman who served as the first Vice President of India and the second President of India. After completing his education at Madras Christian College in 1911, he became Assistant Professor and later Professor of Philosophy at Madras Presidency College then subsequently Professor of Philosophy at the University of Mysore (1918-1921); the King George V Chair of Mental and Moral Science at the University of Calcutta (1921–1932) and Spalding Professor of Eastern Religion and Ethics at University of Oxford (1936–1952) by which he became the first Indian to hold a professorial chair at the University of Oxford.

Kavalam Madhava Panikkar was an Indian statesman and diplomat also famed as a Professor, newspaper editor, historian and novelist. He joined Madras Christian College for intermediate classes. At MCC he was a contemporary of Puthezhath Raman Menon, Nandyelath Padmanabha Menon and Sadasiva Reddy among others. Later he joined University of Oxford. After leaving Oxford, Panikkar read for the bar at the Middle Temple, London. After a period as a professor at Aligarh Muslim University and later at University of Calcutta, he became editor of Hindustan Times in 1925. Later, he was appointed Secretary to the Chamber of Princes, whence he moved to Patiala State and then to Bikaner State (princely states) as Foreign Minister later becoming the latter's Prime Minister. When India achieved political independence, Sardar Madhava Panikkar represented the country at the 1947 session of the UN General Assembly. In 1950, he was appointed India's (the first non-Socialist country to recognize People's Republic of China) Ambassador to China. After a successful tenure there, he went as Ambassador to Egypt in 1952. He was appointed a member of the States Reorganisation Commission set up in 1953. He was also India's Ambassador to France and a member of Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament. He also served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kashmir and the University of Mysore.

Independence Movement leaders:

Dewan Bahadur Sir Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer (1883-1953) was an Indian lawyer and member of the Constituent Assembly of India, which was responsible for framing the Constitution of India. The main architect of Indian Constitution, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who also chaired the constitution's drafting committee, credited Alladi's contribution: “There were in the drafting committee men bigger, better and more competent than myself such as my friend Sir Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer.” Alladi Krishnaswamy also served as the Advocate General of Madras State from 1929 to 1944.

Alladi first joined the Madras Christian College to study history. He used his spare time to attend classes in law and passed the B.L. exam and became one of the leading members of the bar. He was made a Dewan Bahadur in 1930 and was knighted in the 1932 New Year Honours List.

George Joseph (1887-1938) was a lawyer and Indian independence activist. He was one of the earliest and among the most prominent Syrian Christians from Kerala to join the freedom struggle. George studied at the Madras Christian College and did M.A. in Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh before doing law at the Middle Temple, London in 1908. On his return from London, he initially set up practice at Madras before shifting to Madurai. Joseph's working life in Madurai is remembered for his role in the Home Rule agitation and the Vaikom Satyagraha and for his editorship of Motilal Nehru's “The Independent” and Mahatma Gandhi's “Young India”. He hosted at his house in Madurai several leaders of the freedom struggle including Gandhi, C. Rajagopalachari, Srinivasa Iyengar and K. Kamaraj during their visits there. Subramania Bharati composed the Viduthalai, a well-known patriotic song while staying at Joseph's residence. George Joseph: The Life and Times of a Christian Nationalist is his biography by his grandson George Gheverghese Joseph.

Sundara Sastri Satyamurti (1887-1943) was an Indian independence activist and politician. He was acclaimed for his rhetoric and was one of the leading politicians of the Indian National Congress from the Madras Presidency, alongside S. Srinivasa Iyengar, C. Rajagopalachari and T. Prakasam. Satyamurti is regarded as the mentor of K. Kamaraj, Chief Minister of Madras state from 1954 to 1962.  He studied at the Maharajah's College, Madras Christian College and the Madras Law College. After practicing as a lawyer for some time, Satyamurti entered politics at the suggestion of S. Srinivasa Iyengar, a leading lawyer and politician, who would later become his mentor. Satyamurti participated in protests against the Partition of Bengal, Rowlatt Act and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the Simon Commission. Satyamurti was jailed in 1942 for his activities during the Quit India Movement.

Satyamurti was the President of the provincial wing of the Swaraj Party from 1930 to 1934 and the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee from 1936 to 1939. He was a member of the Imperial Legislative Council from 1934 to 1940 and Mayor of Madras from 1939 to 1943. He was known for his honesty, his integrity, his belief in racial, communal and religious harmony and was strongly opposed to the Caste System in Hinduism. Satyamurti was instrumental in the setting up of the Music Academy of Madras. As President of the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Madras, and the Chairman of the Board of Studies in Music, he was an active member of the Madras University Syndicate and was associated with the founding of the Annamalai University. Because of his strong devotion to Satyamurti, Kamaraj got the Poondi reservoir named after Satyamurti. Additionally, the headquarters of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee was named Satyamurti Bhavan in his honour and in recognition for the work that he did for the Tamil Nadu Congress and for the goal of Indian independence as a parliamentary democracy.

 Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya (1880 -1959) was an Indian independence activist and political leader in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Pattabhi graduated from the prestigious Madras Christian College in 1898-1901, fulfilled his ambition to become a medical practitioner by securing a M.B.C.M. degree. But he left his lucrative practice to join the freedom fighting movement. He served on the Congress Working Committee when the Quit India Movement was launched in 1942. He ran successfully for Congress presidency in 1948, winning with the support of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India. In 1952 he was elected to Rajya Sabha. He also served as the Governor of Madhya Pradesh from 1952 to 1957. He established Andhra Bank in Machilipatnam on 28 November 1923 which is currently one of the major commercial banks of India. He also started Andhra Insurance Company, Krishna Jilla Co-Operative Bank in Krishna District Bhagyalakshmi Bank.

K. Nageswara Rao, better known as Nageswara Rao Pantulu, was a journalist, nationalist, politician, and a staunch supporter of Khaddar movement. He graduated from Madras Christian College in 1891. He founded Amrutanjan Limited in 1893 and invented Amrutanjan pain balm, which soon became a very popular medicine and made him a millionaire. He attended the National Congress meeting in Surat in 1907 and joined the freedom movement. He recognized the need for a Telugu language journal to campaign effectively for the freedom struggle and founded a weekly - Andhra Patrika, in 1909 in Bombay. He participated in the Indian National Congress party, including Mahatma Gandhi’s civil disobedience movement through salt satyagraha. He was conferred with the title Desabandhu (Friend of the masses) by the people of Andhra Pradesh. He was conferred with the title Desoddhaaraka (Uplifter of the masses) by the Andhra Mahasabha. In 1935, the Andhra University honoured him with Kalaprapoorna, an honorary doctorate of Literature.

K. Kelappan Nair was a founding member and president of the Nair Service Society, a reformer, an Indian freedom fighter, educationist and journalist. During Indian independence movement, he was the lead figure of Indian National Congress in Kerala and was popularly known as Kerala Gandhi. He fought for social reforms on one hand and the British on the other. He fought relentlessly against untouchability and caste-based discrimination. After Indian independence, he held various seats in Gandhian organizations. He did his graduate studies at MCC.

Malayapuram Singaravelu (1860-1946), also known as M. Singaravelu and Singaravelar, was a pioneer in more than one field in India. In 1918, he founded the first trade union in India. On 1 May 1923 he organised the first ever celebration of May Day in the country. Singaravelar was a major leader of the Indian independence movement, initially under the leadership of Gandhi, but later, joining the budding communist movement. In 1925, he became one of the founding fathers of the Communist Party of India; and chaired its inaugural convention in Kanpur. Singaravelar was also a path-breaking social reformer who in his early life took to Buddhism, seeing it as a weapon against the evil of untouchability, which was particularly severe in the 19th-century India. He was also in the forefront of Self-respect movement, in the Madras Presidency that fought for equal rights for backward castes.

He matriculated in 1881 and then, from Madras Christian College, he passed F.A. (First examination in Arts) in 1884, took his bachelor's degree from the Presidency College, and then joined the Madras Law College and got his B.L. degree in 1907.Thereafter Singaravelar practiced law at the Madras High Court.

Muhammad Ismail was an Indian politician belonging to the Indian Union Muslim League. He obtained his education from CMS College and MDT Hindu College at Tirunelveli and later at St. Joseph's College, Trichy and Madras Christian College. He was a member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, and a member of the Indian Parliament – both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. He was also a member of the Indian Constituent Assembly which framed the Indian Constitution. He was one among a very few members who took active part in drafting the constitution of India along with B. R. Ambedkar, Vallabhbhai Patel and others.

During the period of independence, his presence and active participation was instrumental in maintaining communal harmony in South India. Sir Archibold Nye the then Governor of Madras and Dr. Prakasam, the former Premier of Madras, among others, credited Ismail for the peace and communal harmony prevailed in the southern parts of India. He is popularly known in his native states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala by the title “Quaid-e-Millat” (Leader of the Nation). M. Bhaktavatsalam a former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu hailed Mr. Ismail as the model for all the leaders of opposition.

Muhammad Ismail was a noted businessman of the Madras Presidency involved in leather goods and meat industry. He was an office bearer in various Commerce and business organizations of the Presidency and Government committees dealing with commerce.  

K.P. Kesava Menon (1886-1978) was a patriot, idealist, journalist and Indian independence activist. He was the grandson of the Maharajah of Palghat. He graduated in Arts from MCC and Bar-at-law from Middle Temple. After his education Menon became the secretary of Malabar Home Rule League. He joined the Indian National Congress in 1915 and served as the secretary of the Malabar branch of the Home Rule League after setting up practice in Calicut. He was a member of the Home Rule League under Annie Besant which proceeded to London to present a memorandum to the Secretary of State in 1917. He was among the earliest in Kerala to argue for abolition of 'untouchability'. He gave Leadership for the Vaikkom Sathyagraham and was imprisoned. In 1921 K. P. Kesava Menon joined the Non-Cooperation movement after giving up practice. He did relief work as secretary of KPCC during Moplah rebellion. Later he was very active in INA but when Subash Chandra Bose assumed the leadership and formed Azad Hind Government, Kesavamenon parted ways from it as he found it difficult to cope with Subash's way of functioning.

He became the Founder-Editor of the Mathrubhumi in 1923 - a popular daily newspaper which owned the second place in circulation in Kerala. Menon also wrote a dozen of books and collections of essays. He was the first Executive President of the Kerala Sahtiya Academy. He was honoured with Kendra Sahithya Academy Award in 1958. He also received the highest civilian honour Padma Bhushan in 1966. Kerala Sahithya Academy honoured Menon in1969 by giving him  Kerala Sahithya Academy Award.

Professor M. C. Rajah or Diwan Bahadur Mylai Chinna Thambi Rajah (1883-1943) was a Tamil politician, social and political activist from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Rajah entered politics after graduating from MCC. In 1916, he became the Secretary of the Adi-Dravida Mahajana Sabha. He was one of the founder-members of the South Indian Liberal Federation. Rajah was elected to the Madras Legislative Council as a Justice Party candidate during the first general elections held in November 1920. He was elected Deputy Leader of the Justice Party in the house. Rajah was the first member of the scheduled caste community to be elected to the Madras Legislative Council. In 1922, Rajah passed a resolution demanding that the terms Paraiya and Panchama be dropped from official usage and instead be substituted with Adi-Dravida and Adi-Andhra. However, he quit the party in 1923 over the party's treatment of the then Depressed Classes. He was the first leader who organized Scheduled Classes at the national level in India. From 1926 till 1937, he was a member of the Imperial Legislative Assembly. He was the pioneer of Mid-day meal scheme in India. In his heyday, Rajah was considered to be a person equal in stature to Ambedkar.

Desa Bhakta Konda Venkatappaiah or Konda Venkatappayya (1866–1948) was a noted lawyer, Indian freedom fighter and politician from Andhra Pradesh. After graduating from MCC, he completed his B.L degree and started practicing. However, later he left the practice and joined the Congress party. He was president of Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee between 1918 and 1923. He actively participated in various activities of the Indian freedom movement and was jailed in 1930, 1932 and 1942. When Mahatma Gandhi launched the Civil disobedience movement in 1930-31, he was again president of Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee and in charge of the movement in the State. He was elected to the Madras Legislative Council from Guntur-Tenali constituency in 1937 and worked as Secretary of the Congress party. He is one of the founders and first editor of “Krishna Patrika”, leading weekly Telugu magazine during the early 20th century.

Gandhians:

P.P.Ummer Koya (1922-2000) was an Indian politician, Gandhian, freedom fighter and educationist. He held the portfolio of Education from February 1960 to September 1962, in the Ministry headed by Pattom Thanu Pillai. He also handled the Portfolio of Public Works, in the Ministry headed by R. Sankar from September 1962 to September 1964.During his political career, he also had served as the Vice President of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). He had also a stint as a member of the Kerala Public Service Commission

K. Radhakrishna Menon (1924-2007) also known as Radhettan or Baba, is viewed as an ideal Gandhian who, through his life, showed the world how the teachings of the Mahatma could be implemented in a modern world. Local people saw Gandhiji in Menon, learned about Gandhiji through Menon, and named him after Gandhiji. Radhakrishna Menon did his M.A. (Hons) in economics from Madras Christian College, where he had friends like P.P. Ummer Koya and K.N. Raj. After his degree, he reached Kolkata and edited a paper called Sathi. From Kolkata, he reached Mahatma Gandhi's Sewagram Ashram in Wardha. Radhakrishna Menon spent several days with Gandhiji at Wardha Ashram and had close association with Jayaprakash Narayan, Acharya Kripalani, Kelappaji, Acharya Vinoba Bhave. After Indian independence in 1947, there were also Gandhians who felt that their work was not yet completed. An "army" of constructive workers who believed in Gandhi's Philosophy went to the villages to restructure the society. RadhaKrishna Menon was one such unsung hero who devoted his energy, time and effort for promoting human welfare and restructuring the society.

Services:

General Krishnaswamy Sundarji, PVSM, was the Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army from 1986 to 1988. He was the last former British Indian Army officer to command the Indian Army. During his army career, he had commanded the Operation Blue Star under orders from Indira Gandhi to clear the Golden Temple shrine. He introduced a number of technology initiatives to the Indian Army. As the Chief of Army Staff, he planned and executed Operation Brasstacks, a major military exercise, along the Rajasthan border. He studied at the Madras Christian College only to leave it before receiving a degree. (General Krishnaswamy Sundarji's autobiography reveals that Principal Dr. Boyd knew each student personally. Sundarji relates in his book that when he expressed his intention to join the army, discontinuing his studies, Dr. Boyd advised him against it as he believed Sundarji would make a good doctor rather than a good soldier.) Later in his career, he graduated from the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) at Wellington, Tamil Nadu. He also studied at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth in the US, and the National Defence College in New Delhi. He held a Master of Arts in international studies from Allahabad University and an MSc in defence studies from Madras University.

Air Marshal B.S. Krishna Ram: After schooling in MCC High School, he joined MCC, graduating in 1939. He began his Air Force career under the British.

Major Mukund Varadarajan AC (1983-2014) was an officer in the Rajput Regiment of the Indian Army. In 2014, he was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award, for killing three terrorists in an encounter at the Shupiyan district of Jammu and Kashmir. After graduation, he received a diploma in journalism from the Madras Christian College, Tambaram. His grandfather and two of his uncles also served in the army and this motivated Varadarajan to enlist.

Political Leaders:

Ali Kirunda Kivejinja (born 12 June 1935), more commonly known as Kirunda Kivejinja, is a veteran Ugandan politician and senior presidential advisor to the President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni. He is the Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of East African Community Affairs in the Ugandan Cabinet. He was appointed to that position on 6 June 2016. Previously, he has variously served as the Minister for Relief and Social Rehabilitation, Internal Affairs and as Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda. He took a pre-university course at Madras Christian College before obtaining a Bachelor of Science (Honours) Degree in Zoology at Delhi University on a Government of India scholarship. While in India he was treasurer of the African Students Association.

First three Finance Ministers of Independent India, namely:

Sir R.K. Shanmugam Chetty, John Mathai and T.T. Krishnamachary were from MCC

Sir R.K. Shanmukham Chetty KCIE was an Indian lawyer, economist and politician who served as independent India's first finance minister from 1947 to 1949. In fact, due to his expertise in economics, he was chosen by the Father of the Nation, Mahathma Gandhi, against the wishes of Jawaharlal Nehru, to be the Finance Minister in independent India's first cabinet. However, due to conflict of views with Nehru, Chetty quit after a short time. However, Shanmukham Chetty is, today, remembered for presenting the first budget of independent India on 26 November 1947. He studied at Madras Christian College and Madras Law College. On completion of his education, Shanmukham Chetty joined politics and served both in the Indian nationalist Swaraj Party as well as the Justice Party. Shanmukham Chetty was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly of India and served as its President from 1931 to 1935. Chetty represented Indian employers at the International Labour Conference in Geneva in 1928, 1929 and 1932. He was the Indian delegate at the Imperial Economic Conference held at Ottawa in 1932. In 1938, Chetty visited Geneva as the Indian delegate to the League of Nations. He also served as Diwan of Cochin kingdom from 1935 to 1941- when he developed Cochin Port. For a short period, he served as constitutional advisor to the Nawab of Bhopal. He also served as President of the Indian Tariff Board.

John Matthai CIE (1886-1959) was an economist who served as India's first Railway Minister and subsequently as India's Finance Minister, taking office shortly after the presentation of India's first Budget, in 1948 by Shanmukham Chetty (a product of MCC), who resigned due to his differences with Nehru. Matthai presented two Budgets as India's Finance Minister, but he too resigned following the 1950 Budget in protest against the increasing power of the Planning Commission and P. C. Mahalanobis. He was the first Chairman of the State Bank of India when it was set up in 1955. He was the founding President of the Governing Body of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) in New Delhi, India's first independent economic policy institute established in 1956. He served as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Mumbai from 1955 till 1957 and then as the first Vice Chancellor of the University of Kerala from 1957 to 1959. Matthai graduated in economics from MCC. He also served as a Professor and Head in University of Madras from 1922 to 1925.

John Matthai was invested as a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in 1934, and was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1959. NCAER, led by the President of its Governing Body, Nandan Nilekani (co-founder of Infosys and the brain behind Aadhar card) and with support from the Nilekani Philanthropies, honoured John Matthai in 2019 by naming NCAER's new office building at its campus in New Delhi as the John Matthai Tower.

His nephew, Verghese Kurien, is generally recognized as the architect of India's White Revolution.

T.T. Krishnamachari was the Indian Finance Minister for two terms - from 1956–1958 and from 1964–1966. In fact, he was the first minister for Commerce and Industry and also the first finance minister. He also remained in charge of the Steel Ministry for quite some time. He became a Minister again in 1962, first without portfolio, then the Minister for Economic and Defense Cooperation and finally the finance Minister again, in 1964 and finally retired in 1966. He was also a founding member of the first Governing Body of NCAER, the National Council of Applied Economic Research in New Delhi, India's first independent economic policy institute established in 1956. Krishnamachari graduated from Madras Christian College (MCC) and was a visiting professor to the department of economics at MCC.

Diwan Bahadur Sir Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar, KCSI (1887-1976)– twin brother of A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar, also an MCCian - was an Indian lawyer, diplomat and statesman who served as a senior leader of the Justice Party and in various administrative and bureaucratic posts in pre-independence and independent India. He graduated from the Madras Christian College and studied law at the Madras Law College. On completion of his studies, practised as a lawyer before joining the Justice Party and entering politics. Ramasamy Mudaliar was a part of the Justice Party ever since its inception in 1917 and served as its general secretary. In July 1918, he went to England along with Dr. T. M. Nair and Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu as a part of the Justice Party delegation to argue in favour of communal representation and give evidence before the Reforms Committee. Ramasamy Mudaliar rose in stature gradually in the party and began to be regarded as the “brain of the Justice Party”. He was nominated to the Madras Legislative Council in 1920 - served from 1920 to 1926 - and then as a member of the Madras Legislative Assembly from 1931 to 1934, losing to S. Satyamurti - another MCCian (mentor of K. Kamaraj) in the 1934 elections. Arcot Ramaswamy Mudaliar was knighted in the 1937 Coronation Honours List, by which time he was a member of the Council of the Secretary of State for India. He received the accolade at Buckingham Palace on 25 February 1937. Shortly before the Second World War broke out in 1939, Ramaswamy Mudaliar was appointed member of the Viceroy's Executive Council. In June 1942, he was knighted again as a KCSI. In July 1942, Ramasamy Mudaliar was appointed to Prime Minister Winston Churchill's War Cabinet, one of the two Indians nominated to the post, with equal rights and privileges as representatives from Britain's dominions. Mudaliar served as India's delegate to the United Nations at the San Francisco Conference between 25 April and 26 June 1945, where he chaired the committee which discussed economic and social problems. Mudaliar was elected as the First President of the Economic and Social Council during its session at Church House, London, on 23 January 1946. Under his presidency, the Economic and Social Council passed a resolution in February 1946 calling for an international health conference. At the health conference which was eventually held on 19 June 1946, inaugurated by Sir Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar, the World Health Organization came into being and the constitution for the new organisation was read out and approved by delegates from 61 nations. On the expiry of his one-year term, he returned to India and took over as the Chief Minister/dewan of Mysore in 1946. Mr. Ramasamy Mudaliar was sent by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru as head of the Indian Delegation to New York to argue India's case in The Security Council when Hyderabad appealed to it against Accession to India and eloquently argued the case for India and Security Council decided in favour of India. The Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) was established on 5 January 1955 and Sir Mr. Arcot Ramaswami Mudaliar was elected as the first Chairman of ICICI Ltd. In his later years, Mudaliar served as the Chairman of the India Steamship Company and of the Tube Investments of India, until his death in 1976; helped AMM group setup TI cycle of India. Mudaliar was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1954 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1970.

B. Munuswamy Naidu (1885-1935) was the 5th Chief Minister of Madras Presidency. He was conferred 'Rao Diwan Bahadur' by British Government. He had his early education at Madras Christian College and graduated in law and practiced as a lawyer. He was one of the early members of the Justice Party. He served as the President of the Justice Party from 1928 to 1932. Under his leadership, the Justice Party won the 1930 Madras Assembly elections and Munuswamy Naidu served as Chief Minister or Premier from 1930 to 1932.

Arcot Ranganatha Mudaliar (1879-1950) was an Indian politician and theosophist from Bellary. He graduated from Madras Christian College and Madras Law College. He joined government service in 1901 and served as Deputy Collector of Bellary. Ranganatha Mudaliar joined politics at the instance of the Raja of Panagal of the Justice Party. He contested the Madras Legislative Council from Bellary and was elected to the assembly. He served as the Minister of Public Health and Excise in the government of P. Subbarayan from 1926 to 1928, when he resigned protesting the arrival of the Simon Commission. Ranganatha Mudaliar established the Young Men's Indian Association in 1914 and constructed the Gokhale Hall in 1915. Mudaliar accompanied Annie Besant to London in 1924 as a part of the National Convention delegation.

Diwan Bahadur Rayapuram Nallaveeran Arogyaswamy Mudaliar (1870-1933) was an Indian politician and civil engineer who served as the Minister of Excise, Medical Administration and six other departments in the Madras Presidency from 1926 to 1928. As a student of Madras Christian College, Arogyasamy Mudaliar performed brilliantly standing topmost in his class and securing kudos from the then Principal of the college - Rev. Dr. W. Miller. He went on to complete his Civil Engineering Degree in 1896 from Madras Engineering College (now named Guindy College of Engineering) which was earlier located in the palace of the Nawab of Carnatic. After passing the exam at the top of his class, the Government of India offered Arogyaswamy Mudaliar the position of Executive Engineer overseeing nearly all districts in the present state of Tamil Nadu, Ganjam District in Orissa and entire Andhra Pradesh (excluding territories of the Nizam of Hyderabad, who was then the richest man in the world). He was handpicked to represent the country at the inauguration of the Panama Canal and at the opening on the Philadelphia Industrial Exhibition in the US. In the post war years (World War I) he was actively involved in the Mettur Dam, which became the largest dam in the world at the time of completion in 1934 and also Tungabhadra project, Pykara Project and the Lower Bhavani (river) Project.  The government recognised his work by promoting him to the position of Superintending Engineer in 1918 and conferring on him the title of Rao Bahadur and later in 1925 with the additional honour of Dewan Bahadur at the time of his retirement. In the 1926 elections of the Madras Province, no party was able to win a clean majority in the Madras Legislative Council that had 132 elected members and 4 special members. When an independent ministry was formed by P. Subbarayan, he was made a Minister in charge of several portfolios. His contribution was very much appreciated. Soon after the death of Arogyaswami Mudaliar, a half anna post card arrived from Mahatma Gandhi in Yerrawada Jail, Poona where he was incarcerated, expressing his anguish on the demise of a patriot.

Rao Bahadur Sir Kurma Venkatareddy Naidu KCSI (1875–1942) was an Indian lawyer, professor, politician and Justice Party leader who served as the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency from 1 April 1937 to 14 July 1937. He was the last Chief Minister of Madras Presidency from the Justice Party. He graduated from Rajahmundry Arts College, the Madras Christian College, Madras Law College and Madras University and served as the Professor of Physics at Rajahmundry Arts College. He joined the Justice Party in 1919-1920 and was a part of T. M. Nair's delegation to the United Kingdom. Later, when a Justice Party government was formed in Madras, Reddy Naidu served under A. Subbarayalu Reddiar as Minister of Development. He also served as the Minister of Industries in the government of the Raja of Panagal from 1921 to 1923. Later, Reddy Naidu acted as the Governor of Madras from 18 June 1936 to 1 October 1936, after which tenure, he became the Chief Minister. He also served as the Vice-Chancellor of Annamalai University in 1940. He lived in Madras city in a palatial mansion on Boag Road, Theyagaraya Nagar, which later became the property of movie star Sivaji Ganesan.

Khan Bahadur Sir Mohammad Usman, KCSI KCIE (1884-1960) was an Indian politician, hakim and socialite who served as the Minister of Home for the Madras Presidency in the Justice Party government of the Raja of Bobbili and as the first Indian acting Governor of Madras. Usman was born into an aristocratic family of Tanjore in the Madras Presidency in 1884. He graduated from Madras Christian College and joined the Justice Party. He was elected to the Madras Legislative Council and later, to the Governor's executive council (on 30 March 1925). Later, he was elected president of the Muhammedan Education Association of South India in 1930. When the Raja of Bobbili took over as the Chief Minister or Premier of the Madras Presidency, Usman was made the Minister of Home in the provincial government. However, Usman resigned in 1934 recommending A. T. Panneerselvam as his successor. (Note: Panneerselvam was an alumnus of Cambridge University and the first Indian Christian to be appointed as adviser to the Lord Zetland, Secretary of State for India. He attended the 1930 Round Table Conference on India as a nominee of the Viceroy to represent Indian Christians). Muslims of the Madras Presidency felt betrayed that Usman had not recommended a Muslim for the post and strongly opposed the candidature of Panneerselvam being a Christian. Violent Muslim-Christian riots erupted in the province. Though the riots were eventually quelled, the incidents radicalized public opinion, both Muslim and Christian, against the Justice Party. Usman served as the acting Governor of Madras from 16 May 1934 to 16 August 1934. He was the first Indian to act as the Governor of Madras. The British trusted Usman and considered him loyal. He served as a member of the Indian Defence Council in 1941–42 and as the Vice-Chancellor of Madras University from 1940 to 1942. Usman also served as the member of posts and air in the Viceroy's Executive Council between 1942 and 1947. In 1935, Usman became the first Indian President of the Rotary Club of Madras.

Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya, former Governor of Madhya Pradesh, Member of Rajya Sabha, and Founder of Andhra Bank. (For more details, refer: Independence Movement leaders)

Nettur P Damodaran (1913-1978) was a member of the 1st Lok Sabha of India (1952) from the constituency of Tellicherry, which was part of the erstwhile Madras state. He represented the now defunct Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party. Nettur P, as he was popularly known, had established his own image as a good Parliamentarian, journalist, philanthropist, reformer and writer. He graduated in Physics from Madras Christian College and it was here that his public life started when he was elected as the first elected Student Union Chairman of the College council in 1935. Damodaran had for a brief period worked as a journalist, first in The Free Press Journal and later for Mathrubhumi in Mumbai as correspondent. He was also editor of 'Dinaprabha', a Malayalam daily published from Kozhikode in early 1960s. From 1963–66, he held senior position in the Home ministry, Government of India, as Officer on Special Duty for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled tribes, which gave him opportunity to travel extensively all over India. In 1967, he was appointed as the Chairman of Backward class reservation commission by the Left Democratic Front Government headed by E M S Namboodiripad. He served as chairman until the report was finalised in 1970. The report, known as Nettur Commission report stirred many a political battles in Kerala. He was conferred with the honorary Thamrapathra on the Silver Jubilee of Indian independence by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in recognition of his work towards the independence struggle.

N. Gopala Menon was a lawyer and an Indian politician of the Indian National Congress, also Member of the Legislative Assembly of Madras state (1952). He served as the Speaker of the Madras Legislative Assembly from 1955 to 1956. He was only the second person to occupy this office, following the first ever Speaker of the newly created Madras State J. Shivashanmugam Pillai who served from May 1952 to August 1955. He did his schooling and higher studies in the Madras Christian College High School and graduate studies at Madras Christian College and the Law College, Madras. After qualifying in Law he joined the Legal firm of Sir Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu who became his mentor. (Sir Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu, was the first Indian to be appointed Governor of a Presidency in June 1936.) Gopala Menon set up his private law practice in Madras in the early 1920s. Always a person who was sympathetic to the conditions of the under-privileged, Gopala Menon devoted his legal practice to the requirements of the needy. He virtually adopted a large cluster of poor households in Vepery and Choolai districts for whom he provided free legal service. He represented this Municipal constituency in the Madras Corporation for nearly twenty years from the early 1930s. During his Membership of the Madras Corporation he was for many terms the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Finance and other important Committees, and was elected the Deputy Mayor for a term.

K.C. Abraham belonged to Indian National Congress. He was MLA, Travancore Cochin Legislative Assembly (1954-56), President, KPCC (1964). Member, Congress Working Committee (1967); He continued to be a member of the Congress working committee (CWC) at the time of the great split in 1969. With the 21 member committee was split into 10 Pro- syndicate and 10 Pro- Indira group, it was KC Abraham who played a mediator role to bring the two groups together though he was very much pro-Syndicate. Finally he stood by his Pro- Syndicate conviction which resulted in the expulsion of Indira Gandhi from the Indian National Congress. K Kamaraj and later Morarji Desai were the leaders of the INC(O). He was Governor of Andhra Pradesh from 1978 to 1983. He was a Gandhian.

P.P. Ummer Koya, second Education Minister and later Minister of Public Works of Kerala Government. He was a freedom fighter and a Gandhian. (Check under Gandhians)

Prakash Karat, former General Secretary, Communist Party of India (Marxist) - from 2005 to 2015.Karat studied in the Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School in Chennai. On finishing school, he went to the Madras Christian College as an undergraduate student in economics, winning the prize for best all-round student on graduation. Encouraged by the Scottish theologian Duncan B. Forrester, one of his college professors, he got a scholarship to Britain's University of Edinburgh, for a master's degree in politics (MSc). At Edinburgh he became active in student politics and met Professor Victor Kiernan, the well-known Marxist historian. Karat returned to India in 1970 and joined JNU, for his Ph.D. JNU. Karat was one of the founders of the Students Federation of India (SFI),  - the CPI (M)’s student wing, in Jawaharlal Nehru University.

P.T.R. Palanivel Rajan (Ponnambala Thyaga Rajan Palanivel Rajan) was an Indian politician. Born into an aristocratic landlord family in Uthamapalayam. He did his schooling from Trinity College, Kandy, Sri Lanka. He graduated in Political Science from Madras Christian College and then studied Law at Madras Law College. He was a practicing lawyer before entering politics in 1967 when he joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). Rajan was first elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from Theni in 1967 and was re-elected in 1971. He was again elected in 1996 from the Madurai West Constituency. He became Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from 1996 to 2001. Later when he was elected from Madurai Central he was made the Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments in the Government of Tamil Nadu which he held till the time of his death in 2006.  Madurai Kamaraj University conferred the Doctor of Law on him (Honoris Causa) in 1997.

His father P. T. Rajan was Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. His son (highly educated), Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, two times MLA from Madurai Central Constituency is currently the Finance Miniser in Tamilnadu Government.

Dr. Agarala Eswara Reddi (also written as Agarala Eswara Reddy (1933-2020) was an Indian writer and politician from Andhra Pradesh belonging to Indian National Congress. He was elected as a legislator of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from Tirupati in 1967 and 1978. Reddi served as the deputy speaker of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 27 March 1981 to 6 September 1982. He also served as the speaker of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 7 September 1982 to 16 January 1983. Agarala famously contested against NTR in 1983 from Tirupati on a Congress ticket. He took a backseat from politics after his defeat that year. However, he remained in the public sphere and was associated with educational institutions in the state such as Sri Venkateswara University and Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University. He also went on to author seven books and published research articles.

Kishore Chandra Deo (Vyricherla Kishore Chandra Suryanarayana Deo) is an Indian politician and a member of the Telugu Desam Party in Andhra  Pradesh. He has been elected to the Lok Sabha for five times, and has also held one term in the Rajya Sabha. From July 2011 to May 2014, he was the Union Cabinet Minister for Tribal Affairs & Panchayati Raj. He was also a Minister of State for Steel, Mines and Coal in the Central Cabinet in 1979-80. He has served on numerous parliamentary committees, and has been the chairperson of several key parliamentary committees, including the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill that led to the Forest Rights Act. He was also the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Undertakings (CoPU). He headed the parliamentary investigation into the 2008 cash-for-votes scandal. He is the present Zamindar of Kurupam, Vizianagram District, Andhra Pradesh. He belongs to the Konda Dora scheduled tribe community, and is from a family of tribal hill chiefs. He holds an M.A. degree in Political Science and a B.A. degree in Economics from Madras Christian College, Madras (now Chennai).

Munisamy Thambidurai is an Indian politician who served as the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha and leader of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament. He had served as the Cabinet Minister of Law, Justice and Company Affairs and as the Minister of State of Surface Transport from March 1998 to April 1999. He had also served as the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 1985 to 1989. He is member of the Trust of Adhiyamaan Educational and Research Institution (Adhiyamaan College of Engineering, Hosur) and St. Peter's Institute of Higher Education and Research Institution (St. Peter’s College of Engineering, Avadi). Thambidurai started his political career as a youth worker and student activist of the erstwhile united DMK in 1965 at the age of 18, when he was in the first year as a student of Madras Christian College.

Rangasamy Velu (born 25 July 1940), is an Indian politician of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) party. He was elected to 14th Lok Sabha from Arakkonam Lok Sabha constituency of Tamil Nadu from 2004 to 2009 and served as Union Minister of State, Railways. He started his political career as Officer of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and worked as Additional Registrar, Cooperative Societies; also served as member, Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission. He also worked as District Collector; Director of Municipal Administration and Joint Commissioner, Revenue Administration. He has a doctorate in disaster management, also has a bachelor of Law degree and master of business administration degree. He was educated in the Voorhees College Vellore, Madras Christian College and Madras Law College. He was a resident of Bishop Heber Hall.

T. K. M. Chinnayya is an Indian politician and was a member of the 14th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from Tambaram constituency. He represented the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party (AIADMK) and was a cabinet minister in the Government of Tamil Nadu. He was Minister for Environment until November 2011 when a cabinet reshuffle saw him replace N. R. Sivapathi as Minister for Animal Husbandry. He did his BA in MCC.

C. Rajendran was elected to 15th Lok Sabha, as a Member of Parliament from Chennai South constituency (2009), during which tenure he served as Member, Committee on Estimates and Member, Committee on Defence. He belongs to All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party (AIADMK). He obtained his B.A. degree from MCC, and B.L. law degree from Madras Law College,

Diplomats and Civil Servants:

Diwan Bahadur Sir Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar, KCSI was an Indian lawyer, diplomat and statesman who served as a senior leader of the Justice Party and in various administrative and bureaucratic posts in pre-independence and independent India. He graduated from the Madras Christian College and studied law at the Madras Law College. On completion of his studies, he practiced as a lawyer before joining the Justice Party and entering politics. Mudaliar was nominated to the Madras Legislative Council in 1920 and served from 1920 to 1926 and as a member of the Madras Legislative Assembly from 1931 to 1934. He served as a member of the Imperial Legislative Council from 1939 to 1941, as a part of Winston Churchill's war cabinet from 1942 to 1945 and as the Indian Representative in the Pacific War Council. He was India's delegate to the San Francisco Conference and served as the first President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. He also served as the last Diwan of Mysore kingdom and occupied the seat from 1946 to 1949.

T.N Seshan (Tirunellai Narayana Iyer Seshan) was an Indian civil servant who served with the Indian Administrative Service. He obtained his Bachelor of Science Honors degree in Physics from the Madras Christian College and later taught there from 1950 to 1952. After serving on various positions in Madras State and in various ministries of the Central Government of India, he served as the 18th Cabinet Secretary of India in 1989. He was appointed the 10th Chief Election Commissioner of India (1990–96) and became known for election reforms. He redefined the status and visibility of the Election Commission of India. He identified more than hundred electoral malpractices and reformed the election process. He won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for government service in 1996.

R. V. S. Peri Sastri, (born on 1 February 1929) was a former Chief Election Commissioner of India and served from 1 January 1986 until his death from cancer on 25 November 1990. Peri Sastri obtained a master's degree in English from the Madras Christian College. He completed his BCL and L.LM from the University of Delhi and also taught at the university. In 1956-57, he joined the Law Commission of India as a Junior Law Officer and moved thereafter to the Law Ministry, Government of India. He held various positions in the Law ministry, and rose to the post of Secretary to the Government of India in 1978. Peri Sastri was principal legislative draftsman of the Government of India for several years. He drafted several amendments to the Constitution of India and many epochal bills including the Road Corporations of India Act of 1950, The Sugar Development Fund Act, 1982 and Delhi Sales Tax Act, 1975.

Santha Sheela Nair, an IAS officer of the 1973 batch, is known as an administrator par excellence. She graduated from MCC. She was recently appointed (post-retirement) the Officer on Special Duty at the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s office (Jeyalalitha) before she quit. She had retired in July 2010. Various positions she has held include Vice-Chairperson of the Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission (2011-16), Secretary (Steel and Drinking Water Supply, centre), Secretary in the Tamil Nadu government (Rural Development, Municipal Administration and Water Supply). Nair is credited with saving Chennai city from a water crisis in the early 2000s when she made rainwater harvesting compulsory with special tanks and pipes for the same in each household. It is said that people in villages where she worked named their daughters Santha in her honour.

 Dr. Sheela Priya, who had a long stint at the Raj Bhavan as Secretary to various Governors, served as one of the secretaries to former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa after the AIADMK’s return to power in May 2011. During December 2017-May 2019, she served as State Chief Information Commissioner. Recently she was made chairperson of the Fourth Police Commission by the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu. She graduated from MCC.

Leela K. Ponappa, a graduate of MCC, has been a career diplomat and served in the Indian Foreign Service for 36 years, in India and abroad, since 1970. Her work has focused on all aspects of relations with neighbouring countries including economic and security matters. She has been the Joint Secretary for SAARC and Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, handling relations with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and the Maldives. She has served as Ambassador of India to Thailand and to the Netherlands and Permanent Representative of India to UN-ESCAP and to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. She has also served as Deputy National Security Adviser to the Government of India and Secretary, National Security Council Secretariat (2007- 2009). She is currently engaged with Track II as Chairperson of CSCAP India (the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific's India committee), and was the non-ASEAN Co-Chair of CSCAP from 2012-14.

Shri M. M. Rajendran (born 12 April 1935), a graduate of MCC was top of his 1957 IAS batch and later became Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu and Governor of Odisha from 15 November 1999 to 17 November 2004. He was instrumental in getting shelters built all along the coastal areas and emergency procedures put in place when he was Governor of Odisha (1999 - 2004). With the help of many organizations (German Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Ramakrishna Mission and many more) and with all his experience in administration, thousands of lives were saved when Cyclone Fani made landfall on May 3, 2019. Earlier he was a member of the UNICEF executive board and vice chairman of its program committee at New York. Recipient of the Mahatma Gandhi Award for Lifetime Achievement 2019 from the Gandhi World Foundation celebrating 150 years of the Mahatma.

K. P. S. Menon (Senior) or Kumara Padma Sivasankara Menon Sr. CIE ICS (1898-1982), was a diplomat and diarist, a career member of the Indian Civil Service. He was independent India's first Foreign Secretary and was a signatory on behalf of India at the formation of the United Nations. He attended Madras Christian College and then Christ Church, University of Oxford, where he was a contemporary of the future Prime Minister Anthony Eden. He was a member of the Royal Central Asian Society. In 1922, Menon secured the first rank in the combined Civil Services Examination and joined the ICS. He served as Sub-Collector of Tirupattur, Vellore District, then as District Magistrate in Trichy, Agent of the Government of India in the North West Frontier Province and Ceylon, then as Resident General of India in Hyderabad State. In 1934, he was sent as Crown Representative to investigate the state of Indians in Zanzibar, Kenya and Uganda. As Dewan (Prime Minister) of Bharatpur State, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire in the New Year Honours of 1943. In 1948, preceding events of the Korean War, the United Nations appointed him the Chairman of the UN Commission on Korea (UNCOK). After independence, he was India's first Foreign Secretary from 1948 to 1952, then Ambassador of India to the Soviet Union, Hungary and Poland from 1952 to 1961 and Ambassador to China. His son, who bore the same name as him (K. P. S. Menon Junior), a 1951 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer served as an ambassador to various countries, including Bangladesh, Egypt, Japan and China, and also as the Foreign Secretary of India from 1987 to 1989; and his maternal grandson Shivshankar Menon was the Foreign Secretary and later the National Security Advisor. Menon was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1958 and the Lenin Peace Prize.

A.K. Damodaran (1921-2012), a 1953 batch IFS officer was Ambassador to Sri Lanka, China, Germany, Italy and the Soviet Union. He was among the principal architects of Nehruvian vision of foreign policy and one of the architects of the Indo-Soviety Treaty (1971).  He was a teacher, writer and freedom fighter before becoming a diplomat. Damodaran belonged to the same batch as that of former External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh. He was also an excellent writer and penned a book “Jawaharlal Nehru as a Communicator and Democratic Leader” besides co-editing “Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru” and “Indian Foreign Policy: The Indira Gandhi Years”. In “Beyond Autonomy: Roots of India’s Foreign Policy”, Damodaran, who went to jail during the Quit India Movement, recalls an article by Mahatma Gandhi in 1942 in Harijan that traces the roots of independent India’s foreign policy. “Gandhiji said that there was no alternative to total autonomy in decision-making,” Damodaran writes. “This is the underlying principle which led to compulsive movement of Jawaharlal Nehru towards non- alignment… Nehru refused to accept easier options and chose a complex policy in which Moscow, Washington and London would all be a part of our diplomatic activity… Non-alignment thus became a negation of a negation of sovereignty.” Damodaran published in 2000, “Beyond Autonomy: Roots of India’s Foreign Policy”, which is a collection of his papers written mostly after the end of the Cold War. Interestingly, his son Ramu Damodaran was the Private Secretary to then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao.

A. P. Venkateswaran or Ayilam Panchapakesha Venkateswaran (1930-2014) was an Indian diplomat, former Foreign Secretary of India (14th Foreign Secretary) and former Chairman of Asia Centre, Bangalore, rated by many as one of the most efficient foreign secretaries of India. Venkateswaran was good at studies and he secured three Postgraduate degrees in Science, Economics, and Political Science from the Madras Christian College before joining Indian Foreign Service on 2 April 1952, at the age of 22. After joining the service, Venkateswaran continued his studies at Oxford on International Law (1952–53) and at the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies, London (1953–54). Venkateswaran has served in the Indian foreign offices across the globe, except in South American continent, and was the Indian High Commissioner to Fiji and Indian Ambassador in the US, China and Syria. After his Embassy stints, he served as the Indian representative in the United Nations before returning to India, in 1986, when he was made the Foreign Secretary of India, the highest job in the Indian Foreign Service, during Rajiv Gandhi's term as the Prime Minister of India.

Sardar KM Panikkar or Kavalam Madhava Panikkar (1895-1963) was an Indian statesman and diplomat. He was also a professor, newspaper editor, historian and novelist. After schooling he joined Madras Christian College for intermediate classes. Later he left for England in April 1914 to read history at Christ Church, University of Oxford. After leaving Oxford, Panikkar read for the bar at the Middle Temple, London. He represented the country at the 1947 session of the UN General Assembly. Later he served as Ambassador in China until 1952, building a relationship with Chiang Kai-shek, and remaining there through the Communist takeover in 1949 and the following period. He wrote of his experiences in the book In Two Chinas (1955). This period also saw the completion of his work Asia and Western Dominance (1953). He subsequently served as ambassador to Egypt (1952–1953), and France (1956–1959. He was also appointed a member of the States Reorganization Commission set up in 1953; and member of Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament. He also served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kashmir and the University of Mysore

T. P. Seetharam, joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1980. After a distinguished service of 36 years as a career diplomat, he retired as Ambassador of India to UAE in August, 2016. He was also High Commissioner of India to Mauritius, Additional Secretary in Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi, Program Director in Indian Council for Cultural Relations and served in various capacities at Indian diplomatic missions in Hong Kong, Lusaka (Zambia), Windhoek (Namibia), Beijing (China), Phnom Penh (Cambodia), Johannesburg and Cape Town (South Africa) and Bangkok (Thailand). He served as Minister Counsellor in the Indian Permanent Mission to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva (Switzerland). He was Press Secretary to Mr. K.R. Narayanan, President of India. He was also Permanent Representative of India to International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in Abu Dhabi.  Mr. T.P. Seetharam pursued his MA degree in English Literature in Madras Christian College. His brother, T. P. Sreenivasan, was also an ambassador, and a Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna.

K. Raghunath (Krishnan Raghunath) was Foreign Secretary of India in the late 1990s (1997 onwards). He joined the Indian Foreign service in 1962. He previously served as the Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh as well as Ambassador to Russia (2001), Nigeria and the Philippines.  Earlier, he was counsellor in the Indian Embassy in Moscow from 1978 to 1979. Raghunath graduated from the Madras Christian College - BSc. (Hons). In his article titled “From Nuclear Apartheid to Nuclear Deal: The First Steps” (Indian Foreign Affairs Journal Vol. 5, No. 1, Jan–Mar, 2010, Pg 85-122),  the former Foreign Secretary, recalls the background and aftermath of the May 1998 nuclear tests conducted by India, which represented a crucial step forward in the development of India’s national security and foreign policy. The narration includes a recapitulation of international reactions and how the large adverse element was managed, as well as the dialogue with different countries. He also reflects on the significance of the tests, as seen against the larger canvas of India’s nuclear history, including the events of the subsequent decade, culminating in the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.

T.T.P Abdullah, former Indian Head of Mission to Saudi Arabia, former Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu 1980-1981. (Further information not available)

Helen David IFS, former Deputy Sec. Ministry of External Affairs (Further information not available)

F. V. Arul or Frederick Victor Arul (1917-2006), IPS, was a high-ranking Indian police officer and former director of Central Bureau of Investigation from Yangon. He began his career in 1938 in the Andhra region of erstwhile Madras State. He served as a DSP, SDPO, ASP and Senior Superintendent in the districts of West Godavari, Kadapa district, Tiruchirappalli district and Prakasam district. He also commanded several Armed Police battalions. He then served as Deputy Inspector-General of Police in the then Tamil Nadu Criminal Investigation Department (CID), DIG of Madurai Range, and then the Inspector General (IG) of Tamil Nadu. He also served as the Police Commissioner of Madras City for two terms, the first being from 1956 to 1959. Later he served as the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from 31 May 1968 to 6 May 1971. He also became the first Indian to become the Vice-President of Interpol during his time in CBI serving in the Executive Committee of the Interpol as Vice-President for Asia in the 1970s. He was educated at Loyola College and Madras Christian College in Madras (Chennai). He was a native of Vazhayadi, a small village near Nazareth, in the then Tirunelvelly District.

Walter Issac Devaram -  a retired Indian Police Service officer. He served as the Director General of Police for the State of Tamil Nadu. He was a former Army Officer before he sat for the IPS wherein he stood first in the order of merit. . He curbed the Naxal menace with an iron hand during his stint as DIG/Vellore Range and intelligent police of Tamil Nadu government. He led the joint forces set up by Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Government to apprehend the forest brigand, Veerappan. He also served as the vice chairman of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu.

K. Vijay Kumar IPS, a 1975-batch IPS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre is currently Senior Security Adviser in Home Ministry (2019). After graduating from Madras Christian College, he obtained a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Law (BL and ML) from Madras University; and an MBA from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). In 2010, he also earned his Master in Business Law degree at National Law School of India University, Bangalore. Vijay Kumar joined the Indian Police Service on 10 November 1975. He first served as Assistant superintendent in Pattukkottai, Trichy and Sembiam. As Superintendent of Police, he served in Dharmapuri from 1982 to 1983 and Salem from 1983 to 1985. He assisted Walter Devaram during this tenure who was hunting down Naxalites with great zeal and determination. Later, he served from 1985 to 1990 in the Elite Special Protection Group (SPG) with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. In 1990 he was posted as the SP of Dindigul district followed by Vellore district in 1991. In 1991 he along with Sanjay Arora went on to form the Special Security Group (SSG) to provide security to Former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. In 1997, he was posted as the first Inspector General of Police (IGP) for the South Zone of Tamil Nadu after having handled the caste clashes in the southern districts. In December 2001 he was appointed Commissioner of Police for Chennai city. The highlight of his career came was when he headed the Special Task Force (STF), in Operation Cocoon in which Veerappan was killed in October 2004. Vijay Kumar for a long time had strategized operations that culminated in the elimination of this dreaded sandalwood smuggler. In 2008, Vijay Kumar was chosen to head the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad. However, he was picked to serve as the Director-general of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) the world's largest paramilitary force from 2010 to 2012 - after naxals killed 75 of their personnel in Dantewada in 2010. In December 2012, the Union government appointed him as Senior Security Adviser in Ministry of Home Affairs in Government of India.   But again in June 2018, K. Vijay Kumar, was appointed as adviser to Governor Vohra. Kumar's in Jammu & Kashmir along with Chhattisgarh cadre IAS officer BVR Subrahmanyam. This is because, K Vijay Kumar, had earlier served in the Kashmir Valley as Inspector General (IG Operations) of Border Security Force (BSF) during the peak of militancy in 1998-2001 when the border guarding force was actively involved in the counter-militancy operations. It was then he was recalled to the state to head the operations to hunt the forest brigand Veerapan.

VR Lakshminarayanan IPS, former DGP, Tamilnadu was one of the most distinguished IPS officers in the country. Brother of well-known jurist VR Krishna Iyer, Lakshminarayanan had graduated from the MCC in the year 1945 before studying law. Lakshminarayanan joined the police force in the year 1951 and was posted as the Assistant Superintendent of Police in Madurai during the tenure of Kamarajar. He went on to serve during the tenure of Anna Durai, Karunanidhi and MG Ramachandran.

As Joint Director of CBI, given orders by the Morarji Desai government to arrest Mrs. Gandhi on corruption charges, he had arrested Indira Gandhi. However, his career wasn’t free of disappointment, most significantly when he missed out on the post of CBI director. Former CBI chief R.K. Raghavan wrote of him in an article for The Hindu a few years ago: “It was his unwillingness to compromise and bend while investigating corruption in the highest of places that cost him the coveted job. Eased out from his posting as additional director of the CBI, he was reverted to the state police.” Raghavan, also in this article on VRL, brought up the incident as an example of his being a tough-but-respectful cop. “I don’t want the rude hands of a policeman to be laid on the sacred person of a lady who was a former prime minister and who also happens to be Nehru’s daughter,” VRL told Rajiv Gandhi when he reached Indira Gandhi’s residence. After a while, Mrs. Gandhi emerged from her room and asked, “Where are the handcuffs?” According to his book, VRL said, “I had served you loyally and well and got two medals from your hands for meritorious and distinguished service”, and added that he had since become lazy, and forgotten to bring the handcuffs.

But, when Indira Gandhi returned to power at the Centre, Lakshminarayanan was moved out of the CBI and was sent back to his home cadre and he came to TN to serve the state police department when MG Ramachandran was Chief Minister. Sadly, though V.R. Lakshminarayanan earned fame among his peers and juniors as one of the country’s most distinguished IPS officers - someone who epitomized competence and integrity, among the public at large, he is today remembered as the man who arrested Indira Gandhi.

Manepanda Ganapathy or M.A. Ganapathy is an Indian Police Service Officer of the 1986 batch. He graduated in Economics from Madras Christian College, Chennai. He did his post-graduation in International Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and L.L.B. from the Delhi University. He is also an alumnus of the National Defence College, Delhi. He joined the Indian Police Service in the year 1986 and was allotted Uttar Pradesh cadre. Later, he was allotted Uttarakhand Cadre after the creation of the new State of Uttarakhand. During his career spanning 29 years in the Police Service, Shri Ganapathy has served as Superintendent of Police at Moradabad City, Sonebhadra and Hardoi and as Sr. Superintendent of Police at Nainital, Meerut and Kanpur. He has the experience of dealing with Left Wing Extremism at Sonebhadra and Sikh militancy at Nainital, in addition to tackling multifarious policing challenges in towns like Meerut and Kanpur. He was selected for deputation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 1999 and functioned as SP, Special Crimes Branch, Delhi and was subsequently promoted as DIG, Anti-Corruption-I, Delhi. After returning to Uttarakhand in 2007, he served as Inspector General of Police (IGP), Crime/Law & Order and IG, Garhwal Range/Mahakumbh 2010, Haridwar and thereafter as Additional Director General (Admn), Uttarakhand Police. He was then on central deputation to the Ministry of Home Affairs as Joint Secretary, Internal Security. Later he was appointed Director General, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). Presently (2021) he is the Director General, National Security Guard (NSG). Earlier he was also Joint Secretary, Left Wing Extremism for over three years and was also on the personal staff of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for some time. Shri M.A. Ganapathy is a recipient of Police Medal for Meritorious Service in the year 2002 and President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in the year 2010. He was also appointed as a Govt. Nominee Director from the Ministry of Home Affairs and was acting as part-time Director on the Board of Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL) in 2015.

L. N. Venkatesan IPS, 1962 batch. He retired as DGP of Tamil Nadu. He was a St. Thomasian. He died recently in 2020. His wife Rani Venkatesan was a former Congress MLA. She contested and won in the 2006 Assembly election from Sathankulam constituency in Thoothukudi district. Beela Rajesh, Secretary, Commercial Taxes and Registration, later secretary, health department, Tamil Nadu, is his daughter. Her active role in the fight against COVID-19 has garnered her appreciation from all walks of life. Mr. Venkatesan joined service in 1962 and retired in 1996 in the rank of a DGP. “During his prime years in service, he worked for the CBI. He was also Inspector General (IG), Crime,” said Rajesh Das, ADGP, Prohibition Enforcement Wing, Tamil Nadu police, and Mr. Venkatesan’s son-in-law. Mylapore MLA R. Nataraj, who is also a former DGP, recalled working under him. “He was the DIG, Chengalpattu range, and I was the Kancheepuram SP. He had a very large jurisdiction to cover. He was a sharp person and had good command over the English language. He was good at writing reports,” Mr. Nataraj said.

Ravi Kumar IPS (Retd): He did BA MA and MPhil political science during 1973 to 79 and subsequently became assistant professor in MCC and then then became IPS officer in 1980 and retired as Joint Commissioner of Chennai. He was an honest officer, very humane, successfully tackled many caste conflicts and politically sensitive cases with diplomacy and tact. He was a resident of Selaiyur hall.

Muthukaruppan IPS (Retd): He did MA in English Literature during 1976-‘78. He joined in the service in 1980 as Assistant Superintendent of Police in Karur, before being transferred to Pudukkottai and Nilgris Districts as Superintendent of Police. He also served as Deputy Commissioner in charge of Airport security.  It was he who introduced baggage scanner machines and bomb-detecting robots in the airports of all four metros. Before being posted as Joint Commissioner of Police, crime branch, in 1995, he was commandant in Tihar Jail, New Delhi. As Deputy Inspector General of Police, technical services, he introduced Fingerprint Analysis and Criminal Tracking System (FACTS), which is still used by the State Crime Records Bureau. As DIG, Coimbatore, he nabbed LTTE operative Vicky, who was involved in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. Unfortunately, Muthukaruppan found himself in the spotlight when, as Commissioner of Police, he carried out the midnight arrest of former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi in 2001. The officer, who had been on suspension for more than four years, had to battle the odds to make it to the position of DGP. He was finally promoted and posted as Director General of Police/Director, Civil Defence and Commandant General, Home Guards, Chennai, in a newly created post.

R. Sunderrajan, IPS, was an officer in Intelligence Bureau of the Central Government, India. He was posted in Pondicherry, Chennai etc. He did his Master’s degree in English Literature, in MCC (resident of Heber Hall) in the year 1967 -’69.  

S.N. Seshasai, IPS, former Additional Commissioner (Headquarters, Chennai) and then IG (Welfare) now promoted and posted as ADGP Special Task Force, Erode, Tamil Nadu. Posted first as Deputy Superintendent of Police in Ramnad in 1987, Seshasai went on to serve as Superintendent of Police in Ramnad and Virudhunagar before taking charge as the Deputy Commissioner (DC), Anna Nagar and then as DC, Flower Bazaar. He also served as Commissioner of Police, Tiruppur, Coimbatore and later Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Crime branch. He received President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2017.He did his MA in history (1980-‘82) in MCC.

D. Prakash. IPS: 1994 batch IPS from the UP Cadre. He was in UP Police from 1994 – 2017, on various assignments – first as Superintendent of Police, later DIG (2009), UP Inspector General of Police (2014) Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Then he was posted as IG CRPF, NE Sector with headquarters at Shillong (2017-2020); Currently IG, CRPF, Chhatisgarh (Naxal-hit state), posted at Raipur – heading anti-Naxal operations (2020 -) He was also part of the United Nations Mission (Peace Keeping Force) in Kosovo (UNMIK). He did MA (1988 to 1990 - University topper) & M.Phil  (1990 to 1992 - University topper) in Public Administration in MCC. He was a resident of Bishop Heber Hall. Native place: Tirunelvelly.

S.Kabilan B.Tech, IAS (Retd), did his PUC 1963-’64) in MCC, stayed in St. Thomas hall.A 1972 batch IAS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, Mr. Kabilan hails from Tamil Nadu. He has served 15 years in Assam and three years in Meghalaya in various capacities. S.Kabilan is a B.Tech from I.I.T Madras. After a brief stint of research at the National Aerospace Laboratory, Bangalore, he joined the I.A.S in 1972. He has served as Finance Secretary, Additional Chief Secretary and Chief Secretary in Government of Assam and as Financial Advisor in Government of India. He has served the Government of Tamilnadu for nine years in various capacities including Director of Land Reforms, Managing Director TWAD Board, Commissioner of Municipal Administration and Secretary of Backward Classes Department. S.Kabilan was appointed as Chief Secretary after the superannuation of J. P. Rajkhowa on 01 11.2004. Apart from the routine posting of SDO, DC, he held the posts of Secretary, Finance Deptt, Commissioner and Secretary, Administrative Reforms and Training, Cooperation, Power, Mines, Transport, Commissioner and Secretary of Finance, He also worked in the Deptt.of Municipal Administration Department as Commissioner in the State of Tamil Nadu, Madras on deputation from 01.01.1992 to 01.09.1994.After that he again came back to the State of Assam and became Development Commissioner for Hills areas Assam. He was again on Central deputation as Joint Secretary and Financial Adviser to the Government of India, Ministry of Fertilizer and Chemicals, Deptt of Fertilizers from 11.08.1995. While coming back from Central deputation he became Chief Secretary to the Government of Assam but he took voluntary retirement on 22.12.2006.59

Mr. D. T. Joseph or Daniel Trevelyn Joseph, is a former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) official belonging to the Maharashtra cadre. He has served the Government of India and the Government of Maharashtra in various capacities, including as Secretary, Public Health Department and Urban Development Department and in other departments. He was a Secretary to Government of India, Ministry of Shipping (2002-2005). Earlier, he was Secretary (Coordination) in the Cabinet Secretariat. He also served as Director General of Shipping. He was instrumental in the liberalization of maritime training and education, setting up standards for private institutions and building maritime constituencies. He played an important role in preparation of the comprehensive draft Maritime Policy, and also the National Maritime Development Programme. He had been at policy-making level in Government for 40 years in wide areas such as Public Health, Urban Development, Slum Rehabilitation, Ports and Shipping. Mr. D. T. Joseph was elected as President at the International Maritime Organization Plenary Conference in February 2004. Mr. D. T. Joseph holds Masters Degrees in English Literature from Madras Christian College (1960-‘66) and Economics from University of Manchester.

P.Sabanayagam, first batch of IAS officers (1947), Served as Secretary, Education & Culture, Government of India and  later as Chief Secretary served under eminent leaders, including former Chief Ministers C. Rajagopalachari, K. Kamaraj and M. Karunanidhi.

P.W.C Davidar, IAS (1986 batch) former Additional Chief Secretary, Governmen of Tamilnadu: In the late seventies, a young Public Administration post graduate student and boxing champion at the Madras Christian College was trained to ‘hold his head high and pull no punches’. Wilfred Davidar’s firm handshake is the only clue you can possibly get of his boxing talent. Hidden beneath those rippling muscles is the highest level of integrity the bureaucracy so desperately needs in our country. Whether it was a “prominent posting” or a low-profile assignment, the Principal Secretary of Personnel & Administrative Reforms in the Tamil Nadu Government and the President of the IAS Officers Association, has lapped up his stint everywhere. A no nonsense municipal body chief cracked the whip on corrupt road contractors by imposing penalties if roads didn’t last a minimum period. As the Vellore Collector, Davidar confronted bonded labour head on. The Government’s recognition of his crusade was evident with his next posting as Special Officer – Bonded Labour. As Madurai collector, he managed to remove 2000 unauthorized structures on water channels with the support of the judiciary and the police and rescued thousands of families. The highlight of his tenure as the Special Secretary – Health and indeed of the department itself was the 600 crore World Bank backed Tamil Nadu Health Systems initiative. Doubling up as the Project Director, Davidar introduced a Health Management Information System for Secondary Care hospitals in the State. Many of his welfare schemes were toned up further during his posting as the Information Technology Secretary.

One of the few officers to have had two stints in the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT), the first for just 8 months and the second for 4 years, Davidar was instrumental in getting land for the hockey stadium and was in the forefront of the construction of the world class multipurpose indoor stadium, Velacherry Acquatic Complex and the Nungambakkam Tennis Stadium well ahead of the South Asian Federation Games in Chennai.

B.P.R. Vithal, an alumnus of MCC was an economist and an IAS officer and former Principal Secretary, Finance and Planning Department in Andhra Pradesh. He is also the father of Sanjaya Baru, the former media advisor to former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was in the news recently for his controversial book, “The Accidental Prime Minister.” Incidentally, the PM's special relationship with his media advisor flowed from Manmohan Singh's long standing friendship with Sanjaya Baru's father, B P R Vithal. B. P. R. Vithal was Finance and Planning Secretary during Dr. Manmohan Singh's tenure as Secretary of Finance in the Government of India. B.P.R. Vithal has been intimately connected with the economic development of Andhra Pradesh. Having joined the Hyderabad state as an IAS Officer in 1950, he worked as Collector of Medak and Karimnagar Districts. After the formation of Andhra Pradesh, he was Secretary, Planning and Development from 1969 till President’s Rule in 1972 after which he became Secretary, Finance and Planning. He was a close advisor to all the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh - Brahmananda Reddy, who once described him as the “memory of Andhra Pradesh”, P.V. Narasimha Rao, Jalagam Vengala Rao and Marri Chenna Reddy. He was the longest serving Planning and Finance Secretary in the country when he left the state to take up an International Monetary Fund (IMF) assignment as Advisor. He was Deputy Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh State Planning and Development Board till 1992, when he was appointed a member of the Tenth Finance Commission in the same year. One of the members of the commission was Dr. C. Rangarajan. B.P.R. Vithal, was also budget adviser to the Government of Sudan for some time.It was he who established the Centre for Economic Studies, Hyderabad.

Dr S Narayan (IAS, 1965 batch), with nearly four decades (1965 to 2004) in Public Service in the State and Central Governments, in Development Administration, was the Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister during 2003-04. Prior to this assignment, Dr Narayan served the Government of India as Finance and Economic Affairs Secretary, Secretary in the Departments of Revenue, Petroleum and Industrial Development. Dr Narayan obtained his Ph.D from the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi. He has an M.Phil (Development Economics) from Cambridge University and Master of Business Management (Finance) from the University of Adelaide. He graduated with an M.Sc (Physics) from Madras Christian College. Dr Narayan has been a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), National University of Singapore since 2005. After nine successful years as Head of Research at ISAS, Dr Narayan handed over the portfolio in mid 2014. He is a chair professor at the India Gandhi Open National University, New Delhi. The Center for Asia Studies a think tank based in Chennai, and Athena Infonomics Ltd., a Chennai based research and consulting firm, are his other initiatives.

R Subrahmanyam IAS, Secretary of Higher Education MHRD, Government of India. Subrahmanyam is a 1985-batch IAS officer and a MCC & JNU alumni. Subrahmanyam from Andhra Pradesh cadre had been serving as Special Secretary in the same department. Unfortunately, he was shifted to the social justice ministry from the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry, allegedly over the JNU student protests. Subrahmanyam, the HRD secretary was in favour of resolving the issue by keeping the JNU students’ demands in mind. However, the JNU administration was reluctant. And the government was more willing to back the V-C than to resolve the matter. R Subrahmanyam is BA Economics from MCC and MA & M.Phil. in International Politics from JNU, New Delhi. He did MBA in International Business from Indian Institute of Foreign Trade and further studied MSc in Macro-Economics from University of Bradford, UK on Commonwealth Fellowship. Formerly, he was working as Principal Secretary, Rural Development department Government of AP. He worked as Commissioner Weaker Section Housing and MD of AP State Housing Corporation implementing the INDIRAMMA housing programme aimed at creating a ‘hut-free’ State. He worked as Director in Ministry of Textiles in Government of India in Delhi; Director of School education; District Collector of Hyderabad and East Godavari Districts.

Vijaya Rama Rao, IPS., an alumnus of MCC was the former Director, of C.B.I  - appointed in 1993. When the history of the CBI is written, Rama Rao's tenure will arguably be considered the most eventful. It saw the agency investigate the Babri Masjid demolition, the securities scam, Uttarakhand, Beant Singh's assassination, the Jain hawala case, the Purulia arms drop case and the Chandraswami case. He began his career by teaching history at a government college for two years before taking the Civil Services exam in 1958 and joining the IPS. As police commissioner of Hyderabad in 1983, he would actually walk the beat; as head of the Andhra Pradesh's Road Transport Corporation between 1986 and 1989, he turned a loss-making public-sector unit profitable. During his period Night Express buses, One-man operation services were introduced. Due to his efforts, Regional Workshop Tyre shop, and Training School were set up at Vijayawada. Bus body building unit was also commissioned in Hyderabad during his tenure. After retirement from CBI, he joined Telugu Desam Party and served as a minister in Chandrababu Naidu Cabinet in Andhra Pradesh. Unfortunately, Vijayarama Rao’s family’s properties were raided by the CBI in 2016 after he quit Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and joined the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS).  Raids at the residence of the former IPS officer even as the Assembly elections near has created a flutter in political circles.

V C Perumal, IPS 1960s; He was directly recruited to the post of District Superintendent of Police in the competitive examination conducted by the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission in the year 1965. He joined service on 5.7.1965. He was associated with the case against Jeyalalitha as Inspector General of Police (IGP), Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, Chennai. He retired as ADGP.  

Vaikunth IPS, former D.G Police (DGP) In Chennai (More info. Not available)

S.Savarkar MA.BL, IAS (Retd), did his PUC, BA (1956-’60) and MA (1961 -’63) in MCC, stayed in St.Thomas hall.(More info. Not available)

A. Ramalingam IAS., Tamilnadu cadre 1996, an alumnus of MCC served as Additional Secretary and later Principal Secretary of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (2016). When former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa’s chief advisor Sheela Balakrishnan, the top bureaucrat credited with running the state administration ably assisted by two IAS officers - close Jaya aides - Mr. Venkataraman and Mr. Ramalingam - while Jayalalithaa was hospitalised, resigned as advisor to the chief minister, after her death. K.N. Venkataramanan, who was Secretary I in CM office, too quit. A. Ramalingam was then appointed as Principal Secretary of Chief Minister.

Mrs. Ashawathy Nair IAS, Director, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (of India's Union Government), Mussoorie. It trains IAS officers. After a hectic life to clear the UPSC exams, young officers land up for training at this academy.  

G. Jagathpathy, IAS, is a former Chief Secretary of the government of Madhya Pradesh, 1980 -82. “The first ever extension to a chief secretary in MP was given by a Congress government in 1982. The then chief minister Arjun Singh extended Jagathpathi’s tenure” according to Manohar Keshav, a retired officer of MP cadre.  The state of Madhya Pradesh came into existence in 1956. For a quarter century thereafter, none of the chief secretaries was granted extension in service.

G. Jagathpathy was 1941-44 batch of BA Honours course at MCC.

S.K.Chetttur, (1905-1972) ICS, started working as District collector of Palghat, Madras Presidency  from 1935 to 1940, in 1945 he worked at Indian civil service in Malaya and later worked with Government of Tamilnadu between 1947 and 1964, including as chief Secretary. Famous Madras/Chennai city historian S. Muthiah, wrote an article titled S. K. Chettur, ICS, the story-teller “Between the late l930s and early l950s, I had occasion to read a number of short stories by S.K.Chettur in The Hindu and The Mail. But at the time, the name Chettur meant nothing to me except that he was someone in the I.C.S. It was only recently that I discovered how much he had written over the years and how much he had achieved during his Civilian years. The learning process came through his daughter Sumangali Chettur, formerly of Air India, who recently published a collection of recollections, ‘Tea with Pandit Nehru and Other Memoirs’. S. K. Chettur's short stories written over nearly 50 years were collected and  published in 4 volumes, the last one posthumously, in l974.

 O. Pulla Reddy I.C.S was Defence Secretary, India, Chief Secretary - Madras State, and then Andhra Pradesh and after retirement made vice chancellor of A.P Agricultural University (now renamed as Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University). Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University was established on 12 June 1964 at Hyderabad. It was formally inaugurated on 20 March 1965, by Lal Bahadur Shastri, the then Prime Minister of India in Hyderabad.

K. Matten - former chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu (No further information available)

Draviam - former chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu (No further information available)

M.Purushottam Pai - former chief secretary, Andhra Pradesh Govt. (No further information available)

Jagatpati  - former chief secretary, Andhra Pradesh Govt. (No further information available)

Legal Professionals:

Sir T. R. A. Thumboo Chetty (1837-1907) became the First Indian Chief Judge of the Chief Court of Mysore, and officiated many times during the absence on leave of the Permanent holder of the office of Dewan, mainly for Sir K. Seshadri Iyer. After his primary education in Madras, where he was taught in the Southern vernaculars Telugu and Tamil, he received his education in English in the famous Free Church Mission Institution, which was later renamed Madras Christian College. In 1862, Thumboo Chetty became the manager of the first Madras Legislative Council, of which John Dawson Mayne, an eminent barrister, was the Legislative Secretary. While John Mayne was Professor of Law in the Madras Presidency College, Thumboo Chetty was induced to study law. He then joined law classes, and in the final examination held in 1866, he won the first prize for proficiency in law. In the year 1879, Thumboo Chetty was appointed District and Sessions Judge of Nandidroog Division, the first Indian to be appointed to this post. In 1884, when the Chief Court of Mysore was constituted, this court being the highest court of appeal in the Mysore Kingdom, T. R. A. Thumboo Chetty was appointed one of its three judges, and subsequently the Chief Judge in July 1890. He, thus became the first Indian Chief Judge of the Chief Court of Mysore. He was invested as a Companion of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire in 1895.

Dewan Bahadur Sir Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer (1883-1953) was an Indian lawyer and member of the Constituent Assembly of India, which was responsible for framing the Constitution of India. The main architect of Indian Constitution, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who also chaired the constitution's drafting committee, credited Alladi's contribution: “There were in the drafting committee men bigger, better and more competent than myself such as my friend Sir Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer.” Alladi Krishnaswamy also served as the Advocate General of Madras State from 1929 to 1944.

Alladi first joined the Madras Christian College to study history. He used his spare time to attend classes in law and passed the B.L. exam and became one of the leading members of the bar. He was made a Dewan Bahadur in 1930 and was knighted in the 1932 New Year Honours List.

George Joseph (1887-1938) was a lawyer and Indian independence activist. He was one of the earliest and among the most prominent Syrian Christians from Kerala to join the freedom struggle. George studied at the Madras Christian College and did M.A. in Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh before doing law at the Middle Temple, London in 1908. On his return from London, he initially set up practice at Madras before shifting to Madurai. Joseph's working life in Madurai is remembered for his role in the Home Rule agitation and the Vaikom Satyagraha and for his editorship of Motilal Nehru's “The Independent” and Mahatma Gandhi's “Young India”. He hosted at his house in Madurai several leaders of the freedom struggle including Gandhi, C. Rajagopalachari, Srinivasa Iyengar and K. Kamaraj during their visits there. Subramania Bharati composed the Viduthalai, a well-known patriotic song while staying at Joseph's residence. George Joseph: The Life and Times of a Christian Nationalist is his biography by his grandson George Gheverghese Joseph.

K. K. Venugopal is an Indian constitutional lawyer and a senior advocate in the Supreme Court of India. On 30 June 2017, he was appointed as the Attorney General of India. Most significantly, he was appointed by the Royal Government of Bhutan to serve as the Constitutional adviser for drafting of the Constitution of Bhutan. Venugopal did his B.Sc in Physics from the prestigious Madras Christian College, Chennai and law from Raja Lakhamgouda Law College, Belgaum. Awards: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan.

Nitte Santosh Hegde had his early education at St. Aloysius College, Mangalore and Madras Christian College in Madras. Later he graduated in law in 1965. He was appointed as the Advocate General for the State of Karnataka in February, 1984 and held that position till August, 1988. He worked as Additional Solicitor General of the Union of India from December, 1989 to November, 1990. He was re-appointed as the Solicitor General of India on April 25, 1998. He was elevated as Judge of Supreme Court later in 1999. He was Lokayukta for Karnataka State of India from 2006-2011

P.D. Dinakaran or Paul Daniel Dinakaran Premkumar was the Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court. He obtained his BSc degree in Chemistry from MCC and Masters in Political Science and Public Administration and Bachelor of Law Degree from Madras Law College. He served as Legal Adviser and Standing Counsel for Pondicherry University and for several State owned Corporations, such as Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC), Tamil Nadu Sugar Corporation, Tamil Nadu Sugar Federation Limited, Tamil Nadu Co-operative Milk Producers Federation (Aavin). He was also standing counsel for various religious institutions, such as Churches of South India, Madras Diocese and Coimbatore Diocese and Sri Subramania Swami Temple, Tiruttani and for several Local Bodies, Educational Institutions, Teacher's Federations, Agriculturists Associations, Marketing Societies and Social Organisations.

Dr. Justice A K Rajan (born 25 January 1943) obtained the degree of Bachelor of Science (Physics) from Madras Christian College, Tambaram in 1965; Bachelor of Law from Madras Law College in 1968 and Master of Law (Constitutional Law and International Law) from the University of Madras in 1974. He practiced Law before the High Court of Judicature at Madras from 1968 and also served as part-time Junior Professor in Madras Law College from 1976 till he was directly appointed as District and Sessions Judge in 1987. After heading the judiciary in various districts such as Dindigul, Trichy, Sivagangai and Madurai, he was deputed as Law Secretary to the Government of Tamil Nadu from 1996 to 1999. As Law Secretary, Justice Rajan drafted many important bills; some of them were first of its kind, which later became Law. When serving as District and Sessions Judge, Salem, he was elevated as Judge of the Madras High Court, in September 2000. Justice Rajan retired in January 2005. He was conferred with the Honorary Doctorate in Law by the University of Madras in its 150th Annual Convocation held in November 2007.

Muhammad Shahabuddin was the 3rd Chief Justice of Pakistan, serving from May 3, 1960 to 12 May 1960. He also served as the Governor of East Pakistan. He graduated in Arts from Madras Christian College and in Law from Madras Law College. He joined Indian Civil Services in November 1921 and was posted as Sub-Collector at Madras. He later on served as Joint Magistrate and District and Session Judge till February 1943 when he was appointed Additional Judge of the Madras High Court. In September 1945 he was confirmed as a Judge of Madras High Court. Justice Shahabuddin was appointed as a Judge of Dhaka High Court after Partition. He served on Indo-Pak Boundary Disputes Tribunal in 1949–50. He became the Chief Justice of Dhaka High Court in February 1950. He became the Chief Justice of Pakistan in 1955. Justice Shahabuddin also chaired the Constitution Commission.

Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao (1878-1960) was an Indian lawyer, philanthropist, socialite and administrator. He served as a judge of the Madras High Court and Agent for Berar. He graduated from the Madras Christian College and studied law at the Madras Law College. On completion of his education, Venkatasubba Rao served as junior to C. V. Kumaraswami Sastri. In 1903, he started to practice on his own and was appointed puisne judge of the Madras High Court on 1 November 1921, the first Indian to be appointed. He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 1936 New Year Honours list, and was invested with his knighthood at Viceroy's House (now Rashtrapati Bhavan) on 7 March 1936 by the Viceroy of India, the Earl of Willingdon.

Ajjikuttira Somaiah Bopanna (born 20 May 1959) is a Judge of Supreme Court of India. He is former Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court. He is also former Judge of Karnataka High Court. Justice Bopanna enrolled as an advocate in November 1984 and practised in civil, constitutional, company, service and labour matters in the Karnataka High Court as well as in the civil and labour courts. He is a former student of MCC. He also worked as legal advisor to central public sector undertakings and as additional central government standing counsel from 1999 to 2005. Justice Bopanna was appointed as an additional judge of the Karnataka High Court in January 2006 and a permanent judge on March 1, 2007

M.S. Menon (born on June 12, 1907) was former Chief Justice, Kerala High Court for 8 years. He was judge of the Travancore-Cochin high court since 1953, well before the formation of State of Kerala. He was known for his integrity.

Vettath Balakrishna Eradi (1922-2010) was a Judge of Supreme Court of India. He also served as the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court and as President of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) and the Chairman of Ravi & Beas Waters Disputes Tribunal. He received his B.A. degree from the Madras Christian College, Madras in 1941 with first rank in Sanskrit. He studied Law at the Madras Law College and received his B.L. degree in 1943 with a first rank in Madras Presidency. Eradi enrolled as an advocate in Madras High Court. Later he shifted his practice to Ernakulam in 1956 when the new High Court of Kerala was established. In April 1967, Balakrishna was appointed Additional Judge of the Kerala High Court and six months later elevated as Permanent Judge. During his tenure at Kerala High Court, he was appointed as Chairman of several committees. Eradi was appointed as Chief Justice of the High Court of Kerala in January 1980 and later he was elevated to the Judge of the Supreme Court of India a year later. In 1988, he was appointed as President of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, a post he held until he retired in 1997. In 1999 he was appointed as Chairman of the National Company Law Tribunal and Appellate Tribunal. Eradi received several awards during his long career, including the National Press of India Golden Jubilee Award, Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award, the National Citizenship Award, and the Shiromani Award.

P. V. Rajamannar was an Indian judge and politician who served as the acting Governor of Madras State from 1957 to 1958. He graduated securing First Class in English and Philosophy in B.A in 1921. In B.L he won the Jurisprudence prize in 1923. P.V. Rajamannar was the first Indian to become Chief Justice of Madras High Court after independence from 1948 to 1961. He was also the first Chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi in New Delhi. In 1924, Rajamannar started his law practice joining his father's chambers. In 1944 P.V. Rajamannar was appointed Advocate-General in succession to Sir Alladi Krishnaswami Aiyar. His appointment also made Rajamannar one of the youngest Advocate-General at 43 years of age. He also appeared as the Public Prosecutor in one of the most sensational murder cases in South India, Lakshmikanthan murder case involving two popular actors and a Journalist with criminal history. Later in 1945, P. V. Rajamannar was appointed as Judge of Madras High Court and in 1948 Rajamannar became the first Indian to be elevated as Chief Justice of Madras High Court. He retired in 1961 and continued his active services for government by heading various committees. During the years 1966-1969, he was the Chairman of The Fourth Finance Commission of India. In addition Rajamannar was also the Chairman for the Fourth Law Commission and the Banking Laws Committee. P. V. Rajamannar was conferred Honorary Doctorates from Madras University, Andhra University and Annamalai University. Justice P V Rajamannar Salai (Road) in K. K. Nagar, Chennai is named in his honour. He was also nominated twice to Upper House in Madras and on two occasions acted as Governor.

V. Parthiban, was a Judge in Madras High Court. He did PUC in MCC during 1977-78 and B.A. in English in the same college during 1978-81. He then studied B.L.in Madras Law College (Now known as Dr. Ambedkar Govt. Law College), Chennai during 1982-85. He then enrolled as Advocate before the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu on 29.01.1986. He first joined the Office of M/s. Row & Reddy and practiced in Tribunal, Madras High Court and Supreme Court in various branches of Law, particularly, Labour, Service and Constitution. He was eelevated as Additional Judge to the High Court of Judicature at Madras on 05.10.2016.

C.V. Karthikeyan, Chief Judge, Puducherry was born on 14th December 1964 as sixth generation in a family of Lawyers and Judges. He graduated in B.Sc. (Statistics) from Madras Christian College, and B.L. from Dr. Ambedkar Law College, Chennai. Later also completed M.L. from Annamalai Unversity and M.A. from Madurai Kamaraj University. He first enrolled as Advocate on 23rd August 1989 and worked as Part-Time Professor, Madras Law College. During this period, he established commendable individual practice. He was selected as District Judge in Tamil Nadu State Judicial Service and joined service on 6th June 2005 as Trainee District Judge at Ramanathapuram. He then served as II Additional District Judge (CBI Cases), Madurai, Additional and Principal Labour Court Judge at Vellore, Director, Tamil Nadu State Judicial Academy, Registrar (Vigilance), Madras High Court and finally as Chief Judge, Puducherry, during which period also served intermittently as Member Secretary, Puducherry Legal Services Authority.

Cinema / Music:

Roshan Mathew is an Indian film and stage actor and director, best known for his work in Malayalam films. In addition to his film career, Roshan has appeared in numerous theatre productions based in Chennai and Mumbai. He did B.Sc Physics in Madras Christian College.

Vikram K. Kumar is an Indian film director, and screenwriter known for his works in Telugu cinema, and Tamil cinema. Kumar graduated from Madras Christian College in Chennai. He has won several awards in film industry.

Gudalur Narayanaswamy Balasubramaniam (1910-1965), popularly known as GNB, was an Indian Carnatic singer. He, along with his contemporaries Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and Madurai Mani Iyer, are referred to as the 20th century male trinity of Carnatic music. He innovated the art through emphasis on laya control and reducing the gamakas which eventually made Carnatic music appeal to the lay and the learned alike. He composed over 250 krithis, most in Telugu with a few in Sanskrit and Tamil. GNB also invented new ragas. He taught a number of students during his active years. Most famous among them are M. L. Vasanthakumari, Radha Jayalakshmi, Tanjore S. Kalyanaraman, Trichur V. Ramachandran, T. R. Balu, T.S.Balasubramanian, and Ragini. He was also a Tamil film actor. He completed his BA (Hons) in English Literature at the prestigious Christian College.

Gemini Ganesan, was an Indian actor who worked mainly in Tamil cinema. He was nicknamed “Kadhal Mannan” (King of Romance) for the romantic roles he played in films. Ganesan was one of the “three biggest names of Tamil cinema” in his times. A recipient of the Padma Shri in 1971, he had also won several other awards including the “Kalaimamani”, the “MGR Gold Medal” and the “Screen Lifetime Achievement Award”. He is one of the few college graduates to enter the film industry at that time. He completed his graduation (Chemistry) from Madras Christian College, where he later worked as a lecturer for a couple of years.

Pratap Pothen, is an Indian actor, director, writer, and producer who has acted in about 100 films. He has acted in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu as well as Hindi films. Pratap acted with The Madras Players. The late director Bharathan enjoyed Pratap's performance in Shaw's play Androcles and the Lion, and invited him to act in his Malayalam film Aaravam. Pratap acted in critically acclaimed films such as Thakara and Chamaram. Chamaram dealt with the tumultuous affair between a student and his college lecturer. Films such as Nenjathai Killathe, Panneer Pushpangal, Moodupani and Varumayin Niram Sivappu made Pratap famous in Tamil also. He directed films in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu. He completed his B.A  Economics at MCC in 1969.

Ram is an Indian film director, who works in Tamil cinema. After assisting Hindi directors Rajkumar Santoshi and working under Balu Mahendra, he made his directorial debut with Kattradhu Thamizh, which fetched him strong critical acclaim. His second film Thanga Meengal (2013) also won critical praise and three National Film Awards. He released his next film Taramani in August 2017 which was critically acclaimed and a box-office hit. His fourth film Peranbu starring Mammootty was premiered at International Film Festival Rotterdam in January 2018. He did his postgraduate degree in Tamil literature at the Madras Christian College.

Sashi Kumar is an Indian media personality from the state of Kerala. He is the founder of India’s first regional satellite TV channel Asianet. Sashi Kumar is also a well-known film maker and actor. He founded and chairs the Media Development Foundation, the not for profit public trust which set up and runs the prestigious Asian College of Journalism in Chennai. He is currently the chairman of Asian College of Journalism. He completed his postgraduate studies in history from Madras Christian College.

M. Nassar is a polyglot Indian film actor, director, producer, dubbing artist and playback singer who mainly works in the South Indian film industry. He is the incumbent leader of the Nadigar Sangam. He speaks fluent Hindi, Tamil, Urdu, English, Arabic, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. He finished his pre-university at Madras Christian College. At Madras Christian College, he was an active member of the Dramatic Society. Later he trained in two acting schools: the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce's Film Institute and the Tamil Nadu Institute for Film and Television Technology.

V S Raghavan was a Tamil actor, who has acted both in Tamil films as well as television, had started his career as a dramatist and stage actor and went on to act as a character actor in films, starting with Vairamali and over 1000 films in all. Some of his memorable roles were in films directed by K. Balachander. He has also acted in numerous television series. He studied two years in Madras Christian College.

KR Mathivanan is an Indian film Director, who has worked predominantly in Tamil movie industry. Mathivanan has worked in popular movies like Mudhal Kadhal Mazhai, Aridhu Aridhu (his maiden ventures as Director in 2010). Mathivanan's previous film to hit the theatres was Nayak (Asst. Director 2001). Mathivannan has assisted Shankar in his films, from Gentleman to Sivaji. He was an alumnus of MCC, resident of St. Thomas Hall - early 1970s. His father was K. R. Ramaswamy. He was an Indian actor and singer who worked mainly in Tamil theatre and cinema. K. R. Ramaswamy was born in Kumbakonam and was active during the early days of Tamil cinema.

Benny Dayal is an Indian playback singer. He is a prominent singer in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Gujarati and Marathi languages films. He is a member of the band S5 launched by SS Music TV channel. He made his acting debut in the Malayalam movie “By The People”. The flick was a suspense thriller and all the songs were sung by S5 members and it was during that time when A.R. Rahman noticed him, and took an audition. He completed his B. Com and Masters in Journalism from Madras Christian College.

Naren Weiss (born March 15, 1991) is an actor, playwright, and former model. He played Osama bin Laden in Kamal Haasan's film on terrorism Vishwaroopam, Dekker in the ABC series Deception, and is known for his work in theatre in India and the United States. He has been called “the greatest actor you've never heard of.” Naren Weiss attended Madras Christian College and Brooklyn College. He is of mixed ethnicity and worked as a model during college, appearing in campaigns for Sprite, Bank of India, The Chennai Silks and on magazine covers like India Today. He was discovered by VJ Paloma Rao while performing onstage, leading to his becoming a VJ for Channel UFX. He comes from an athletic background and often talks about acting like a sport. He acted in the United States in 2014 in New York City. His performance as an Israeli immigrant in Meron Langsner's Over Here was successful, and he had other roles at the Geffen Playhouse, Kennedy Center, Off-Broadway, and guest roles on American television shows such as Elementary, The Brave, Broad City and others. For his work on The Brave, NBC submitted him for consideration in the Outstanding Guest Actor category for the 2018 Primetime Emmy Awards, although he did not receive a nomination.

Lewellyn Anthony Gonsalvez is an Indian film editor from Tamil Nadu. Anthony studied a degree in Literature at Madras Christian College. Following suggestions from his friends, he began learning about animation at Prasad Studio and subsequently also enrolled to learn about editing. He thereafter, received offers to work on corporate ads, trailers and documentaries from 1993 for Edit Point and continued to work in the same practice till 2004, often collaborating with leading ad film makers like Rajiv Menon. He then began to work on editing songs in films occasionally, also gaining experience by editing tele-films. He was introduced to cinema through the popular film director Gautham Menon by the blockbuster film Kaakha Kaakha. He continued this collaboration with Gautham in many more films. Following the huge success of these films, director Shankar has collaborated with him through Enthiran. He has since associated with the biggest directors in Tamil cinema, collaborating regularly with directors including Shankar, AR Murugadoss, Gautham Menon, Linguswamy, K. V. Anand and A. L. Vijay. He has worked in over sixty Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi films. He is the editor for India's most expensive feature film 2.0.

Mafia Sasi, aka Sasidharan, is an Indian athlete and stuntman mainly in Malayalam movies. He has performed stunts in all South Indian languages for more than 1000 films. He performed stunts in the movie Mafia, which became a super hit, and he subsequently adopted the name Mafia Sasi. He has acted in a few movies as well. He had his college education in MCC. Sasi's son Sandeep Sasi is making a debut through a Malayalam movie, Gunda.

Dr. Arnav (born as Amjath Khan) is a Tamil television actor. He made his debut in serials with Sakthi. He became popular for his anti-hero role as Arya in that serial. He later acted in the serial Keladi Kanmani in which his role as Yugendran, a caring husband, was well received. Alma mater: Madras Christian College & Indian Institute of Planning and Management (MBA)

Samuel Joseph, better known as Shyam (born 19 March 1937) is a Malayalam music composer from Tamil Nadu, India. From the mid-1970s to the late 1980s, Shyam had a prolific run as a composer in the Malayalam film industry, composing for nearly 200 films. Working with all major directors of the time, Shyam had scored for many hits of Jayan and the early films of Mammootty and Mohanlal. In the beginning of his career, he apprenticed under maestros M. S. Viswanathan and Salil Chowdhury, the former renaming him 'Shyam'. He debuted as an independent film composer in Malayalam cinema through the 1974 film, Manyasree Viswamithran. Shyam is an alumnus of MCC.

Handel Manuel (1918 -1994), a native of Tuticorin was an Indian pianist, organist, conductor, composer and accompanist. He helped to make western classical music popular in Madras/Chennai. Handel Manuel was educated at the Madras Christian College, but he did not study music there. He was a self-taught composer. At the age of 23 Manuel became the first Indian conductor of the Madras Musical Association. He also served for over 50 years as the organist and choirmaster at St Andrew's Church, Chennai (known as The Kirk) and was the founder director of the Madras Philharmonic and Choral Society. Handel Manuel was the person who wrote and augmented the western musical notes for National Anthem of India. He was the Station Director Western Music of All India Radio, Madras which is known as A.I.R. and he was in charge of Children's programme. His son, Vijay Manuel has been acknowledged as the best pianist and bass player in India and has performed for over forty years consistently for acclaimed Indian composer Ilaiyaraaja, Film Music Composer and Director.  

Note:  

Many MCCians have played for M.S.Viswanathan and Ilayarajah in the past and now playing for the current crop of Music directors. Among the current crop, Freddy Koikaran is a seasoned theatre artiste in Chennai and Jim Satya, a music producer who has worked with several big names like AR Rahman, Pritam, Harris Jayaraj to name a few. Clement Vedanayagam is a known violinist among western classical music aficionados in Chennai and Sharon Samuel is an assistant cameraman in the film industry. They are from different batches of Madras Christian College in the 90s.

Jim Satya is from Helen Satya Family (a family of musicians - well-known in Christian Music industry). He did his undergraduate and postgraduate studies in MCC, during which time he had a rock group in the college. He has worked in many Bollywood & Kollywood films, which include Award winning films like “Satya” & “Barfi”, to name a few. He was nominated for Mirchi Music Awards for Best Song Producer - Programming & Arranging. In his interview to the Sunday Midday News, Feb 26, 2017, he said: “Once AR Rahman called and asked me to work on a song with him, and I laughed, ‘what would you, of all people, need my expertise for?’ “Rahman is equipped in all ways, you see. And he gave a reply that pretty much sums up the importance of a music producer. He said, ‘you will bring something different to the table, a different approach.’”Thomas Hall hosted Jim Sathya and team for Utsav'98. Here is yet another MCCian in USA, Joe Prabaharan, a finest drummer, organized AR Rahman’s first musical show in USA in the year 2000. Prabaharan was the production manager.

Media / Journalism:

K. M. Mathew was the eighth of nine children of K. C. Mammen Mappillai. He completed his B.A Economics from Madras Christian College. He became a Chief Editor of the Malayalam-language daily, Malayala Manorama. Under his leadership, Malayala Manorama launched many publications such as the women's magazine Vanitha in Malayalam and Hindi, the weekly English magazine The Week, the farmer's magazine Karshakasree, the children's magazines Balarama, Kalikudukka in Malayalam and Magic Pot in English and the encyclopaedic Manorama Yearbook in Malayalam, English, Hindi, Tamil and Bengali. He was a Padma Shri awardee.

K. Nageswara Rao, better known as Nageswara Rao Pantulu, was a journalist, nationalist, politician, and a staunch supporter of Khaddar movement. He graduated from Madras Christian College in 1891. He founded Amrutanjan Limited in 1893 and invented Amrutanjan pain balm, which soon became a very popular medicine and made him a millionaire. He attended the National Congress meeting in Surat in 1907 and joined the freedom movement. He recognized the need for a Telugu language journal to campaign effectively for the freedom struggle and founded a weekly - Andhra Patrika, in 1909 in Bombay. He participated in the Indian National Congress party, including Mahatma Gandhi’s civil disobedience movement through salt satyagraha. He was conferred with the title Desabandhu (Friend of the masses) by the people of Andhra Pradesh. He was conferred with the title Desoddhaaraka (Uplifter of the masses) by the Andhra Mahasabha. In 1935, the Andhra University honoured him with Kalaprapoorna, an honorary doctorate of Literature.  

T.N. Ninan Indian editor-in-chief, publishing executive is the Chairman of Business Standard Ltd. During a quarter century at the helm of different publications, he has been the editor of Business Standard (where he was also the publisher from 1996), the Economic Times, and Business World. He was also the executive editor at India Today. His Saturday column ‘Weekend Ruminations’ has a dedicated following. He serves on the boards of non-profit organizations, including one that supports public-spirited journalism. He was named Entrepreneur of Year, Ernst & Young, 2004; recipient Sachin Chaudhari award, 1984, Bachelor of Divinity Goenka award, 1992. He has been listed as a noteworthy editor-in-chief, publishing executive by Marquis Who's Who. T.N. Ninan is an alumnus of MCC.  

David Davidar, C. E. O., Penguin India is an Indian novelist and publisher. He earned a BSc degree in Botany from Madras Christian College in 1979. In 1985, he obtained a diploma in publishing from the Radcliffe Publishing Procedures Course at Harvard University. Davidar began a career in journalism after graduating from college. His first job, in 1979, was with the Bombay-based activist magazine Himmat, which was founded by Rajmohan Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. When that magazine closed down, Davidar joined a features magazine called Keynote, which was edited by the distinguished poet Dom Moraes, and his actress wife, Leela Naidu. His last job in journalism was with another features magazine called Gentleman where he was Executive Editor. In addition to his magazine career, Davidar was a columnist for the Hindu newspaper in the 1990s. He has also written numerous articles and book reviews for newspapers and magazines in India, the UK, and the US. He is the author of three published novels, The House of Blue Mangoes (2002 - This novel was based on Davidar's own family), The Solitude of Emperors (2007), and Ithaca (2011). His debut novel The House of Blue Mangoes was greeted with acclaim throughout the English-speaking world and was eventually published in sixteen countries and translated into as many languages. Among the newspapers and magazines which praised the novel were The New York Times which called it “a polished and accomplished book”, London's Sunday Times which thought it was “dazzling” and the San Francisco Chronicle which said Davidar was “an intriguing new voice”. In parallel to his writing career, Davidar has been a publisher for over a quarter-century. He is the co-founder of Aleph Book Company, a literary publishing firm based in New Delhi.  

Ajit Ninan, a graduate of MCC is an Indian political cartoonist, best known for drawing the Centre-stage series of cartoons in India Today magazine and Ninan's World in the Times of India. It was Ajit’s cartoons in India Today, Business Today and Target got him noticed. He joined Indian Express newspaper in 1992 before drawing for the news magazine Outlook. He is now with The Times of India as their Chief Graphics Consultant. Ajit grew up in Hyderabad. The highlight of his time at Hyderabad Public School was when he used to get “suspended” for drawing cartoons of his teachers. According to Ajit, “That allowed me to sit in the library and go through stacks of Punch and New Yorker cartoons. Cartoonists James Thurber and Arnold Roth were my inspiration. As a kid I spent many doing detailed sketches of machines and turbines. My love for these gadgets showed up when I drew Moochhwala who used hi-tech inspired gadgets like Katchem Krime Komputer – which was a dig at the Ku Klux Klan… Moochhwalla was inspired by cartoonist David Low’s character Col Blimp. I kept the dog Poochh white in color as it would save the hassle of colouring and shading the dog… My first work was published in the last issue of the children’s magazine Shankar’s Weekly. I think that was in 1968 or 69 and they shut down after that. Maybe because of my cartoon!! They sent me a Money Order for Rs10/-.  I promptly spent eight bucks out of that buying myself a new pair of school shoes…Today there are many opportunities for cartoonists. Look at animation films like Shrek and Madagascar. They could employ hundreds of cartoonists. There are web sites and TV channels that look for cartoonists. Above all cartoonists need to be able to work in teams.”

 Sports Persons:

C.D Gopinath, Test Cricketer: In many ways, the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai is Indian cricket’s spiritual home. It was here that after 20 years and 24 Tests, Vijay Hazare captained India to its first-ever Test win, beating Donald Carr’s England on February 10, 1952. C.D Gopinath, the only surviving member of that Indian team, has vivid memories of the victory. The 90-year-old recollects the events of that Test in minute detail on February 9, 2021 (Live Asia News).   “Probably for the first time, we said we can beat teams stronger than us. There was a new way of thinking. We batted first and made some 400-odd (457/9 decl.). I was No. 8. By the time I went in to bat, we were 340 or something (320). The captain very clearly told me ‘I am planning to declare soon. Go there and score as fast as you can.’” He contributed a quick 35 in this final Test of that series when India recorded its first Test victory.

C.D Gopinath toured England in 1952. At home he played Tests against Pakistan in 1952/53 and Australia in 1959/60, and toured Pakistan in 1954/55. He was chosen in the team to West Indies in 1952/53 but turned down the invitation. Gopinath captained Madras from 1955-56 to 1962-63, as well as South Zone in the Duleep Trophy. In the 1970s, he served as a national selector under Vijay Merchant and later as the chairman and managed the 1979 tour to England. He averaged more than 50 in Ranji Trophy with a highest score of 234. Gopinath is the last surviving member of India's first Test-winning team. He and his wife Comala, a former champion golfer, live in Coonoor in the Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu. C.D Gopinath graduated from the prestigious Madras Christian College.

V. Pattabhiraman was a venerated cricket administrator who was instrumental in installing the MJ Gopalan Trophy. V Pattabhiraman gate, one of the three main entrances to the M. A. Chidambaram stadium, stand as a fitting tribute to this cricket administrator. The V Pattabhiraman Gate has a couple of pillars with Indo-Saracenic carvings. It was originally part of the palace walls. But much of the original parts were demolished by time.

R. S. Amrithraj or Robert Amritraj was an outstanding athlete of Madras and the father of India's famed tennis-playing brothers Anand, Vijay, and Ashok. Hard work has always been crucial to the Amritraj family. Their father, Robert, worked in the railways and their mother, Maggie, herself a tennis player, was the driving force behind the three boys. Anand Amritraj and his younger brothers, Vijay and Ashok, were among the first Indians to play in top-flight international tour tennis.

 J.B. Joseph, National athlete – represented in Asian games 1954 in Manila (4 X 400 m Relay, won Silver medal), and again in 1958 in Tokyo. Later he represented Madras police force in an international tournament and improved upon the Indian record in 400m.

R. B. Alaganan (1925-2012), better known as Balu Alaganan, was an Indian cricket player, administrator for the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association and a well-known radio commentator. An all-rounder who batted in the middle-order, Alaganan represented Madras in six first-class matches between 1946 and 1955. He was the captain of the Madras team that won its maiden Ranji Trophy tile in 1954–55. He retired after the season and turned to radio commentary. As a commentator he was described by The Hindu as “a lucid, to-the-point narrator, imparting to his observations the weight of experience and expertise that underlined an academic, intellectual approach.” Alaganan also worked in administrative roles after retirement. He worked as the vice-president of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) from 1961 to 1986. He also became the president of Madras Cricket Club in 1967. In 1988, he became the president of TNCA and held the position until 1993. After having worked as a selector, he worked as the assistant team manager of India on its tours to New Zealand and West Indies in the 1975–76 season, with Polly Umrigar as the manager. Alaganan also won club-level titles in golf and tennis. He was the first Indian member and Indian president of the Kodaikanal Club. He completed his schooling at S. Thomas' College, Ceylon, and graduated from the Madras Christian College.

N. Kannayiram (1927-1996) was a Ranji team member from TN a cricketer who played first-class cricket in India from 1948 to 1956. He toured the West Indies in 1952-53, but did not play Test cricket. Kannayiram was educated at Madras Christian College. A middle-order batsman and opening bowler, he captained the Madras University cricket team in the Rohinton Baria Trophy in 1948-49 and 1949-50 and represented Indian Universities in first-class matches against the Commonwealth XI in 1949-50 and MCC in 1951-52. When the Madurai District Cricket Association was formed in 1958, Kannayiram was appointed as its first secretary. The trophy for the fourth division “A” section of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association is named the “N. Kannayiram Shield” in his honour.

E.C.P.Prabhakar, IAS was a civil servant. He was the son of late Sri. E.D. Philip, the first Indian Deputy Collector at Salem, Madras Presidency, India under the British rule and former Dewan to the Raja of Sivaganga.. ECP Prabhakar, IAS, joined the Tamil Nadu Civil Service in 1948. He held various important posts during his distinguished career. Amongst others, he served as Collector of Ramnad and Madurai districts, Director of Agriculture and as the Revenue and Education Secretary. He established the Department of Sports and Youth Services in early 1980. Mr Prabhakar served under five Chief Ministers.

He was an avid sportsman and captained the TN Civil Services tennis team for six years. He played Cricket (Ranji Trophy) and Hockey for Madras State, and he was a good golfer. With Late Dr NC Krishnan, he was instrumental in the setting up of TTT way back in 1982. Mr Prabhakar was then the Chairman of the Board of YMCA College of Physical Education, Nandanam, Chennai. His vision for TTT was that we should impart tennis training of international standards, but at the same time inculcate amongst the children the important social qualities of discipline and sportsmanship. His eldest brother, Mr Eric Prabhakar, was a former Olympian.#

Eric Prabhakar, son of late Sri. E.D. Philip (born in February 1925) was a great athlete and this quality greatly influenced his studies positively. He passed M.A. (Economics) with a first class in 1947 from MCC. He excelled in academics and sports in school, college and Universities. He was an outstanding sportsman when he was in Madras Christian College and received a generous scholarship for five consecutive years as a student of that college. He captained the college hockey team and was a member of the cricket team also. Madras University won the athletic championship in the inter-university sports for the first time, under the captainship of Eric Prabhakar. He was the 100 meters and 200 meters champion- from 1942 to 1948 of the college, Madras University and India (Pakistan and Bangladesh were part of India during those days). Eric Prabhakar also won the 100 yards dash against Cambridge and was awarded an Athletic Blue by Roger Bannister. It was a proud occasion because he was the first Indian to get an Athletic Blue at Oxford. After completing his MA degree in economics he became one of the first two Indians to be awarded a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University in England. Prabhakar reached the quarter-final of the 100m at the London Olympics, 1948. After completing his studies he joined the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris and served as the head of the organization’s operations in Asia for eight years in the seventies. After he retired from UNESCO he was a sports administrator in India heading the Tamil Nadu Amateur Athletic Association and serving as vice-president of the national governing body. He also wrote a novel and an athletics manual.

K. E. Kaliah, was hockey player, who represented India. He was part of the 1975 World Cup winning side. Ajit Pal Singh, was the captain of the 1975 team. After enduring a topsy-turvy tournament, the Indian team had scripted history, notching up a thrilling 2-1 win over arch-rivals Pakistan on the night of March 15 at the Merdeka Football Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.

V.J. Thomas was member of National Hockey team, toured New Zealand in1975. Hailing from Chennai's St. Thomas Mount, the region known for producing many hockey players in the past and at presen, he has represented the Indian Railways team at the senior national championships in 1976 and 1978. Thomas has also represented Southern Railways for 10 years as inside right. Thomas is the younger brother of Olympic and World Cup medallist V. J. Philips. A former captain who played as a halfback, V. J. Philips led the Indian national team during the 1978 World Cup. Another brother V.J. Peter played in three Olympics (1960, 1964 & 1968) and many other tournaments including Asian Games.  

Madras Christian College was undoubtedly the strongest hockey team in the late 1960s, but other teams really enjoyed playing with them for their generally clean and fast hockey. At least 7 of the players were from Coorg (referred to by the British as ‘Scotland of India’). Inerestingly, most of these players represented Madras University team that won many laurels. The college team had one guy in their speedy forward line named Monappa, who later on went on to play for India for a few years. Another of them, M.B. Aiyappa, a weighty full-back, played for many years for the Tamil Nadu State team. A short note about Coorg: Nestled in the Western Ghats, in the south-west corner of Karnataka, the little district of Coorg or Kodagu, is the cradle for hockey in India. For the inhabitants of this district, which has churned out more than 50 international hockey players, the game is inextricably woven into the fabric of their everyday existence. The rich hockey culture ingrained in Kodagu has culminated into producing an arsenal of players who have time and again represented India at global hockey tournaments and many of them had been a part of the world’s biggest sporting stage, the Olympics. From icons of yesteryears like M.P. Ganesh, M. M. Somaya A. B. Subbaiah, B. P. Govinda, and Arjun Halappa, to new-generation superstars like S. K. Uthappa, Nikkin Thimmaiah, Nithin Thimmaiah, V. R. Raghunath and S. V. Sunil, who have graced the hockey turf were reared in these lush green surroundings.

P. Sankar (Komaleswaran Sankar), the only Indian to officiate at the FIFA 2002 World Cup in Foot Ball - hosted jointly by Japan and Korea. He officiated in three matches: Croatia-Mexico, Belgium-Tunisia and Belgium-Russia. He had also been to the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. By the 1995 SAARC games, heI was on FIFA's international panel of referees. In 1999 he was adjudged the Best Asian Assistant Referee. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is hopeful of having at least one referee from the country at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but at the same time concedes it won’t be easy considering the steep selection criteria.

Michael Soosairaj is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the club ATK and the Indian National Team. He had his undergraduate education at the Madras Christian College. He represented the college in Inter-University tournaments before joining Arrows Football Club of the CFA Senior Division. After spending time with Arrows, Soosairaj joined another CFA Senior Division side, Chennai City. He also played for Tamil Nadu in the Santosh Trophy. On 17 January 2017, Soosairaj made his professional debut in the I-League for Chennai City against DSK Shivajians. On 8 April 2018, Soosairaj scored his first professional goal in the league against Minerva Punjab. His 41st-minute goal was the first in a 2–0 victory. He then scored in several tournaments that followed. After the 2017–18 season, Soosairaj was named the league's best midfielder by the All India Football Federation.

Arasu Mounaguru is Mr. India, senior National Body Building Championship (2019). He did his BA Economics (1991-’94) in MCC.  Earlier he won Inter-University championship, Inter-states National championship (1997), Inter-railway championship titles (9 times). He has also won South Asia championship, Thailand Masters, Mr.Asia (Bronze, 2018), Mr.World (Bronze, 2018). He is now preparing for World championship, 2020 in Japan. He is the current Secretary of Tamilnadu Amateur Body Building Association; runs a high-tech fitness centre in Velacherry.  

R. M. Perumal, Ranji team member from TN during the period 1945/46-1949/50.

Paul Joseph, National Basket Ball Player, India (More information, not available)

 C.F Dywer, Well known sports commentator (More information, not available)

 T. Sunder Raj, represented India in Athletics (More information, not available)

 #Additional Information:

Dr. Vijay G Prabhakar is the youngest son of Mr. E.C.P Prabhakar, IAS (Retd.), and grandson of Late E.D. Phillip, Vijay’s mother, Mrs. Lily Prabhakar founded the World’s first home for leprosy patients’ children integrated with normal orphans and children of single parents, Childrens’Home of Hope, Chennai in 1969. His father-in-law is Mr. Newton Devasahayam, IPS (Retd), a Valiant Police Officer of Tamilnadu (D.I.G. of Police, Madras in the 70s), whose father, Mr. Devasahayam, IPS, was the first Indian Inspector-General of Police of then Composite Madras State comprising Tamilnadu, Karnataka & Andhra Pradesh (I.G. of Police Madras in the 50s). Dr. Prabhakar is the nephew of internationally renowned Economist Dr. Malcolm S Adiseshiah, former Deputy Director-General of UNESCO, Paris and former Member of Parliament, India and is also the nephew of Bishop Rt. Rev. Sundar Clarke who was the CSI Bishop of Madras Diocese from 1974 to 1990.

 Scientists:

Raja Ramanna (1925-2004) was an Indian physicist who is best known for his role in India's nuclear program during its early stages. Having joined the nuclear program in 1964, Ramanna worked under Homi Jehangir Bhabha, and later became the director of this program in 1967. Ramanna expanded and supervised scientific research on nuclear weapons and was the first directing officer of the small team of scientists that supervised and carried out the test of the nuclear device at Pokhran, under the codename Smiling Buddha, in 1974. In fact, Ramanna was associated with and directed India's nuclear program for more than four decades, and also initiated industrial defence programmes for the Indian Armed Forces. Ramanna rose to become head of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (Barc) in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), a post he held for two periods (1972-78 and 1981-83). He was also chairman of the India atomic energy commission, and secretary of the department of atomic energy from 1983 to 1987.

A high point in Ramanna's career - and dramatic in a quite different way - came in 1978, when Saddam Hussein approached Ramanna for help to build an Iraqi nuclear bomb. The offer came while Ramanna was in Baghdad for a week as Saddam's personal guest. He was given a tour of the capital and Iraq's main nuclear facility at Tuwaitha. At the end of the trip, Saddam invited the scientist to his office and told him: “You have done enough for your country; don't go back. Stay here and take over our nuclear programme. I will pay you whatever you want.” Ramanna was shocked and scared by the Iraqi proposal. He reportedly could not sleep that night, worried that he might never see his homeland again. He took the next flight out, never to return to Iraq.

A multi-faceted personality, Ramanna was a gifted musician, and could play the piano as dextrously as he could speak about atomic energy. Music was close to his heart, and one of the two books he wrote was The Structure of Music in Raga and Western Systems (1993). The other was his autobiography, entitled Years of Pilgrimage (1991). Ramanna's research interests included nuclear physics, European music and Buddhist philosophy. He remained director emeritus of the Bangalore-based National Institute of Advanced Studies until his last days. He was a recipient of Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian decoration, in honour of his services to build India's nuclear programme.

Ramanna obtained his BSc degree in Physics at Madras Christian College in 1947 (He resided at St. Thomas's Hall) and MSc in Physics from Bombay University, followed by M.Mus., in Music theory. In 1954, he obtained a PhD in Nuclear Physics from King's College London. In the United Kingdom, Ramanna was invited to do his research at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE) where he gained expertise in nuclear fuel cycles and reactor designing. While in the UK, Ramanna continued his interest in European music and Western philosophy, attending Opera and Orchestra performances every week. European music and philosophy remained a lifelong passion for Ramanna, and after returning to India, Ramanna accomplished himself by performing classical European music at many public concerts in India and abroad. Ramanna also had a keen ear for Indian classical music. Interestingly, his musical talents also received wide appreciation in neighbouring Pakistan. In 1956, Ramanna was invited by the National College of Arts and National Academy of Performing Arts, Sindh, Pakistan to perform and lecture on the classical piano with a live ensemble and received jubilant praise and honour for his performance.

E. C. George Sudarshan; (1931-2018) was an Indian theoretical physicist and a professor at the University of Texas. Sudarshan has been credited with numerous contributions to the field of theoretical physics. His most significant work may have been his contribution to the field of quantum optics. He challenged Albert Einstein’s theory that nothing with mass can travel faster than light. He was nominated for the Nobel 9 times.

He graduated with honors from the Madras Christian College in 1951. He obtained his master's degree at the University of Madras in 1952. He moved to Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and worked there for a brief period with Homi Bhabha as well as others. In 1958, he received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Rochester. At this point he moved to Harvard University to join Julian Schwinger as a postdoctoral fellow.

He taught at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), University of Rochester, Syracuse University, and Harvard. From 1969 onwards, he was a professor of Physics at The University of Texas at Austin and a senior professor at the Indian Institute of Science. He worked as the director of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc), Chennai, India, for five years during the 1980s dividing his time between India and USA. During his tenure, he transformed it into a centre of excellence.

Sudarshan was passed over for the Physics Nobel Prize on more than one occasion, leading to controversy in 2005 when several physicists wrote to the Swedish Academy, protesting that Sudarshan should have been awarded a share of the Prize for the Sudarshan diagonal representation (also known as Glauber–Sudarshan representation) in quantum optics, for which Roy J. Glauber won his share of the prize. In 2007, Sudarshan told the Hindustan Times, “The 2005 Nobel prize for Physics was awarded for my work, but I wasn't the one to get it. Each one of the discoveries that this Nobel was given for work based on my research.” Sudarshan also commented on not being selected for the 1979 Nobel, “Steven Weinberg, Sheldon Glashow and Abdus Salam built on work I had done as a 26-year-old student….”

Awards in India: Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan

Nicodemus Abel - Indian Plant geneticist; Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding Coimbatore, India. He is a breeder of casuarina, teak, and other tree species.

Sir Kariamanickam Srinivasa Krishnan, FRS - an Indian Physicist. He was a co-discoverer of Raman scattering, for which his mentor C. V. Raman was awarded the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics. On 4 January 1947, Dr. K. S. Krishnan was appointed as first director of National Physical Laboratory India. This was one of the earliest national laboratories set up under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

Awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 1954. He was the first recipient of the prestigious Bhatnagar Award in 1958.

Internationally-renowned parasitologist, Professor Emeritus Dato Dr. C.P. Ramachandran (1936-2019) - fondly known to friends and colleagues as “CP” - was born in Malaysia on June 6, 1936. He studied first in his country and later obtained his undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences at Madras Christian College, in India. Interested in fighting neglected tropical diseases in the poorest patients, he sought his postgraduate training at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) where he obtained his Doctorate.  Again in Malaysia since 1962, he worked at Universiti Sains Malaysia, and at the Medical Research Institute (IMR) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Before starting these activities he spent a period at the University of Tulane. He became Dean of Biological Sciences at the University and Head of the Division of Filariasis at the IMR. In 1979 he was called to the Research Strengthening Group (RSG) of the WHO, World Bank, UNDP Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR). Simultaneously he was the Secretary of the TDR Steering Committee on Filariasis Research. Later he was the Head of Filariasis Control of the WHO and Head of Research in Filariasis of TDR. Since 1996, upon retirement as a WHO official, Dr. C.P. Ramachandran has been working in Malaysia, where he contributed to the creation of the Faculty of Medicine of Universiti Putra Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, where he was Professor of Parasitology until 2007. Since 2007, Prof. C.P. Ramachandran was active in several universities, scientific societies, the Academy of Sciences of Malaysia and organizations against lymphatic filariasis and received important distinctions in his homeland and internationally. Dr. C.P. Ramachandran has participated in meetings of scientific societies, academia, and organizations to fight filariasis and others. He was invited to the Nobel Prize ceremony in 2015, when artemisinin developers were awarded malaria and ivermectin against diseases caused by helminths. In 2014, he published his biography entitled “I am … because of you”. In a recent interview, he summarized his thoughts in a poignant reminder: “My whole life, whatever I have achieved, is not because of me, but because of others.” His achievements have been lauded through many honours and awards, including the first Sandosham Gold Medal from the Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine and the Mary Kingsley Medal from Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KhILt8qU84

Dr. Robert Y. George Ph.D (R. Y. George), is first Indian Scientist to land on Antarctica as part of a US research team. In fact, Professor R.Y. George has led five research expeditions to Antarctica under the funding of US National Science Foundation. He obtained his BS degree (Zoology/Botany) from Madras Christian College, 1958, and MS from Presidency College, Madras, 1960 and Ph.D (Marine Biology) from the University of Madras, 1963. He did his post-doctoral fellowship at Friday Harbour Laboratories University of Washington, (1964-’65); Research Marine Biologist (1966-’67) at Duke University Marine Lab, Beaufort, North Carolina; Research Professor of Marine Science, (1967-1972), at Graduate Department of Oceanography, Florida State University, Florida; Research Oceanographer and Chairman, Oceanography Program, (1973-1988), Institute of Biomedical Research (INBR), University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). He is a distinguished conservation biologist and marine ecologist who has studied environment and ecology of the world oceans, across the world. His name is found in a few reference pages of Antarctic Journal of the United States, Volumes 8-9 and Advances in Marine Biology, Volume 60. He has also written an article in the book “Theology and Science: From Genesis to Astrobiology.” Incidentally, Dr. Robert Y. George is the Editor-In-Chief of www.theoecologyjournal.com. Prof. Robert Y. George has taught hundreds of students at baccalaureate, Master’s and Ph. D. levels at American Universities around the United States. He was adjunct Professor at Florida State University (1968-1972). He was “Professor Emeritus” at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington where he taught oceanography from 1973 to 2003, until his retirement.  Dr. George is presently President and CEO of George Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability (GIBS), Wilmington, North Carolina - associated in the capacity as Research Professor, Gothenberg University. Dr. George is also visiting professor at Kritineberg Marine Biological Station in Sweden. He is adjunct Professor of Marine Biology and Fisheries, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami. In summers Dr. George conducts research on live deep-sea corals in the Kristineberg Marine Research Station in Sweden. He is also a founding member of the ‘Board of directors of Fullbright Academy’ and founder of the North Carolina Chapter of the Fullbright Association. He was twice Fullbright Professor to the Madurai Kamaraj University, India, 1984 and 1988. He is recipient of the following Honours: The Antarctic Service Medal twice from NSF for research in McMurdo Sound and Palmer Peninsula Antarctica in 1984 and 1986; ‘Sir. George Deacon Medal’ for bridging Science and Management of Megascale Marine Ecosystems (Southern Oceans); Selected jointly by the US Academy of Sciences and Soviet Academy of Sciences for visit to the University of Moscow, to give lectures in 1979; Appointed Lifetime Honourary Professor at the Swedish Academy of Sciences Kristineberg Marine Research Station (Gothenburg University) in 2003 based 8 consecutive summers of Marine Research in Sweden.

 S. Raghavan, classmate of T. N. Seshan – Physics 1949-’52. He retired as Deputy Director, General Meteorology, India Meteorological Department. He is an expert in the field of Radar Meteorology

Dr. AJT Johnsingh (Asir Jawahar Thomas Johnsingh), is one of India’s foremost vertebrate ecologists. His effort was crucial in establishing a few tiger reserves in the country. Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, at the far end of the Western Ghats, is one example. Dr Johnsingh's book, Field Days, is an amazing read and a must for those interested in wildlife in South India. He got his Master’s degree in Zoology from Madras Christian College (MCC) in 1968. He then initiated pioneering field research on free-ranging large mammals in India by studying dholes in Bandipur Tiger Reserve in 1976-78 for his Ph.D. After a brief stint at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. he returned to India in October 1981. He briefly worked with the Bombay Natural History Society and then joined the newly established Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun as faculty.

He has published over 70 scientific papers and over 80 popular articles on wildlife conservation. He was awarded the 2004 Distinguished Service Award for Government from Society for Conservation Biology, the Carl Zeiss Wildlife Conservation Award 2004 for lifetime service to Indian wildlife and the ABN AMRO Sanctuary Lifetime Wildlife Service Award in 2005. He retired as Dean, Faculty of Wildlife Sciences at the Wildlife Institute of India in October 2005. He lives in Bangalore and works for Nature Conservation Foundation as Eminent Wildlife Biologist and for WWF-India as Honorary Scientific Advisor.

Note: He was with me as an inmate of Selaiyur Hall. WE used to call him Tarzan.

Mr. J. C. Daniel (Jivanayakam Cyril Daniel) was an Indian naturalist, and the author of several acclaimed books on birds, mammals, and reptiles.  Influenced early in his life by Sálim Ali, had a long association with the Bombay Natural History Society, where he served as a curator from 1950, and was then its first Director. After retirement in 1991, he was elected an Honorary Member and was also its Honorary Secretary. His books include The Book of Indian Reptiles and A Century of Natural History and Conservation in Developing Countries. He co-authored Indian Wildlife - Insight Guides Lion Section. He revised Ali's Book of Indian Birds for its 12th edition, published in 1996. He was the author of The tiger in India – A natural history. He was also executive editor of the Society's journal and the initiator of the Hornbill magazine. His work in Asian elephant conservation was significant.

His work was recognized in India and internationally, the awards he received speak for themselves, Peter Scott Award for Conservation Merit (1988), Award of Kerala Agricultural University (1989), Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar (1997), Sanctuary's Millennium Lifetime Service Award (2000) and Distinguished Service Award from Society for Conservation Biology (2007).

Ramesh E.M. Desigan, research scientist: 

Drug named Remdesivir has been making the news of late as a drug to be used in the treatment or at least mitigation of symptoms arising from Covid-19. However, not many know of the back story of the drug, its discovery and name. Remdesivir is developed by Gilead Science, a pharmaceutical based in Foster City, California. The drug was developed by a team led by Czech scientist Tomas Cihlar primarily for treatment of Ebola Virus. Not many know of the story behind the development and naming of this drug. It is actually named after Ramesh E.M. Desigan, the lead scientist in the team of Tomas Cihlar. Ramesh hails from Rasipuram near Salem in Tamil Nadu. Coming from a poor family, Ramesh received a scholarship to study at Madras Christian College, followed by a PhD in Pharmacology from JNU, New Delhi. In 2002 Ramesh moved to California to work for Gilead sciences and was instrumental in identifying the viral pathways that could be blocked by anti-viral drugs. Initially called Ebpantuvir, the name was changed in honor of the inventor of the drug to REMDesiVir. Additionally in honor of this discovery Gilead donated $2 million to the Rasi international school where he did his primary education.

Outstanding Economists:

Dr. Malcolm S Adiseshiah  (1910-1994) was an Indian development economist and educator.  He obtained a doctorate in economics at the London School of Economics. In 1940, after obtaining his doctorate, he joined Madras Christian College, Chennai, as its first professor and head of the economics department and continued there until 1946. Prof. K. N. Raj, founder of Centre for Developmental Studies, Tiruvananthapuram, and G. Jagathpathy, former Chief Secretary of the government of Madhya Pradesh were his students in the 1941-44 batch of BA Honours course. During that period, he was engaged, with his fellow economists in the Madras University, in work on planning the future industrialization of India and Madras State. His early teaching career, his Vice Chancellorship of the Madras University and his various activities in his entire life had their focal point in education. From 1946-1948 Adiseshiah served as Associate General Secretary of the World University Service in Geneva. This association helped him later to support steps for the construction of World University Service Centre in Chennai and women’s hostels in Delhi and Rajasthan. During that period, he was also connected with the World Student Christian Federation and Student Volunteer Service. In 1948, he joined UNESCO and retired as Deputy Director in 1970. It was in that capacity Adiseshiah signed the UNESCO Fellowship letter in 1949 to M. S. Swaminathan, eminent scientist and administrator, to pursue research at the Agricultural University in Wageningen, the Netherlands which was the starting point of his illustrious career. He was instrumental in the setting up of the Asian Social Science Research Council, New Delhi and was its first President. He was also the founder and first director of Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS). He was a member of the Central Advisory Board of Education, the Indian National Commission for Co-operation with UNESCO, the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and the National Council of Teacher Education. He was the Chairman of the panel which reviewed the functioning of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). Andhra University entrusted to him the review of the working of the social science departments at Waltair. He chaired the committee set up to recommend the establishment of Mother Teresa Women's University in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu. In 1976 Adiseshiah was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India. Adiseshiah was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in April 1978 for a six-year term. Adiseshiah desired the heritage sites to be well preserved. So he arranged for UNESCO funding for renovation of Sri Rangam Ranganatha, Madurai Meenakshi, Thanjavur Brahadeeswara and seven other temples. He initiated a pioneering research work by a French scholar tracing the history and traditions of Sri Rangam temple in Tamil Nadu.In 1998 the UNESCO created ‘The Malcolm Adiseshiah International Literacy Prize’ in recognition of his contribution to education and literacy.

Dr. K. N. Raj or Kakkadan Nandanath Raj (1924-2010) was a veteran Indian economist. Raj was a companion of distinguished economists like Manmohan Singh, Amartya Sen and Jagdish Bhagwati. He played an important role in India's planned development, drafting sections of India's first Five Year Plan, specifically the introductory chapter when he was only 26 years old. He was a veteran economist in the Planning Commission. He worked out a plan to raise India's rate of savings in the post-Second World War period when the country was in need of foreign aid. He computed India's Balance of Payments for the first time for the Reserve Bank of India. Raj was an advisor to several prime ministers from Jawaharlal Nehru to P.V. Narasimha Rao. He did a B.A. Honours course from the prestigious Madras Christian College (1941-44 batch). He was a disciple of a well-distinguished economist Malcolm Adiseshiah at Madras Christian College. His teacher pressed for him to go for higher studies in London School of Economics. Raj joined Delhi University, where he was Professor of Economics and also Vice-Chancellor (from October 1969 to December 1970), spending a total of 18 years there. During that time, he was instrumental in setting up the Delhi School of Economics (DSE). After returning to Kerala from Delhi in 1971, Raj set up the Centre for Development Studies at Thiruvananthapuram, an institution that soon acquired an international reputation for applied economics and social science research.

Dr. Raja Jesudoss Chelliah (1922-2009) was an economist and founding chairman of the Madras School of Economics. He completed an MA in economics from University of Madras and worked as a lecturer in Madras Christian College for five years before going to the United States on a Fulbright scholarship to do a PhD at the University of Pittsburgh. Upon his return from the United States, he worked as a senior economist at the National Council of Applied Economic Research, New Delhi between 1958-1961. He was a reader and professor at the Department of Economics of University of Rajasthan between1961-1966 and professor of economics at Osmania University between 1966-1969. He was invited to work with the International Monetary Fund  (IMF) in Washington, D.C. and worked as a chief of Fiscal Analysis Division, Fiscal Affairs Department between 1969-1975. He served as a consultant to the government of Papua New Guinea on Centre Provincial Financial Relations. He also worked in several state and central government financial institutions in India. He was considered a public finance expert in India, instrumental in bringing about the early reforms to the direct taxation structure. He was the founding director of the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy between 1976-1985. He was a member of the Planning Commission between 1985-1990 and also member of the Finance Commission from 1987-1989. He served as chairman of Tax Reforms Committee of Union Government between 1991 and 1993 and as chairman of the Tax Reforms and Revenue Augmentation Commission in Tamil Nadu during 2002-2003. He was awarded Padma Vibushan in 2007. He is often referred to as “The Father of Tax Reforms”.

Dr. C.T. Kurien is a professor of economics, now retired. He attended Madras Christian College, graduating in 1953 with a Master's degree in Economics. He went on to Stanford University, where he was awarded a PhD in 1962. Returning to Madras Christian College, between 1962 and 1978, he was professor and head of the Department of Economics. Kurien was a National Fellow of the University Grants Commission (UGC) from 1975 to 77. In 1978 he was appointed director of the Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS), a national centre for social science research, holding this position for ten year. He was a National Fellow of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) from 1992 to 1994. He was chairman of the Madras Institute of Development Studies from 1997 to 2003, when he retired from academic work. Kurien received the University Grants Commission's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996. Dr. C. T. Kurien, along with Mr Eric Prabhakar, was one of the founder trustees of the Malcolm and Elizabeth Adiseshiah Trust as mandated by Dr. Adiseshiah in his Will. He has been Chairman of its Board of Trustees from the time the Board was constituted in 1999. He was president of the Indian Economic Association in 2002. As of 2012 he was a member of the board of the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) in Karnataka.

John Matthai, an economist graduated in economics from Madras Christian College. Then after graduating in law from Madras University, he practiced as a lawyer for about 4 years.  Later,   he proceeded to England for higher studies, took D.Litt from Oxford and D.Sc., from London School of Economics (LSE). After coming back to India, Dr Matthai joined Madras Government in 1918 as an Officer on special duty, co-operative Department for two years. Later he served as a Professor and Head in University of Madras from 1922 to 1925. John Matthai was invested as a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in 1934. But importantly, John Matthai CIE served as India's first Railway Minister and subsequently as India's Finance Minister, taking office shortly after the presentation of India's first Budget, in 1948. Previously he had worked in the Government Service till 1940 in various capacities as a Member and Chairman of the Tariff Board and later as Director-General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics. In 1946, Dr. Matthai joined the Viceroy's Executive Council.  It is only later, after working as Member for Industry and Supply in the Interim Government, he became Minister of Railways and later of Commerce and Industry. His last portfolio in the Nehru Ministry was Finance Minister after which he resigned and rejoined Tatas in 1950. He had earlier worked as a Director in Tatas in 1940s. During the second term in Tatas,  Dr Matthai became the Director-in-charge and Vice chairman of TISCO and TELCO. He was also the Director of ACC and Indian Hotels and the Chairman of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and President of the Court of the Indian Institute of Science. In 1953, Dr. Matthai resigned from the Directorship of some Tata Companies but continued to be the Director of the Tata sons Limited. However, in 1953, he took up the chairmanship of the Taxation Enquiry Committee. He later became the Chairman of the newly constituted State Bank of India (after resigning the Directorship of Tata sons in 1955). He was the founding President of the Governing Body of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) in New Delhi, India's first independent economic policy institute established in 1956. He was the first Chairman of the Court of Governors of the Administrative Staff College, of India, Hyderabad and also the first Chairman of the National Book Trust of India. He was the Vice Chancellor of Bombay University between 1955 and 1957 and later of Kerala University for two years until his death in 1959. He was also the Chairman of Fertilizers And Chemicals Travancore Ltd (FACT) from July 1957 to the 31st July 1959. He was actively involved in the World Conference of Christian Youth held in Kottayam, Kerala in December 1952. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1959. His nephew, Verghese Kurien, is generally recognized as the architect of India's White Revolution.

Businessmen / Entrepreneurs / Industrialists and Chief Executives (Global):

Prathap Chandra Reddy is an Indian entrepreneur and cardiologist who founded the first corporate chain of hospitals in India, the Apollo Hospitals. He is widely acknowledged as the architect of modern Indian healthcare. India Today ranked him 48th in its 2017 list of India's 50 most powerful people. Reddy has four daughters: Preetha Reddy, Suneeta Reddy, Sangita Reddy and Shobana Kamineni; all are serving as directors in the Apollo Hospitals. Dr. Reddy has been the Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry’s National Health Council and advisor to its committees on Healthcare, Health Insurance, Public Health and Pharma. He was pivotal in the genesis of NATHEALTH - the Healthcare Federation of India, which today is one of the nation's most powerful and influential forums in facilitating the shift in mind-set, delivery and policy making to nurture the gift of good health for all in India. He had his education in MCC and Government Stanley Medical College. Awards: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan.

Indra Nooyi is an Indian-American business executive and former chief executive officer of PepsiCo. She has consistently ranked among the world's 100 most powerful women. In 2014, she was ranked at number 13 on the Forbes list of “The World's 100 Most Powerful Women”, and was ranked the 2nd most powerful woman on the Fortune list in 2015. In 2017, she was ranked the 2nd most powerful woman once more on the Forbes list of “The 19 Most Powerful Women in Business”. In 2018, Nooyi was named one of the “Best CEOs in the World” by the CEOWORLD magazine. She serves on the boards of Amazon, the International Cricket Council, and Schlumberger. Nooyi received her bachelor's degrees in physics, chemistry and mathematics from Madras Christian College of the University of Madras in 1974. In 1978, Nooyi was admitted to Yale School of Management and moved to the USA where she earned a master's degree in Public and Private Management in 1980.

Chandrika Tandon (sister of Indra Nooyi) is an Indian American businesswoman and Grammy-nominated artist. She has released four music albums, earning a Grammy nomination for Soul Call. Tandon was the first Indian-American woman to be elected partner at McKinsey and Company. She is chairperson of Tandon Capital Associates, and a member of the board of directors at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the Berklee Presidential Advisory Council of the Berklee College of Music. Tandon is also the vice-chairman of the board of trustees at New York University (NYU), chair of the President's Global Council, and chair of the board of the Tandon School of Engineering, which she brought the naming rights to in 2014 for $100 Million. She also serves on the boards of the NYU Stern School of Business and the NYU Langone Health System. Tandon is the recipient of the Albert Gallatin Medal, the Walter Nichols Medal, and the Polytechnic Medal. Chandrika along with her sister Indra Nooyi did her schooling in Holy Angels Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School in T. Nagar. Later she earned commerce degrees from Madras Christian College and the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. Received Distinguished Alumnus award – from Madras Christian College in 2013.

Mr. Muthuraman (Born on 26th Sep 1944), had his early college education at the Madras Christian College, holds degrees in Bachelor of Technology in Metallurgical Engineering from IIT, Madras and a Masters of Business Administration from XLRI, Jamshedpur. He has also completed the Advanced Management Programme at European Centre for Executive Development (CEDEP), France and has undergone the “Challenge of Leadership” Programme at INSEAD, France. Mr. Muthuraman joined Tata Steel in 1966 and has held various positions at the Company. He was appointed as Executive Director in 2000, Managing Director of the Company in 2001 and non-executive Vice Chairman in 2009. Under his visionary leadership, Tata Steel became a truly global company. The acquisition of Corus, UK and Netherlands in 2007, a landmark event, not only in the history of Indian Steel industry but also in the history of India which demonstrated the “coming of age” of Indian companies on Global Map. Mr Muthuraman had held board positions in a large number of organizations. He was on the Board of International Iron & Steel Institute for several years and in its Executive Committee for 4 years. He served on the Board of Global Compact of the United Nations for 4 Years. He served on the Board of Bosch India Ltd. for 6 years. He was also on the Boards of Tata Industries Ltd. He was the Chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT, Kharagpur; NIT, Jamshedpur and XLRI, Jamshedpur. He was Chairman of several Tata Steel Group companies like Nat Steel, Singapore; Tata Steel, Thailand; Tinplate Company of India Ltd; Dhamra Port Company Ltd.; Tata Sponge Ltd. and Tata Martrade International Logistics Ltd. Currently he is on the Boards of Sundaram Fasteners Ltd (of TVS Group), Narayana Hrudayalaya Ltd and Ashirvad Pipes ltd - the Indian subsidiary of Aliaxis, the Belgium company who are the largest plastics pipes manufacturer in the world. Mr. Muthuraman has been conferred with the prestigious “Padma Bhushan” award in 2012, from Government of India for his significant contribution to Indian Trade & Industry. He received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from IIT Madras in 1997 and from Madras Christian College in 2014 and the Tata Gold Medal from the Indian Institute of Metals in 2002. He also received the “CEO of the Year Award” from Business Standard in 2005, “CEO with HR Orientation Award” from World HRD Congress in 2005, Economic Times Award for Corporate Excellence in 2008 and IIM JRD Tata Award conferred by Indian Institute of Metals. Mr. Muthuraman was bestowed an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa from Loyola University, Chicago. He has been bestowed an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. Recently, XLRI,  Jamshedpur has conferred him with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Suresh Krishna, an Indian industrialist, is the Chairman of Sundram Fasteners Limited (SFL), and the Chairman of the holding company, T V Sundram Iyengar & Sons Pvt Ltd. He is the grandson of the founder of TVS Group, late Sri T V Sundram Iyengar Suresh Krishna received his Bachelor of Science degree from Madras Christian College in the year 1955. He received his M.A. in Literature from the University of Wisconsin in 1959 and did his post-graduate work in Literature in the University of Munich, Germany. Post liberalization in 1991, Suresh Krishna has transformed the company into a multi-location, multi-product technology leader, propelling fast growth through acquisitions in India and abroad and setting up the first ever manufacturing plant in China by an Indian engineering company. Currently SFL has 27 factories including one each in China and the United Kingdom. Under his leadership, SFL became the first Indian Engineering company to acquire ISO 9000 certification. It is also the first engineering company in India to achieve Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) Excellence Award. Both the Central and State Governments have recognized him by having him as a member of several public bodies and committees from time to time. He was appointed as a Director on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India. He was one of the members of the Advisory Council to the Prime Minister formed to advise the Prime Minister on matters relating to trade and industry.

Dr. D. C. Kothari, who hailed from a family of industrialists that began its business pre-independence, is an alumnus of MCC.  In 1947, the firm consisted of C. M. Kothari and his two sons, D. C. Kothari and H. C. Kothari. Kothari group with H C Kothari and his brother D C Kothari got into several interests as diverse as plantations – Tea and Coffee, Coffee curing works - PVC pipes, fertilisers, sugar, textiles, chemicals, petrochemicals, financial services and stock broking and so on. Unfortunately, the enterprising brothers parted ways in the 1980s. Kothari Industrial Corporation (KICL) is a company belonging to the reputed D.C. KOTHARI GROUPS of Chennai. Limited (KICL) is in the business providing agricultural inputs to the farmers through a range of products such as Fertilizers, Agro Chemicals, Micro Nutrients and Bio products. Dr. D C Kothari is the present president on The Indian Sugar Mills Association.

Vikram Reddy is the Managing Director of the Nutrine Confectionery Company Limited. Mr. Dwaraknath Reddy, founded the Nutrine Confectionery Company and led its growth into national eminence, making it the country’s largest unit in that field. Vikram, his nephew, enhanced Nutrine’s growth manifold. Vikram graduated from MCC, Chennai and went on to complete his education in Laverne University, California, USA. He returned to India in 1977 and joined Nutrine Confectionery Company Ltd at Chitoor, Andhra Pradesh.

Jagadish Chandran is the Managing Director of Premier Mills. The Premier Group has an international reputation for quality built over the past 60 years of innovation in the textile industry. Today, Premier Mills is a dominant player in the global textile market, utilizing cutting edge technology, high-grade raw materials and stringent quality control to deliver only the finest products to its customers in 40 countries. The company is headquartered in Coimbatore, India with a dedicated workforce of over 5000 employees. Premier Mills uses the finest raw cotton chosen from Egypt, USA and India. Premier is also a Supima licensee and its products carry the Oeko-Tex certification. Jagadish Chandran had his graduation in MCC. He is currently associated with 21 companies. He was chairman of The Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA) during the period 1983-86. Textile Association of India (TAI) recently honoured him with life time achievement award for his contribution to the growth of the industry.

R. Subramaniakumar assumed office as MD & CEO of Indian Overseas Bank on 05.05.2017 (now retired), upon elevation from the post of Executive Director. Prior to joining IOB, R. Subramaniakumar was Executive Director of Indian Bank since 22nd January 2016. As Executive Director of Indian Bank, he was instrumental in bringing the business transformation with introduction of Retail, MSME & other business verticals. He spearheaded Digital Banking transformation with new products & services. Earlier, he worked with Punjab National Bank and served for more than three decades. Being a techno Banker, he contributed in various IBA & IDRBT committees on technology & FI and was core member of the Smart Card and Micro ATM Standards Committee. He was a guest faculty at IDRBT, Hyderabad and RBI Staff Training College, Chennai. Recently in 2019 he was appointed as the administrator of Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited (DHFL) by The Reserve Bank of India. Non-bank financiers are facing major liquidity issues from past one year due to default made by the construction lender IL&FS. DHFL is struggling with serious fraud allegations.

R. Subramaniakumar did Bachelor of Science in Electronics & Physics 1976 -1979 in MCC.

Ashok Narasimhan is a serial entrepreneur, active board member and investor. His expertise spans payments, mobile, retailer promotions/rewards and e-commerce among other areas. He has been instrumental in founding and successfully building several companies, including some that became billion dollar global corporations. He is the co-founder and CEO of San Francisco-based OmnyPay, an omni-channel, omni-device mobile checkout and payment platform designed specifically to help large retailers. Prior to OmnyPay, Ashok was co-founder and CEO of Runa, using Big Data and real-time predictive analytics to help etailers increase conversion rates and sales (Acquired by Staples). He was earlier the co-founder and CEO of July Systems, a provider of cross-platform mobile solutions (Private). He founded Prio, Inc. with Microsoft, American Express, Knight Ridder, Intel and others as investors and served as its Chairman and CEO, serving retailer needs for clicks to bricks promotions and loyalty (Acquired by InfoSpace, where he then served as COO and a Board member). Prior to this, he was EVP and Head of Worldwide Marketing, Business Development, Engineering and other senior executive functions at VeriFone. (NYSE - PAY). Earlier, he was the Founding CEO of Wipro’s IT business. (NYSE - WIT). He currently sits on the Boards of several companies and organizations in areas as diverse as education, Internet portals, investment banking, software development and mobile platforms. He holds a Master’s degree in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta and Bachelor’s degree in Physics from Madras Christian College.

Kandathil M. Mammen (KMM) Mappillai (1879-1939) was an Indian businessman, Industrialist and founder of Madras Rubber Factory (MRF). He graduated from Madras Christian College. He started his industrial life with a toy balloon manufacturing unit from a small shed near Madras (now Chennai) in 1946. By 1952, MRF Limited ventured into the manufacture of tread rubber. Then the company entered into a technical collaboration with Tire & Rubber company, USA to manufacture tyres. Since then, the company has grown to become an INR 30 billion enterprise. Today MRF is India's No. 1 tyre manufacturing company. In 1964 MRF established an overseas office at Beirut, Lebanon to tap the export market. This was amongst India’s very first efforts on tyre exports. In 1989 the company collaborated with US–based Hasbro International, the world’s largest toy maker and launched Funskool India. In the same year it entered into a pact with Vapocure of Australia to manufacture polyurethane paint formulations and with Pirelli for Muscleflex conveyor and elevator belting. Currently MRF exports tyres to over 65 countries including America, Europe, Middle East, Japan, and the Pacific region. It presently has overseas offices in Dubai, Vietnam and Australia. In 1992, Mappillai was awarded the Padma Shri award for his contribution to industry. His brothers, K. M. Cherian, K. M. Philip and K. M. Mathew and nephew Mammen Mathew are also Padma Shri awardees. The eldest brother K.M. Cherian is also a Padma Bhushan recipient. His cousin M. K. Mathulla also was awarded Padma Shri.

Gopal Vittal (born 1967) is an Indian business executive. He is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bharti Airtel (India) and South Asia, an Indian multinational telecommunications services company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa. After graduating from MCC, Madras and IIM Calcutta in 1990, he joined Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), one of India's biggest FMCG companies. Early in his career at HUL, he did two stints as an Area Sales Manager, and worked in Brooke Bond and several skincare brands. One of his biggest achievements in HUL was Project Bharat, a successful rural-reach strategy that incentivized people in rural areas to try HUL's products. In 2006, he was roped in by Sunil Mittal (founder and Group CEO of Bharti Enterprises) to join Bharti Airtel as the head of marketing. In 2008, Vittal was persuaded to return to HUL by its CEO, Nitin Paranjpe. He was reappointed head of the home and personal care (HPC) businesses and given a board seat, superseding several company executives. In early 2012, Vittal re-joined Bharti Airtel, as a Director in charge of special projects and international business strategy. He spent most of 2012 and early 2013 at SingTel. In early 2013, Airtel announced that Vittal would be the next CEO of Airtel India. He took over as the CEO on 1 March 2013. Bharti Airtel Limited offers 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, and mobile commerce in India.

Prakash Kuruvilla is Partner with Bridge Ocean since 2015. Prior to this position he held senior management positions as Managing Director, HSBC Private Banking (Suisse); Manging Director, LTG Bank (Singapore); Head of Private Equity, Oclaner Asset Management; Regional Head, HSBC, South India. HSBC Bank south region has deposits of Rs 3,000 crore and 2,50,000 accounts. Kuruvilla said the bank will focus on small and medium enterprises in Coimbatore and Tirupur. HSBC Electronic Data Processing (India) Pvt Ltd, the business process outsourcing arm of HSBC group, has started its second unit in Visakhapatnam in 2013. He is also a founding member of British Business Group in South India. Prakash holds a MBA from XLRI, India, and a BA in Economics from MCC.

Ali Feroze, Global Macro Prop Trade - previously Senior Trader at Graham Capital Management, L.P, and Portfolio Manager, BlueCrest Capital Management. Global macro trading strategies are based on educated guesses about the macroeconomic developments of the world. He is an experienced Senior Trader with a demonstrated history of working in the investment management industry. He is skilled in Portfolio Management, Propriety Trading, Global Macro, Volatility, and Options. He is a strong finance professional with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) focussed in Capital Markets and option pricing theory from Tulane University – A. B. Freeman School of Business. He graduated from MCC.

Dr. Paul Chandrasekharan Sabapathy CVO CBE was the Lord Lieutenant to her Majesty, the Queen of England from 2007 until his resignation in September 2015. He is a retired British accountant and business manager, of Indian origin. He was the first non-white Lord Lieutenant in the United Kingdom. He was born in Chennai, India and was educated at Lawrence School, Lovedale. He then did his first degree at one of India’s oldest and leading Colleges Madras Christian College. He migrated to the United Kingdom in 1964, obtained a master's degree from Aston University and later received Honorary Doctorates from the same University. He is a Chartered Management Accountant and Chartered Global Management Accountant, and worked for IMI plc, and as Assistant Managing Director of IMI Titanium before retiring in 1996. He was Chief Executive of North Birmingham Community NHS Trust until 2000, and a Pro Chancellor of Birmingham City University - the first ever non-white Chairman of a British University and University of Birmingham. He also served on the Boards of National Blood Authority and Standards Board for England, Chairing their Finance Committees. He was Chairman of Birmingham East and North NHS Primary Care Trust for 8 years. The PCT was judged one of the best PCTs in the country. He served on the Boards of both Black Country and Birmingham Heartlands Development Corporations Chairing their Finance Committees. He was a Governor of The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and a former Trustee of the world famous Bournville Village Trust. Sabapathy was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1995 for services to Urban Regeneration, Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2004 for services to business and education in the West Midlands, and Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for his services as lord-lieutenant.

Scholars / Poets:

Dr. Chandran Devanesan was the first Indian Principal of Madras Christian College. He was also the first vice chancellor of the North East Hill University, Shillong. While Chandran Chandran is considered to be one of the greatest Principals that MCC had (most popular – much loved and respected), it is due in no small measure to the support he received from Savithri, his wife from Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) – sister of Leslie Goonewardene# - that kept him going. Being from Ceylon, Savithri encouraged many Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) students to come to MCC for their studies and even today that influence still lingers with many of the Alumni living up to what is called the “Baila” culture and addressing everyone as “machaan”. Chandran’s demise was premature but she determinedly and doggedly took on the mantle of running the charity he founded. Over the years, Roofs for the Roofless grew and is today one of the greatest of charity successes.

#Note: Leslie Goonewardene was a prominent Sri Lankan statesman. He founded Sri-Lanka's first political party, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party in 1935, and served as its General-Secretary from 1935 to 1977. Goonewardene was a key figure in both the Indian independence movement and the Sri Lankan independence movement. He was designated as a National Hero of Sri Lanka for his leadership in the Independence movement, and his efforts are celebrated each year on the Sri Lankan Independence Day.

Dr. Ruth Kattumuri, a British Indian is Senior Director Economic, Youth and Sustainable Development at the Commonwealth of Nations. She has been co-director of the India Observatory (IO), a Distinguished Policy Fellow and Founder of the IG Patel Chair and IO at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in 2007. Between 2006 and 2016, she was also Co-Director of the LSE Asia Research Centre. In 2016, she was elected as Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. From 1997 to 2004, she lectured in advanced research methods for Masters and PhD students across various departments of LSE including the Methodology Institute and Departments of Statistics, Economics, Social Policy and Public Administration. She earned a BSc, MSc, and MPhil in Computer Science and Statistics, from Madras Christian College. When she did her MPhil thesis in Artificial Intelligence (AI), hardly anyone had heard about it. (In India the computer science revolution happened in the 1980s, much later than in the rest of the world). At Madras Christian College, Kattumri's professor and mentor was Gift Siromoney, an internationally renowned computer scientist, and founder and chairman of the college's Department of Statistics. Gift Siromoney used to be called the “Grandfather of computer science” in India, since he had been working on Machine Learning (ML) since the 1960s and was well connected with the international community. As requested by her mentor, she served as professor of Computer Science and Statistics at MCC for some time, when she had taught and mentored several 1000 students of the ‘interphase generation’, who are influential professionals around the world. She earned a PhD in Demography/Social Policy, from London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. This was possible through Overseas Research Fellowship for her PhD research at LSE (selected by Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of UK Universities). Between 2004 and 2006, she served as LSE's India Head. Dr. Kattumuri is currently working on research projects on Management of Natural and Renewable Resources; Education, Skills and Employability; Social Capital and Structures; Institutions; and Governance.

Ravi Arvind Palat - Political Economist and Historical Sociologist, State University of New York at Binghamton. He did his BA in MCC; MA, M. Phil, in Jawaharlal Nehru University and  PhD in Binghamton University. His most noted work is the book Capitalist Restructuring and the Pacific Rim. He is an editor of several Academic Journals.  

S.R. Ranganathan was a mathematician and librarian from India. His most notable contributions to the field were his five laws of library science and the development of the first major faceted classification system, the colon classification. He is considered to be the father of library science, documentation, and information science in India and is widely known throughout the rest of the world for his fundamental thinking in the field. His birthday is observed every year as the National Librarian's Day in India. He was president of the Indian Library Association from 1944 to 1953. In 1957 he was elected an honorary member of the International Federation for Information and Documentation (FID) and was made a vice-president for life of the Library Association of Great Britain. He earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in mathematics from Madras Christian College.

Dr. W. Lawrence S. Prabhakar, M.A (Madras Christian College), Ph.D. (University of Madras) is an Associate Professor of Strategic Studies and International Relations in the department of Political Science at Madras Christian College, India and Adjunct Research Fellow, S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies (Formerly Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. His primary interest on Nuclear weapons have featured in his projects with Henry Stimson Center, Washington DC USA; Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington DC USA and with the Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques, Paris, France. He is Media Commentator on Asia-Pacific Strategic Issues, BBC World Service, London, UK and has been consulted on several projects by the Net Assessment Directorate, Chiefs of Staff Committee Ministry of Defence, Govt. of India.

Sachchidananda Hirananda Vatsyayan, popularly known by his nom de plume Agyeya, was an Indian writer, poet, novelist, literary critic, journalist, translator and revolutionary in Hindi language. He pioneered modern trends in Hindi poetry, as well as in fiction, criticism and journalism. He did Intermediate in Science in 1927 at Madras Christian College.  Agyeya was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award (1964), Jnanpith Award (1978) and the internationally reputed Golden Wreath Award for poetry.

C. S. Lakshmi (born 1944) is an Indian feminist writer and independent researcher in women's studies from India. She writes under the pseudonym Ambai. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts from Madras Christian College and MA in Bangalore and her PhD from JNU. She was instrumental in the establishment of Roja Muthiah Research Library (RMRL) by persuading the University to acquire Roja Muthaiah Chettiar's collection of books and other published material. She has been a research Officer in the Indian Council of Historical Research and a college lecturer in New Delhi. In 1988, Lakshmi founded SPARROW (Sound and Picture Archives for Research on Women) a non-governmental organisation (NGO) for documenting and archiving the work of female writers and artists. SPARROW has published a number of books on women artists and writers. As of 2009, she continues to be the organization’s Director and a member of its board of trustees. She is a current member of the University of Michigan's Global Feminisms Project.

Puthezhath Raman Menon (1891-1973) was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature. Known for essays, historical writings, biographies and translations, Menon was the first to translate Tagore's works into Malayalam. He was a recipient of the title, Sahitya Kushalan, conferred on him by the Rajah of Cochin. Kerala Sahitya Akademi honoured him with the distinguished fellowship in 1971. He did his regular college education at Maharaja's College, Ernakulam and Madras Christian College before securing a degree in law to start a career as a lawyer at Thrissur. Later, he became a special prosecutor at the Magistrate Court in Thrissur and went on to hold such positions as those of a District Judge and Sarvadhikaryakkar to end his official career as a judge of the Kerala High Court.

Manjeshwar Govinda Pai (1883-1963), was a Kannada poet. He is an alumnus of MCC. In 1949, the then Madras Government conferred on him the Rashtrakavi award. He was the president of Kannada Sahitya Sammelana at Bombay in 1951. Gommata Jinastuti was his first published work. He introduced the sonnet form into Kannada. Govinda Pai narrated the story of Christ's crucifixion in his work Golgotha (1931). The next three panegyrics narrated the last days of the Buddha, God Krishna and Gandhi respectively; they were a result of the huge success of Golgotha. Govinda Pai also enriched Kannada learning with his historical studies and research. He was an authority on the chronology and history of Tulunad. He was able to read and write fluently in 25 languages including Tulu, Malayalam, Sanskrit, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Bengali, Persian, Pali, Urdu, Greek and Japanese apart from Kannada, Konkani and English. He translated several Japanese works into Kannada. On his 125th birth anniversary, a national award was instituted in his name and his old house at Manjeshwar is mooted to be a national monument. In Udupi near his native place, the Govind Pai Research Institute is established near MGM College of Dr. T.M.A Pai Foundation of Manipal institutions.

Srirangam Srinivasa Rao (1910-1983), popularly known as Sri Sri, was a Telugu poet and lyricist. He went to Madras Christian College for his graduate studies in 1928 and completed it by 1931. In 1938, he joined as a sub-editor of Andhra Prabha, a daily newspaper. He later worked for All India Radio and armed forces. He was the first true modern Telugu poet to write about contemporary issues that affected day-to-day life of a common man in a style and metre which were not used in classical Telugu poetry. He moved poetry forward from traditional mythological themes to reflect more contemporary issues. He entered into Telugu cinema with Ahuti (1950). Some of the songs in this movie were great hits. Sri Sri was a screenwriter for several Telugu films. He was one of the best film songwriters in India, he has penned lyrics for over 1000 soundtracks in Telugu. He was a great asset to the Telugu film industry. He was a member of PEN INDIA (an Indian film – mostly Hindi films - production and distribution company based in Bombay), Sahitya Academy, Vice-President of the South Indian Film Writers Association, Madras and President of the revolutionary writers association of Andhra.

Other authors are:

M G S Narayanan

M S S Pandian

S. Theodore Baskaran

Shreekumar Varma

Prof. P Rajani

Health / Public Care:

Pulney Andy - First Indian to receive a British medical degree, 1860.  

Here is his short biography. Senjee Pulney Andy (1831 - September 1909), also known by name S. Parani Andi or S. Parani Andy, was a doctor by profession and, in 1860, became the first Indian to receive a British medical degree. He also conceived and established the National Church of India in Madras in 1886. He was born in 1831 in Tiruchirappalli or Trichinopoly as it was known then. He graduated from Madras Christian College in 1859 and left to England where he registered for a medical degree. He received his degree of Doctor of Medicine from the University of St. Andrews in 1860. In 1862, he became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and returned to India. He received a special appointment from the Madras government as superintendent of vaccination and was posted to the Malabar. During his appointment he published several scientific papers in various journals including The Protective Influence of Vaccination and On Branched Palms in Southern India. He also studied the efficacy of neem leaves in curing small pox.

“Flying Doctor”, Diwan Bahadur Dr. Sarukkai Rangachari (28 April 1882 – 24 April 1934) was a medical practitioner, surgeon and gynaecologist from the Madras Presidency. Dr. Rangachari studied at the Town High School, Kumbakonam and graduated from the Madras Christian College. His father Krishnamachari was an engineer who was involved in the construction of the Napier Bridge and the General Hospital, Madras. At the encouragement of two European surgeons Nibblock and Gifford, Rangachari joined the Madras Medical College in 1900, graduating in 1904. Rangachari joined the government service as an Assistant Surgeon in 1906 and served in Egmore, Hyderabad, Mayavaram, Tanjore, Negapatam, Kumbakonam and Berhampore. In July 1917, Rangachari was made the Deputy Superintendent of the Egmore Women's and Children's Hospital, the first Indian to hold the post. In 1919, he became surgeon and served till 1922, when he quit government service to set up private practice at Kensington Nursing Home on Poonamallee High Road. The doctor often treated his patients for free. Rangachari, initially, used a cycle and then, a motorbike to visit his patients. In the late 1920s, Rangachari purchased a Rolls-Royce Phantom I for Rs. 52,000. Later, he bought a Puss Moth aeroplane for Rs. 60,000 to travel quickly and easily around the Presidency. This got him the appellation “Flying Doctor”. Unfortunately, Rangachari succumbed to a typhoid epidemic on 24 April 1934. He was 52 at the time of his death. The public of Madras subscribed to a statue in honor of this surgeon, which was unveiled by Lord Erskine, Governor of Madras, in 1939. That statue still stands near the exit gate of the Government General Hospital, Chennai.

Diwan Bahadur Sir Arcot Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar (A.L Mudaliar), FRCOG, FACS (1887-1974) was an Indian educationist and physician. He was the identical younger twin brother of Sir Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar. Initial education was in Kurnool and they moved to Chennai in 1903. He pursued his education from the prestigious Madras Christian College. He later went on to become the longest serving Vice-Chancellor of Madras University - for 27 years - and principal of Madras Medical College. He was also the Deputy Leader of the Indian delegation to the First World Health Assembly in Geneva in 1948. He was elected as the chairman of the World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board in 1949 and 1950, was Vice-President of the Eighth World Health Assembly in 1955 and President of the Fourteenth World Health Assembly. He was the General president of 46th Indian Science Congress held in 1959. Awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1954 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1963.

Sudarshan (Sudi) Devanesen, CM (born 1943), son of Chandran Devanesan is an Indo-Canadian family physician and educator, public health activist, and member of the Order of Canada. Devanesen studied at Bishop Cotton Boys' School in Bangalore, Madras Christian College and the Christian Medical College in Vellore. Trained as a surgeon, began his medical practice in remote villages in Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan. In 1972, he immigrated to Canada. After briefly practicing there he would eventually became chief of family and community medicine at St. Michael's, and is today an associate professor at the University of Toronto. He was medical director of the Broadview Community Health Clinic from 1980 to 1989. He also served as physician for the Fred Victor Centre, a downtown Toronto mission serving the homeless, and on the board of directors of Casey House, a hospice serving HIV/AIDS patients. He earned his Master of Clinical Science degree from the University of Western Ontario in 1990, and is a Fellow of The College of Family Physicians Canada. He was appointed Member of the Order of Canada on May 30, 2001 and invested with the honour on December 4, 2001. His citation into the Order called him “a positive role model and mentor to hundreds of medical residents, family physicians and nurse practitioners.” His brother, Dayalan Devanesen, is a primary care physician who has been awarded the Order of Australia for work among the Aborigines.

Prathap Chandra Reddy is an Indian entrepreneur and cardiologist who founded the first corporate chain of hospitals in India, the Apollo Hospitals. He is widely acknowledged as the architect of modern Indian healthcare. India Today ranked him 48th in its 2017 list of India's 50 most powerful people. Reddy has four daughters: Preetha Reddy, Suneeta Reddy, Sangita Reddy and Shobana Kamineni; all are serving as directors in the Apollo Hospitals. Dr. Reddy has been the Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry’s National Health Council and advisor to its committees on Healthcare, Health Insurance, Public Health and Pharma. He was pivotal in the genesis of NATHEALTH - the Healthcare Federation of India, which today is one of the nation's most powerful and influential forums in facilitating the shift in mind-set, delivery and policy making to nurture the gift of good health for all in India. He had his education in MCC and Government Stanley Medical College. Awards: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan.

Dr. M.K. Mani, MBBS, MD, FRCS, FAMS, a transplant surgeon is one of the pioneers in nephrology, the study of diseases of the kidney. Dr. Mani became well-known after he gave a fresh lease of life to Jayaprakash Narayan, who was suffering from a kidney ailment and had a cardiac arrest at the Jaslok Hospital. Dr. Mani comes from a well- known family of Mylapore lawyers, judges and civil servants. His father T.M.S. Mani, IAS, was Health Secretary in the Tamil Nadu Government and is also credited with founding Neyveli Lignite Corporation. After completing intermediate studies in MCC, M.K. Mani entered Madras Medical College in 1953, where he completed both his MBBS & MD. He then migrated to Australia and was a Senior Registrar in the Department of Nephrology in Sydney Hospital, in 1968. He was also a consultant, renal unit, Sydney hospital 1969-70. He then returned to India to work in Mumbai and then back again to Chennai as the Chief Nephrologist at Apollo Hospitals. He has a passion for teaching, and is much in demand as a speaker at Medical Colleges, Universities and Medical Associations in India and overseas.

His endeavours have been recognised by the award of the Padma Bhushan, the John H. Dirks award of the International Society of Nephrology, the Rabindranath Tagore oration award of the Indian College of Physicians, the Lifetime Achievement award from the Indian Society of Nephrology, the Dhanvantari award, the Fellowships of the National Academy of Medical Sciences, the Indian College of Physicians, the Indian Society of Nephrology, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, the Tamil Nadu Academy of Medical Sciences and the Madras Medical College. He has also been awarded the honorary Doctorate of Science by several universities. The prestigious award, which recognises contribution in medical science, is awarded annually since 1972. The recipients include Denton A Cooley of Houston and pioneer heart transplant surgeon Christiaan Neethling Barnard of South Africa. Interestingly, he was for some years cricket commentator for All India Radio.

Historians:

Dr. Sarvepalli Gopal (1923-2002) was a well-known Indian historian. He is the author of Radhakrishnan: A Biography and Jawaharlal Nehru: A Biography. It is a three volume biography set. He was the only son of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan. He graduated from MCC. Gopal started his career by teaching history at the Andhra University, Waltair. In the 1960s, he was a Reader in Indian History at St Antony's College, Oxford. When he was appointed as a Director in the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, in the 1950s, he worked closely with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. When the new Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was founded by the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, he was appointed as a Professor of History at the Centre for Historical Studies, which he helped in setting up. In the 1970s, he was a Chairman of the National Book Trust, New Delhi. Gopal received Padma Vibhushan, the nation's second highest civilian award, in 1999.

President K R Narayanan in his condolence message on his death said “In the passing away of Gopal, son of former President S Radhakrishnan, the country had lost a renowned and admirable historian whose path-breaking research on modern Indian history would be long remembered. At a time when correct interpretation of history is being subjected to controversy, the traditions set by the historians of the stature of Prof Gopal need to be evoked for scientific understanding of our history so that future generations remain free from prejudice and passion...".

Rai Bahadur Valaiyattur Venkayya (1864-1912) was an Indian epigraphist and historian. His father Appa Sitarama Ayyar, a Tamil scholar, was a direct descendant of Advaita savant Appayya Dikshitar. Venkayya's mastery of South Indian languages and scripts was recognised by E. Hultzsch (a German Indologist and epigraphist who is known for his work in deciphering the inscriptions of Ashoka) who inducted him to the epigraphical department of the Madras government. Venkayya served as Chief Epigraphist to the Government of Madras from 1908 to 1912, and then succeeded Hultzsch on his retirement, as the Chief Epigraphist to the Government of India. Venkayya made a pioneering effort in studying inscriptions in Brihadeeswarar Temple in Tanjore and temples in the Pallava and Pandya countries. He also made significant contributions to Epigraphia Indica – an official publication of Archaeological Survey of India. Venkayya was also one of the champions of the Parthian-origin theory of the Pallavas. He also tried to decipher the inscriptions on Mankulam Hill. Venkayya graduated in Physics from Madras Christian College.

K.A. Nilakanta Sastri (1892-1975), an Indian historian and Dravidologist is generally regarded as the greatest and most prolific among professional historians of South India. Tamil historian A R Venkatachalapathy regards him as “arguably the most distinguished historian of twentieth-century Tamil Nadu.” Ganapathy Subbiah (2007) of the Indian History Congress describes Sastri as “the greatest” of all South Indian historians. Many of his books form the standard reference works on the subject. In all, Nilakanta Sastri authored 25 historical works mostly on the history of South India. Sastri's “A History of South India” is a recommended textbook for university students of Indian history. In a preface to the 2013 reprint, historian Sanjay Subrahmanyam describes the book thus: “... a classic work, which retains its importance and has never quite been replaced. It shows the author's mastery over a huge set of sources, which placed him head and shoulders above other South Indian historians of his time.” Nilakanta Sastri had his college education in Madras Christian College, where he obtained his MA by coming first in the Madras Presidency. He served as Professor of History, Banaras Hindu University from 1918 to 1920. In 1929, he was employed as Professor of History at National College, Trichy. The same year, he succeeded Sakkottai Krishnaswamy Aiyangar as the Professor of History and Archaeology at the Madras University, a post he held till 1946. He was the Professor of Indology (Currently renamed as Department of History and Archaeology) at the University of Mysore from 1952 to 1955. He was appointed as the ex-officio Director of Archaeology for the Mysore State in 1954. From 1957 to 1972, he served with the UNESCO's Institute of Traditional Cultures of South East Asia, as the Director of the institute. In 1957, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour. In the summer of 1959, he was a visiting professor at the University of Chicago where he delivered a series of lectures on South Indian History.

Cadambi Minakshi (1905-1940) was an Indian historian and expert on Pallava history. On completion of her schooling Minakshi joined the Women's Christian College in Madras, graduating in 1929. She wanted to do her master's degree at Madras Christian College but her candidature was initially rejected on grounds of being a woman. However, Minakshi persisted and the authorities relented when her eldest C. Lakshminarayanan, who was working as a Professor in the College gave a written undertaking to take care of her. Minakshi eventually completed her master's degree and went on to pursue her doctorate obtaining it in 1936. Interestingly, she was the first woman to get a doctorate from the University of Madras. Her doctoral thesis on “"Administration and Social life under the Pallavas” was published in 1938 by the University of Madras as a part of a history series by eminent historian K. A. Nilakanta Sastri. The Madras daily The Hindu describes the book as “the eminently successful piece of research and is one of the best of a valuable series”. But what followed in her career is unfortunate: Soon after obtaining her doctorate in 1936, Minakshi started looking for a job. She was, initially turned down by the All India Radio and other organizations she applied for. Finally, in 1939, Sir Mirza Ismail, the Diwan of the Mysore kingdom offered her a job as Assistant Professor at the Maharani College in Bangalore. Minakshi fell ill a few months after moving to Bangalore and died on 3 March 1940 at the age of 34. Condoling her death, the historian K. A. Nilakanta Sastri wrote to her mother in July 1941: “It is cruel she died young. Whenever I think about it, pain engulfs me.”

Sardar K.M.Panikkar - Kavalam Madhava Panikkar (1895-1963) was an Indian statesman and diplomat. He was also a professor, newspaper editor, historian and novelist. After schooling, he joined Madras Christian College for intermediate classes. At MCC, he was a contemporary of Puthezhath Raman Menon, Nandyelath Padmanabha Menon and Sadasiva Reddy among others. He left for England in April 1914 to study history at Christ Church, University of Oxford. After leaving Oxford, Panikkar read for the bar at the Middle Temple, London.

After a stint as professor at Aligarh Muslim University and later at University of Calcutta, he became editor of Hindustan Times in 1925. Later, he was appointed Secretary to the Chamber of Princes, whence he moved to Patiala State and then to Bikaner State as Foreign Minister and later became the latter's Prime Minister. When India achieved political independence, Sardar Madhava Panikkar represented the country at the 1947 session of the UN General Assembly. In 1950, he was appointed Ambassador of India (the first non-Socialist country to recognise People's Republic of China) to China. After a successful tenure there, he went as Ambassador to Egypt in 1952. He was appointed a member of the States Reorganisation Commission set up in 1953. He was also India's Ambassador to France and a member of Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament. He also served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kashmir and the University of Mysore.

During his political career, Panikkar continued to publish articles and poems, and also translated several Greek plays into Malayalam verse. Early on Madhava Panikkar had cultivated an interest in Malayalam literature, and was a lifelong friend of the poet Vallathol Narayana Menon. He published scholarly works extensively and worked on ancient Indian history and more recent historical developments. Cambridge historian Arthur Hassall wrote that in his “long career as tutor of history at Christ Church” he had “never had a more brilliant student.” Madhava Panikkar's interests stretched into diverse fields such as, art, notably novels, poetry and Kathakali and he wrote equally well in both Malayalam and English and published over 50 books and numerous articles. Madhava Panikkar's interest in European influence on Asia was reflected in his studies of the Portuguese and the Dutch in Malabar (in South India) and especially in his Asia and Western Dominance (1953). In Two Chinas (1955) revealed his sympathy with Communist China.

Artists/Painters:

K. C. S. Paniker (1911–1977) was a metaphysical and abstract painter from India. He interpreted the country's age-old metaphysical and spiritual knowledge in the 1960s, when Indian art was under the influence of the Western painters. At the age of 25 he joined the Government School of Arts and Crafts, Madras (1936–40). Some years back, he had given up college education (MCC) to take up a job at the Indian Telegraph Department to support his family after the death of his father. Since 1941, Paniker was holding one man shows in Madras, Bombay and Delhi. He founded the Progressive Painters’ Association (P.P.A), in Madras in 1944. In 1954 he got his first international exposure when he held exhibitions at London and Paris. He became the principal of the Government College of Fine Arts, Madras, in 1957. As the Administrative Head of the Madras School of Arts and Crafts, KCS Paniker gave an impetus to art as a movement. He rejected the patronage of Ford Foundation while at the helm of his institution. In later life, he rejected the 'Padma Shri', a coveted honour from the Indian government. Truly, he was an artist who stood for freedom, practicing art for art's sake. In 1976, he was awarded the highest award of the Lalit Kala Akademi, India's National Academy of Art, the Fellow of the Lalit Kala Akademi for lifetime contribution. K. C. S Paniker, no doubt, stands tall in the world of South Indian art and painting after Ravi Varma. Both of them hailed from Kerala, went out to create an art world with a pan-Indian stamp, made history, and left a legacy.

Others who have brought laurels to the college:

Justice Basheer Ahmed Sayeed (1900-1984) was an Indian judge, politician and educationist who served as a member of the Madras Legislative Council and served as a founder-member of the South Indian Education Trust (SIET). The trust established the SIET Women's College, Teynampet, Madras in 1955. Earlier in 1951, it was Basheer Ahmed Sayeed who was instrumental in establishing the Boy’s College, now known as ‘The New College’. Sayeed graduated from the Madras Christian College and studied law at the Madras Law College, and after completing his course he enrolled as an advocate in 1925. In July 1949, Sayeed was appointed acting judge of the Madras High Court and as one of the puisne judges in January 1950. He served as a judge of the High Court till retirement in 1960. He was also vice chancellor of the University of Kashmir for some time. Sayeed was also the Vice President of the Madras Library Association and the Madras Music Academy. As Vice President of the Music Academy, he was instrumental in obtaining for the academy its own building. The SIET Women's College was later renamed Justice Basheer Ahmed College for Women (JBAS College for Women) in his honour.

John Matthai CIE (1886-1959) was an economist who served as India's first Railway Minister and subsequently as India's Finance Minister. Matthai graduated in economics from Madras Christian College. He served as a Professor and Head in University of Madras from 1922 to 1925. He was the first Chairman of the State Bank of India when it was set up in 1955. He was the founding President of the Governing Body of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) in New Delhi, India's first independent economic policy institute established in 1956. He served as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Mumbai from 1955 till 1957 and then as the first Vice Chancellor of the University of Kerala (previously University of Travancore) from 1957 to 1959, soon after the tenure of Dr. Sir Arcot Ramaswamy Mudaliar, who himself was an alumnus of MCC, Tambaram.

Dewan Bahadur Sir Raghupathi Venkataratnam Naidu (1862-1939) was an Indian social reformer who hailed from Andhra Pradesh. He graduated from Madras Christian College and later continued his education to complete M.A. and L.T. from University of Madras. Joining the teaching line, he worked as the Principal of the Mehboob College, Secunderabad between 1889 and 1904, and then of the Pitapuram Raja College, Kakinada between 1905 and 1919. His social reforms have led to him being described as the second great social reformer of Andhra, the first being Veeresalingam, his mentor - the most powerful orator of his day. He was an ardent follower of Brahmo  Samaj. He founded the Social Purity Association in 1891 to train people as honest citizens. He worked for the eradication of untouchability and upliftment of Harijans, and founded an orphanage and a hostel for Harijan boys and girls in Kakinada. He promoted widow remarriages and encouraged women's education. He strived for the abolition of the “Devadasi system” (the system, in which women were devoted to the temples and who in the course of time were treated like prostitutes) in Andhra, and succeeded to a considerable extent. He was conferred a knighthood by the British government in 1924. In 1925 he became the first elected vice chancellor of Madras University, holding that position until 1928. Established in 1857, Madras University is one of the oldest universities in India.

Khan Bahadur Sir Mohammad Usman KCSI KCIE (1884-1960) graduated from Madras Christian College and joined the Justice Party. Usman was elected to the Madras Legislative Council as a Justice Party candidate in 1920 and served as a legislator from 1920 to 1923. He then served as the President of the Corporation of Madras in 1924–25. He also served as the Minister of Home for the Madras Presidency in the Justice Party government of the Raja of Bobbili and as the first Indian acting Governor of Madras from 16 May 1934 to 16 August 1934. He also served as a member of the Indian Defence Council in 1941–42 and as the Vice-Chancellor of Madras University from 1940 to 1942. Usman served as the member of posts and air in the Viceroy's Executive Council between 1942 and 1947.

Arcot Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar B.A., M.D., D.Sc., F.R.C.O.G., F.A.C.S and Diwan Bahadur Sir Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar, KCSI were twin brothers. The Mudaliar twins (Ramaswami and Lakshmanaswami) have many achievements in common. They obtained B.A. degree with Telugu as second language, at the Madras Christian College before going on to professional studies. They both became known for their oratorical skills in English. They both were elected as members of the Madras Legislative Council. They were both awarded knighthood by the British government. They both were awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Laws by the Oxford University. They both represented India very well in the international counsels such as the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the other at the World Health Organisation and UNESCO. They were both recognised by Independent India with the Padma Vibhushan. Both were vice-chancellors of universities, A.L Mudaliar of Madras University for 27 years, the other, A.R Mudaliar of Travancore University for eight years.

Note:

Dr. A.L. Venugopal, the illustrious doctor son of an illustrious doctor father, Dr. A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar, (who passed away recently) was a pioneer in Urology in India and is best known for having established in 1967 the country's first dedicated Urology Department in Madras Medical College. Significant in many ways though this be, perhaps even more important was his mentoring of an institution his father had dreamed of establishing at the University of Madras. Dr. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar had dreamed of a Postgraduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences during his tenure as Vice-Chancellor (1942-1969). But it was not to be, not even for several years after he left the University. But no sooner Dr. Malcolm Adiseshaiah became Vice-Chancellor, he revived the idea and appointed Dr. A. Venugopal as Honorary Director to see the project through. The Institute was inaugurated on April 1, 1976 and has not looked back since, expanding over the years on its Taramani campus. Today it bears the name of the visionary who had wanted it established.It was under Dr. Venugopal's leadership that department after department was established in a couple of years, starting with the Department of Medical Biochemistry and followed by Departments of Endocrinology, Genetics, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Physiology, Environmental Toxicology, Anatomy, and Pathology. Today, it is considered a leading research centre.

Dr. Sir Arcot Ramaswamy Mudaliar, the then Diwan of the State, was the vice chancellor of University of Travancore (now renamed University of Kerala in 1957) during 1951-1957. He was one of the illustrious sons of India. As I mentioned earlier, the Mudaliar twins (Ramaswami and Lakshmanaswami) joined the Madras Christian College in 1903 - then located in the Georgetown, near the 18th-century Armenian Church (Armenian street) - which was then one of the busiest parts of Madras. While at College the twin brothers organised student groups interested in debates. After the FA (Old First Arts) course in MCC, Ramaswami took a law degree from the Madras Law College and enrolled himself as a Lawyer in the Madras High Court in 1911.  Within a short span of five years he established himself as one of the prominent lawyers of Madras. His fluent speeches and finer skills attracted many political leaders at that time. The British authorities regarded him as an astute politician. They first appointed him as the Member of the India Council in London which he held from 1936 to 37. Later, they made him the Adviser to the Secretary of State for India, London, which position he held from 1937 to 1939. His brilliance and his good role in the Round Table Conferences impressed Lord Willington who was then the Viceroy of India. As a result, Lord Willington made him the Member of the Tariff Commission. Ramaswami Mudaliar's political ingenuity further secured for him greater positions at international levels. He was elected the first President of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations in 1946. He was the first Asian to have this rare distinction. Dr. Sir A Ramaswami Mudaliar did not labour for honours, but honours were thrust on him. In 1930, the British Government which recognised his merit and his service to the people honoured him with the title of “Diwan Bahadur”. He was made Knight Commander of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE) in 1942. The Oxford University conferred on him the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Civil .Law in 1946. The Maharaja of Mysore conferred on him the special title “Raja Manthra Chintamani” in 1947. The Durham University conferred on him the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws. The Osmania University, the Travancore and Mysore Universities also conferred on him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. Many Indian Universities invited him to deliver convocation addresses. Further, the Government of India also honoured him in 1970 with the “Padma Vibhushan” award.

Sir Cattamanchi Ramalinga Reddy (1880-1951), also popularly known as Sir C. R. Reddy, was an educationist and political thinker, essayist and economist, poet and literary critic. Reddy played a major role in shaping the educational policy in India. He was also the recipient of a British Knighthood in honour of his service to the country. He was the founder of Andhra University and also served as its Vice-Chancellor from 1926 to 1931 and in a further second term from 1936 to 1949. He was an alumnus of Madras Christian College (Philosophy and history 1897-1901). In 1901, Reddy graduated with distinction securing several University prizes. Soon thereafter, he won a Government of India scholarship to study at the University of Cambridge in England. He joined St. John's College at Cambridge in 1902. His career at St Johns College, Cambridge, was no less distinguished than it had been at Madras Christian College. Apart from being a brilliant student, he made his mark as an outstanding speaker and debater. He was elected Secretary of the Liberal Club and later Vice-President of the Union Society. He was the first Indian student to be chosen for that office in the Union Society. On his return to India in 1907, Reddy joined Baroda College at Baroda as vice-principal in the place vacated by Sri Aurobindo (an Indian philosopher, yogi, guru, poet, and nationalist). He was a brilliant teacher and some of his students have left memorable records about his wit and wisdom. Reddy's next appointment was at Maharaja's College, Mysore as professor of History in 1913. He was promoted as principal in 1916 and simultaneously appointed as Inspector General of Education in the Mysore State. It was during this period that Reddy with great foresight threw open all the schools to Panchama children, much against the local orthodox opposition. This was long before the days of Mahatma Gandhi's programme of temple entry for Harijans. Reddy is a revered name in Karnataka even today for this epoch-making step of social reform.

Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan philosopher-author graduated with a Master's degree in Philosophy from the prestigious Madras Christian College. From 1918-1921, he was professor of philosophy at Mysore University. From 1921–1931 and 1937 to 1944, he was appointed as King George V Chair of Mental and Moral Science at the University of Calcutta. In 1931, he was knighted. From 1931 to 1936, he was Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University (Andhra University was constituted in the year 1926). In 1936, he taught eastern religions and ethics at Oxford University. He was the first Indian to be appointed the Vice Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University (BHU). In 1938, he was elected as a fellow of the British academy. In 1947, he represented India at UNESCO. Radhakrishnan was elected the first Vice President of India in 1952. When he became the President of India, some of his students and friends requested him to allow them to celebrate his birthday, on 5 September. He replied, “Instead of celebrating my birthday, it would be my proud privilege if September 5th is observed as Teachers' Day.” According to Radhakrishnan himself, the criticism of Hogg and other Christian teachers of Indian culture “disturbed my faith and shook the traditional props on which I leaned.” This led him to his critical study of Indian philosophy and religion and a lifelong defender of Hinduism.

Prof. S. Govidarajulu, an alumnus of MCC was the Vice Chancellor of  Sri Venkateswara University. Sri Venkateswara University is a state university in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. It was founded in 1954 by the then Chief minister Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu. Creditably, the first vice-chancellor of the university was none other than S Govindarajulu Naidu - from 1954 to 1964. The University rapidly evolved in the field of higher education & research and established itself as one of the best Universities of the country from his times. It was recently reaccredited by NAAC with A+ grade. N. Chandrababu Naidu, Ex Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, President of Telugu Desam Party graduated from here.

D. Sadasiva Reddy or D.S. Reddy, an alumnus of MCC, had one of the longest tenures (1957 and 1969) as Vice-Chancellor of Osmania University, one of the leading institutions in the country. Established in 1918, Osmania University is the seventh oldest in the Country and third oldest in South India. The birth of Osmania University almost coincided with the birth of a new order arising from the ashes of the First World War. Its origin was basically patriotic. It was a revolt against the supremacy of the foreign language in India. On the revolutionary experiment of using a regional language as a medium of higher education the Nobel Laureate poet, Rabindranth Tagore observed: “I have long been waiting for the day when, freed from the shackles of a foreign language, our education becomes naturally accessible to all our people. It is a problem for the solution of which we look to our Native States, and it gives me great joy to know that your State proposes to found a University in which instructions are to be given through the medium of Urdu. It is needless to say that your scheme has my fullest appreciation........................”  Alumni of the University have distinguished themselves in several walks of life; they include outstanding figures in public life, like one of the former Prime Ministers, Chief Ministers, Ministers, Parliamentarians, Legislators, eminent scholars, educationists, diplomats, administrators, lawyers, doctors, engineers, scientists, writers, sportsmen and men of arts and culture.

Maddela Abel or M. Abel (1923-2012) was the Vice Chancellor of Sri Krishnadevaraya University. Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Ananthapuramu, had its beginning as a Postgraduate Centre of Sri Venkateswara University in the year 1967-68. It gained autonomy in the year 1976 and was accorded the status of a University in the year 1981. Laudably, its Vice-Chancellor for the first two terms was M.Abel (1981–87). It was in n 1987, with a capital outlay of Rs. 1.2 crores, Sri Krishnadevaraya Institute of Management was started with funding from the UGC.  M. Abel was an Indian political scientist. He was a prominent educationist, well known among University circles for his administration. He studied BA in Andhra Christian College (1945–48), and MA in Madras Christian College (1948–50). After teaching for several years at Madras Christian College (MCC), he went to University of California, Los Angeles on a Fulbright/Smith-Mundt Scholarship, earning a PhD in international relations in 1963. He then returned to MCC to continue his teaching career. Abel was Professor of Political Science in MCC from 1950, and Principal of MCC, 1978-81. He was an Executive Member of National Council of Churches in India, Executive Member of the Church of South India (CSI) Synod, and the President of the Christian Literature Society (CLS). Abel was awarded DLitt by Sri Krishnadevaraya University in 2005.

Dr. S. P. Adinarayana an eminent social psychologist and an internationally reputed scholar was the Vice Chancellor of Annamalai University. (Annamalai University was established in 1929). Interestingly, the Psychology Department of this university was established only in the year 1961 (after bifurcating from Philosophy department). In fact, Dr. S. P. Adinarayan was the founder of this Department - a Postgraduate and research center. This centre was headed by Dr. S. P. Adinarayan himself and he guided the department till he was appointed as the vice-chancellor of this great university in 1971. Dr. S. P. Adinarayan is an alumnus of MCC

Professor Dr. S. G. Manavala Ramanujam, M.A.,Ph.D.,D.I.C.,F.Z.S.,F.R.M.S, an alumnus of MCC, was Professor and H.O.D. Zoology 1927-1948 and Principal, Presidency college 1947-1948. He then became the Vice Chancellor of Annamalai University - 1948-1951. When Dr.G.S Manavala Ramanujam was the Vice-Chancellor, he brought new regulations for admissions. These regulations enabled only S.S.L.C or Matriculation passed candidates to become eligible for Bachelor degree course in Music. When the then president of India, His Excellency Dr. Rajendra Prasad came to the University, he gave his wholehearted support and approval for having brought music to the degree level. It should be noted here that Annamalai University was the first University in India to institute a degree course in Music. The Music College attracted students from abroad also. One Mr. John Marr from the London School of Oriental Studies, by utilizing the stipend given by the recommendation of the High Commissioner for India in London, came to be benefited from the training he had in the Music College. He later became an exponent of Indian Music.

Sir Ramasamy Kandasamy Shanmukham Chetty KCIE (1892-1953) was an Indian lawyer, economist and politician. Due to his expertise in economics, Shanmukham Chetty was chosen by the Father of the Nation, Mahathma Gandhi, against the wishes of Jawaharlal Nehru, to be the Finance Minister in independent India's first cabinet (1947-‘49). He studied economics at Madras Christian College and graduated in law from Madras Law College. On completion of his graduation, Shanmukham Chetty did not join the bar. Instead, he took care of the family business and after some time, entered politics. He served as President of India's Central Legislative Assembly from 1933 to 1935 and then served as Diwan of Cochin from 1935 to 1941. During his tenure, new reforms were brought in the administration of the princely state. Chetty introduced schemes for the improvement of Cochin port. He also tried to do away with Hindu religious superstitions and introduce Periyar's schemes. Chetty returned to Madras in 1941. In 1938, Chetty visited Geneva as the Indian delegate to the League of Nations. He was also India's delegate to the World Monetary Conference at Bretton Woods in 1944. He was appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of Annamalai University and served from 1951-52. He was conferred with the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by the Annamalai University. To his credit, Chetty founded Perur Tamil College, London Tamil Sangam and Tamil Isai Sangam.

Dr. Chandran Devanesen took over as the first Indian Principal of Madras Christian College in 1962 (125th Year of MCC), who further enriched the academic stature of the College and broadened the scope of educational process by taking it to the neighbourhood. Dr. Chandran Devanesan was also the first vice chancellor of the North East Hill University, Shillong - then a fledgling university. North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), is a Central University established on 19 July 1973 by an Act of the Indian Parliament. The university is in the suburb of Shillong, the state capital of Meghalaya, India. The university has two campuses: Shillong and Tura in Meghalaya. Shillong provided the best educational and job opportunities in the entire Northeast with some of the best schools and colleges with an excellent medium of instruction in English. This central university had been set up to make higher education in a variety of subjects available to students from the region and recruitment to the faculty was on an all India basis. In 1975-’76, the Government of Meghalaya appointed a Commission to inquire into all aspects - Academic, Administrative and Financial - of the prevailing system of school education in Meghalaya with special reference to general education from pre-Primary to Higher Secondary level, to make recommendations on the implementation of 10+2 schooling system in Meghalaya in all its aspects together with a suitable system for a Two-Year post High School Education, to make a special study of technical education in the State, the need for introducing vocational education at various levels of school and to recommend the manner in which vocational education can best be introduced in Meghalaya.  The Commission was headed by none other than Dr. Chandran D.S. Devanesen, Vice-Chancellor, North Eastern Hill University and Member, University Grants Commission.

Dr. G.B. Mohan Thampi, an alumnus of Madras Christian Colege received his PhD from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and D.Sc degree (on Marxian Literature) from Humboldt University, Berlin. He taught English at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) for over three decades. During 1987-1991, he served as Vice Chancellor of the University of Kerala (formerly the University of Travancore), Thiruvananthapuram. He retired in 1992 and was granted an Emeritus Fellowship by the U.G.C. He has served as Convener of the U.G.C Panel of English and European Languages. He was appointed Director, Institute of Management in Government, Thiruvananthapuram, and was President of the Kerala State Library Council. He was the director of Institute of Management in Government (IMG) from 1997-2001. The Institute of Management in Government, Thiruvananthapuram was established as an autonomous body under the auspices of the Government of Kerala in 1981 with the objective of developing managerial skills, organisational abilities, leadership qualities and decision making skills among different categories of employees of Government, Private and Public sector.

Dr. Sonajaria Minz, vice-chancellor of Sido Kanho Mumru University (formerly Siddhu Kanhu University), Jharkhand (appointed on May 28, 2020) is the India’s first Woman tribal vice-chancellor. She did her MSc (Maths) in Madras Christian College, then M.Phil & Ph.D (Computer Science) in JNU, where she also worked as professor for 28 years. Several activists and students have hailed the appointment of a former JNU Teachers Association (JNUTA) president, a tribal woman, as the vice chancellor of a university in Jharkhand. Her areas of interest and specialization have been geo-spatial informatics, spatio-temporal data analysis, data mining, machine learning, and rough sets. Before joining JNU in 1992, Minj taught as assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, Barkatullah University, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh (1990-1991) and then in the Department of Computer Science, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, Tamil Nadu (1991-1992). She has also published several research papers in peer-reviewed national and international journals. Interestingly, Sido Kanho Mumru University is a tribute to the two legendary Santhal freedom fighters, Sido Murmu and Kanhu Murmu, who led the Santhal rebellion popularly known as Santhal Hul against the exploitation of the British colonial rule in 1855, two years before the First War of Independence in India.

Christian Leaders / Theologians:

Aboon Geevarghese Ivanios was the first Metropolitan Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church and Major Archdiocese of Trivandrum. He secured his BA and MA Degrees in History and Economics respectively from Madras Christian College. Earlier, Fr. P.T. Geevarghese served as professor of History, Politics and Economics from 1913 to 1919 in the University of Serampore, Bengal.

 Bishop Vedanayagam Samuel Azariah was an Indian evangelist and the first Indian bishop in the churches of the Anglican Communion, serving as the first bishop of the diocese of Dornakal. He was educated at Madras Christian College. As a YMCA secretary from 1885-1909, he became a leader of the emerging pan-Asian student missionary movement by establishing the Indian Missionary Society (IMS) in 1903 and the National Missionary Society in 1905.

Chenchiah got his education from Madras Christian College under William Miller - Scottish missionary, principal. He received a degree in philosophy in 1906, where he received a Gold medal for “proficiency in Philosophy.” He then did his Bachelor of Laws degree – BL and ML- from Madras Law College. He started his practice as an advocate of High Court of Madras, and then became the Judge of the district of Pudukottah, in the Madras Presidency in 1928. He was a South Indian Christian theologian and radical thinker of Rethinking Christianity in India group for Indianisation of Christianity. He is one of the Christian theologians featured in Robin Boyd's Introduction to Indian Christian Theology. He was involved in several formal and informal inter-faith discussions. He was on the editorial committee of the Christian Patriot, an Indian Christian nationalistic organ, between 1916 and 1924. He also served as a member of Executive committee of the National Missionary Society. Chenchiah represented the South Indian Union Church at the International Missionary Conference at Jerusalem (1928) and was listed as a “Judge” at the International Missionary Conference at Tambaram (1938) – in MCC campus. He along with his brother-in-law Vengal Chakkarai were the founders of Madras Christo Samaj, influenced by Calcutta Christo Samaj founded by K.C. Banerjee

Vengal Chakkarai Chettiar (1880 - 1958) - brother-in-law of Chenchiah - was an Indian Christian theologian, missionary, independence activist, politician and trade unionist. He too was from Madras Christian College, graduating in 1901 after majoring in philosophy and then studied at Madras Law College, and practiced for some time as a lawyer. In 1913, Chakkarai joined the Danish Mission Room as a Christian preacher and worked as a missionary for twenty years. During these years, he also became a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi and participated in the Indian independence movement. He served as mayor of Madras from 1941 to 1942.

K.T Paul or Kanakarayan Tiruselvam Paul (1876-1931) was an Indian leader who served as the president of the All India Conference of Indian Christians, representing the Christian community of colonial India in the First Round Table Conference in London. Paul was the first Indian-born National General Secretary of the National Council of YMCAs of India. Paul's contributions to the church in India may be seen from his work at the National Missionary Society (NMS). In 1905 he helped Vedanayakam Samuel Azariah to establish the National Missionary Society at Serampore and became its Honorary Treasurer; the following year he became its Organising Secretary; and from 1909 to 1914 its general secretary. A devout Christian himself, he explored the relationship between Christianity and national identity. He held positions such as President of the Governing Council of the United Theological College, Bangalore, General Secretary of the National Missionary Society (India), and Chairman of the National Christian Council of India. Paul's lasting legacy was rural reconstruction, which he initiated through the YMCA in India. He was an ardent follower of Mahatma Gandhi, who praised K.T. Paul for his nationalism.  Paul earned his bachelor's degree from MCC in 1892.

Bishop Aiyadurai Jesudasen Appasamy (1891-1980) was an Indian Christian theologian, and bishop of the Church of South India in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. After graduating from MCC, in 1915 A. J. Appasamy went to study philosophy and religion in the U.S.A. at Harvard University, and later in Britain at Oxford University, where he received a doctorate of Philosophy. The influence of ‘many great scholars and inspiring teachers’, such as J. N. Farquhar, B. H. Streeter, Friedrich von Hügel, William Temple, Friedrich Heiler and Rudolf Otto, led him to the conclusion ‘that we had a good deal to learn from the life and experience of the bhakti writers of India.’ Another influence which began at this time was that of the sadhu Sundar Singh, who visited Oxford in 1920. Appasamy came to know Sundar Singh well, and collaborated with B.H. Streeter in writing a book on him, The Sadhu (1921). After returning to India in 1922 Appasamy became an editor (research and writing) of the Christian Literature Society. There he produced his most influential works, Christianity in Bhakti Marga (1927) and What is Moksha? (1931). His time in CLS enabled him to continue his studies, turning to Sanskrit texts as well as Tamil; for which he turned to Sanskrit pundits. He was particularly interested in ‘how Ramanuja had constructed into a theological system his deep personal experience of God.’ He was also part of the IMC (International Missionary Conference) in Tambaram in 1938. He associated himself with the ‘Rethinking Christianity Group’, of which Pandippedi Chenchiah and V. Chakkarai were leaders and sought to reconcile Christian with Hindu philosophies. He interpreted Christianity as 'bhaktimarga'. He has written many books, which have found a place in many research libraries. He was a native of Palayamkottai and  his father had been a Shaivite before coming to the Christian faith at the age of 24.

Dr. Samuel Amirtham (1932-2017) was an Old Testament Scholar. He was the principal of TTS, Arasaradi for some time.  In the 1980s, Amirtham was Director on the Programme for Theological Education of the World Council of Churches, Geneva where he substantially contributed to Ecumenism and returned to India in the 1990s when he became Bishop in South Kerala until he stepped down from the bishopric in 1997 on attaining superannuation. He did B. Sc. in Physics from the Madras Christian College,

Seevaratham Wesley Ariarajah is a theologian, professor, and former director of inter-religions relations at the World Council of Churches (WCC). After graduating (BSc) from MCC, he secured the Bachelor of Divinity (B.D) degree from Serampore University, India. His postgraduate work were done in Princeton (Th.M), and the University of London (M.Phil. and Ph.D.). – i.e. at King's College London. A Methodist minister from Sri Lanka, he served both in the pastoral ministry of the church and as lecturer in the history of religions and New Testament in Sri Lanka. In 1981 he was invited to join the staff of the World Council of Churches, where he led the Councils Interfaith Dialogue for over ten years. From 1992 he served as the Deputy General Secretary of the WCC. He has given lectures, conducted seminars, led conferences in many parts of the world and today is Professor at Drew University, Madison, USA. He has written several books.

V.C. Samuel (1912–1998), called Samuel Achen was an Indian Christian philosopher, scholar, university professor, theologian, historian, polyglot and ecumenical leader. He was a priest of the Indian Orthodox Church. His education: B.A. Degree in Philosophy, first rank with Gold Medal, University of Travancore. 1948–1950 Madras Christian College: M.A., Philosophy, First Class, Madras University. 1950–1953 United Theological College, Bangalore: B.D., Theology, Distinction, with Special awards Serampore College / University. 1953–1954 Union Seminary, New York: S.T.M, Post Graduate Degree in Theology. 1954–1957 Yale Divinity School, New Haven, USA: PhD. On completing his doctorate at Yale, an opportunity developed. Dr. P.D. Devanandan was establishing the Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society (CISRS) in Bangalore (now next to UTC in Miller’s Road). He joined in 1957 for Post-doctoral research. Samuel was familiar with fifteen languages including mother tongue Malayalam and Indian, European and African and a scholar in Sanskrit, Syriac, Hebrew, Greek, Ge'ez and Arabic which he could teach in seminaries and universities. Samuel's presence and contribution in the ecumenical movement in the international arena for three decades is the most important aspect in his career. The New Delhi World Assembly of World Council of Churches in 1961 voted Samuel as a member of the Council's Faith and Order Commission. He held that position until 1984.

Dr. Theodore P.C. Gabriel is emeritus lecturer and Honorary Research Fellow in theology and religious studies at the University of Gloucestershire, England. He did his BA in MCC, M.A in Shivaji University, Kolhapur and M.Litt., Ph.D. in Social Anthropology and Religious Studies in University of Aberdeen, Scotland. He has written several books on the rise of Islamic militancy, and Christian-Muslim relations in Pakistan, Malaya; Hindu-Muslim relations in Malabar (1498 to 1947), Malaysia etc. His most popular book is titled “...isms: Understanding Religions”; Then there is “Playing God: Belief and Ritual in the Muttappan Cult of North Malabar”.

D. G. Moses (David Gnanaprakasam Moses), an alumnus of MCC, is a distinguished Indian theologian, who is popular among ecumenical circles. He took part in the IMC Tambaram Conference (1938). He was principal of Hislop College, Nagpur. DG Moses’s book, Religious Truth and the Relation between Religions and his article “The Problem of Truth in Religion” are still quoted today.  His book Religious Truth and the Relation between Religions was written for his doctorate of philosophy at Columbia University.

D. T. Niles - Daniel Thambyrajah Niles, (1908-1970) was a Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) evangelist, ecumenical leader and hymn writer. He was the grandson of a pastor and poet. Educated in Jaffna, Madras (intermediate studies, MCC), Bangalore (1929-1933 - theology) became SCM national secretary, was ordained to the Methodist ministry (1936), served as a district evangelist and took part in the IMC Tambaram Conference (1938). After being YMCA evangelism secretary in Geneva (1939-1940), he was in pastoral ministry and general secretary of the National Christian Council of Ceylon (1941-1945). He spoke at the WCC inaugural meeting (1948), was chair of the youth department (1948-1952), and evangelism secretary (1953-1959). He addressed the Second Assembly at Evanston in 1954 and was chosen to replace the assassinated Martin Luther King, Jr., to address the Uppsala Assembly in 1968. He compiled the EACC Hymnal and his hymns are found in other collections. He earned his doctorate from the University of London. He was also the principal of Jaffna Central University. At the time of his death in 1970, D. T. Niles was executive secretary (and chief founder) of the East Asia Christian Conference (EACC), president of the Methodist Church of Ceylon, and one of six presidents of the World Council of Churches. In India Niles deeply appreciated C. F. Andrews, E. C. Dewick, and E. Stanley Jones, who tended to stress the immanence of God, and Paul David Devanandan and M. M. Thomas, committed to the social application of the gospel.

Canon Ivor Smith Cameron, was the first Asian Chaplain to her Majesty, the Queen of England 1995–99. He is an alumnus of Madras Christian College (MA Eng. Lang. and Lit.). The Chaplaincy Multi-Faith Centre works with students and staff from different faiths and philosophical backgrounds, providing a confidential space where individuals can meditate, pray, study and explore their faith. The Chaplaincy was founded by Father Ivor Smith-Cameron in September 1958, who came to London from Madras (now Chennai) in India in 1950. Initially, it was called the West London Chaplaincy and was a chaplaincy to a group of colleges, including Imperial’s neighbour the Royal College of Music. Ivor Smith-Cameron’s book “The churches of many colours” was published in 1 Jan. 1998. Here is something interesting: When Savithri Devanesen (wife of Dr Chandran Devanesen) passed away in Chennai in May, 2015, Canon Ivor Smith-Cameron, officiated and led the congregation through the memorial service. This memorial service held in the UK was organised by the UK chapter of the alumni of Madras Christian College – predominantly a London membership, which is an active one. A tribute received from abroad was from Rev. Dr. Donald E. Messer who studied at MCC in the academic year 1961-1962. He hailed from rural South Dakota in the USA and came to study for a year in India. Today he is the Executive Director of the Center for the Church and Global AIDS, based in Centenn­ial, Colorado.

Note: Donald E. Messer (born 1941) is an American United Methodist theologian and author, and former college and seminary president. He is known for his work to combat world hunger and HIV/AIDS. Messer earned a Ph.D. from Boston University in social ethics. He was president of Dakota Wesleyan University from 1971 to 1981, and president of Iliff School of Theology from 1981 to 2000. He was named both President Emeritus and the Henry White Warren Professor Emeritus of Practical Theology at The Iliff School of Theology. As of 2013, Messer is the Executive Director of the Center for the Church and Global AIDS. At the 5th International Conference on AIDS India in Chennai in 2005, he was honored by The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University with a “Lifetime Achievement Award” for his humanitarian work.

Dr. K. Rajaratnam, an alumnus of MCC, is economics teacher. He is the author of “Living the Faith: Memorabilia of an Ecumenist”. Dr Rajaratnam was the former Director of Gurukul (an ecumenical seminary), Chennai. A Bold Theological Vision, as envisioned by Dr. K. Rajaratnam, became the cornerstone of academic activities of the Gurukal College. He served as the Executive Secretary of United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India (UELCI), President of National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in various capacities. The National Council of Churches in India is an ecumenical forum for Protestant and Orthodox churches in India. As an Economist, he was the founder director of CReNIEO and also founder of many NGOs. He has been also Chairman of the Orissa Development Action Forum, a conglomeration of 12 NGOs in Orissa. Through the NCCI, he initiated a new national programme for the Dalit Liberation. His association with Madras University is unique. He was member of the University Syndicate, nominated to the membership by the Governor of Tamil Nadu late Dr. M Channa Reddy. In the absence of the Vice-Chancellor for some time, he was appointed convener of the Syndicate Committee, in charge of the University administration.

Rev. Dr. Theodore Williams: Few people have impacted the history of Indian Missions and beyond as Rev. Dr. Theodore Williams – a great theologian, preacher, author.  He was a leading mission statesman during the period of the emergence of many new mission movements within India. He had a Master’s degree in Statistics from MCC. At the age of 30, Theodore’s commitment to seeing Indians mobilized for cross-cultural mission led him to found the Indian Evangelical Mission (IEM). Beginning with just one mission worker in 1965 the mission grew rapidly under his capable and dedicated leadership. As the first General Secretary and then later as a senior adviser Dr. Williams saw the IEM grow into a major mission force within, and beyond India, by 2010 employing over 900 mission workers. Alongside his work with IEM, Dr. Williams also played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Friends Missionary Prayer Band (FMPB), the India Missions Association (IMA) and Vacation Bible School (VBS). On a wider canvas Dr. Williams also served as the President of World Evangelical Fellowship (WEF) for a number of years and through that body ensured that new missionary enterprises were established in a number of countries in all continents. In semi-retirement Theodore Williams served as a pastor at Richmond Town Methodist Church, Bangalore continuing to preach and to mentor mission leaders.

Background Notes:

M.R, Venkatesh, in his article “I–Day retrospective: Gandhi and Madras Christian College”, Deccan Chronicle, August 7, 2017 writes:

On February 16 and 17, 1916, when Gandhi (not yet Mahatma as the authors put it) first visited MCC at its Armenian street premises (it moved to its Tambaram campus only in 1937). KPS Menon, later India’s distinguished Foreign Secretary, succinctly recalled that occasion years later in a message to MCC magazine’s centenary number thus:

“The war was raging; loyalty meetings were held galore; Mrs. Annie Besant, then in the heyday of her glory, was fanning the flame of nationalism, especially in student minds; Dr. ( TM) Nair, with his mordant tongue and pen was challenging her influence and forming the Justice Party; and I remember one memorable occasion when we thronged the great Christian College courtyard to listen to Mahatma Gandhi, a comparative stranger in internal Indian politics, though none of us then realised what a portent his appearance was.”…

There were key differences though when Gandhi disagreed with learned theologians like V S Azariah on the issue of religious conversion… And yet Gandhi left behind a cherished legacy of many Christians who were proud to be Gandhians, a testament to how cultures share reciprocal feelings… A ‘major crisis’ MCC went through was during the ‘Quit India’ movement in 1942, more so for its British teachers, the authors underscore. “It was almost impossible to contain the patriotic zeal among the students,” write the authors, adding, some of the “most enthusiastic” of them held secret meetings in the three halls in MCC – Heber, Selaiyur and St Thomas - while several of them like Ramunni Menon and Tamil Nationalist poet Subrahmanya Bharathi’s granddaughter, were arrested for participating in agitations then. The situation was quite tense and the then MCC principal Dr. Boyd not only “received” the ‘patriotic students’ who came back without any rancour, but “Boyd never allowed the police to enter the campus even once” while maintaining “necessary standard of discipline.” The MCC was then the only college here to admit students from other colleges sent out for “political activities” without insisting on transfer certificates. Dr. Boyd had such an ‘impeccable record’. So much so, at the height of the Quit India Movement, Rajaji, who was a frequent speaker at MCC functions, “once confessed at a public meeting that he was “simply unable to dislike this one Britisher – Boyd.” This was at a time when many Indian Christians were tussling to reconcile the spirit of Indian Nationalism with the Christian faith. They saw in Gandhi, who said his life was his message, an iconic bridge-builder. (The writer has sourced all the information from the book ‘Life and Legacy of Madras Christian College’ 1897-1978, authored by two of its distinguished faculty, Dr. Joshua Kalapati and Dr. Ambrose Jeyasekaran.)

In 1938 MCC hosted the Tambaram Conference (also called The Madras Conference or Tambaram 1938), the third World Missionary Conference which eventually created the World Council of Churches. The same buildings were used again in 1988 (Tambaram 1988) to commemorate this landmark event which focused on contemporary thought into ecumenism, Christianity's engagement with world religions and traditions. In the words of Bishop Stephen Neill, this event was “the most international gathering held up to that point in the entire history of the Christian Church.” William Miller's vision in creating an educational institution that prepared the largely Hindu students to a Christward direction through education, rather than just conversion of their faith, was lauded. Lesslie Newbigin, the famous missionary and theologian who attended the 1938 conference, spoke at the 1988 event at MCC as well.

 MCC Higher Secondary School:

Leander Adrian Paes is an Indian professional tennis player who is considered as one of the greatest doubles player in the history of the sport along with the record of most doubles wins in the Davis Cup. Paes has won eight doubles and ten mixed doubles Grand Slam titles. He holds a career Grand Slam in men's doubles and mixed doubles, and achieved the rare men's doubles/mixed doubles double at the 1999 Wimbledon tournament. His mixed doubles Wimbledon title in 2010 made him the second man (after Rod Laver) to win Wimbledon titles in three decades. Paes received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, India's highest sporting honor, in 1996–97; the Arjuna Award in 1990; the Padma Shri award in 2001; and India's third-highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan prize in January 2014, for his outstanding contribution to tennis in India.

Somdev Devvarman (Somdev Kishore Devvarman) is a former professional Indian tennis player. He hit the headlines for being the only collegiate player to have made three consecutive finals at the NCAA, winning back-to-back finals in his junior and senior years at the University of Virginia. Only three other players have matched that record since 1950. His 44–1 win-loss record in 2008 at the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship is unprecedented. His best achievement on the ATP World Tour was reaching the final of the Chennai Open in 2009, as a wild card entry. In 2010, Somdev won the gold medal in the men's singles event of XIXth Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, and he followed it up with both men's singles and doubles gold in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. In 2011, Devvarman received the Arjuna Award from the Indian government for his tennis successes. In 2018, he was awarded with the civilian award Padma Shri.

R. K. Narayan, a leading author of early Indian literature in English along with Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao. Narayan first broke through with the help of Graham Greene who, upon reading Swaminathan and Tate, took it upon himself to work as Narayan's agent for the book. He was also instrumental in changing the title to the more appropriate Swami and Friends, and in finding publishers for Narayan's next few books. Somerset Maugham, on a trip to Mysore in 1938, had asked to meet Narayan, but not enough people had heard of him to actually effect the meeting. Maugham subsequently read Narayan's The Dark Room, and wrote to him expressing his admiration. Another contemporary writer who took a liking to Narayan's early works was E. M. Forster, an author who shared his dry and humorous narrative, so much so that Narayan was labeled the “South Indian E. M. Forster” by critics. Narayan's short stories have been compared with those of Guy de Maupassant because of his ability to compress a narrative. In a career that spanned over sixty years Narayan received many awards and honours including the AC Benson Medal from the Royal Society of Literature, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan, India's second and third highest civilian awards, and in 1994 the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, the highest honour of India's national academy of letters. He was also nominated to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India's parliament. In mid-2016, Narayan's former home in Mysore was converted to a museum in his honour. On 8 November 2019, his book Swami and Friends was ranked at BBC's Novels That Shaped Our World.

N.Srinivasan (Narayanaswami Srinivasan) is an Indian industrialist. He is a former Chairman of the International Cricket Council and former President of the BCCI, the governing body for cricket in India. He is also the managing director of India Cements Limited. His company India Cements owns Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise team Chennai Super Kings and he is the president of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA). Srinivasan is also the President of the Tamil Nadu Golf Federation and former President of the All India Chess Federation. Narayanaswami Srinivasan was elected as president of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association for the 14th consecutive time at its 85th Annual General Meeting in Chennai, on 12 June 2015.

Venu Srinivasan, grandson of the TVS Group's founder, T. V. Sundaram Iyengar is the present Chairman of TVS Group which includes Sundaram-Clayton Group and its subsidiary TVS Motor Company, India's third largest maker of two-wheelers. He also serves on the board of Tata Sons Ltd., the holding company of the conglomerate the Tata Group, TVS & Sons and Cummins India. He is also vice chairman of Tata Trusts. Tata Trusts holds 66% of the equity capital of Tata Sons. He was given the Padma Bhushan Award, the third highest civilian award in India, in January 2020.

R.K. Krishna Kumar (Rayaroth Kuttambally Krishna Kumar) is a business executive and a former director of Tata Sons. He is a member of Tata Administrative Service and continues to serve as a trustee of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Sir Ratan Tata Trust, which hold 66 percent stake in Tata Sons. His contributions are known behind several acquisitions of Tata Group, including the GB £ 271 million buy-out of Tetley in 2000, which made Tata Global Beverages the second largest tea company in the world. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2009, for his contributions to Indian Trade and industry.

M.K. Narayanan (Mayankote Kelath Narayanan) is an Indian diplomat and former IPS officer. He was National Security Adviser of India from 2005 to 2010, assuming the role after the demise of his predecessor Jyotindra Nath Dixit in January 2005. Subsequently he served as Governor of West Bengal from 2010 to 2014.

N. Ram is an Indian journalist and a prominent member of the Kasturi family that controls The Hindu Group of publications. Ram was the Managing-Director of The Hindu since 1977 and its Editor-in-Chief since 27 June 2003 until 18 January 2012. Ram also headed the other publications of The Hindu Group such as Frontline, The Hindu Business Line and Sportstar. On 2013, N. Ram has become Chairman of Kasturi & Sons Limited and Publisher of 'The Hindu'. He has been awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India and Sri Lanka Ratna by the Government of Sri Lanka. Ram did his schooling at Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School, Chennai.

P. Chidambaram is an Indian politician and former attorney who currently serves as Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha and formerly served as the Union Minister of Finance and Union Minister of Home Affairs of India

Buggana Rajendranath Reddy is an Indian politician and current Minister for Finance, Planning and Legislative Affairs in the Government of Andhra Pradesh. His maternal grandfather, Kadiri Venkata Reddy, was a prominent Indian film maker.

M. K. Stalin, son of the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanidhi, is a politician from Tamil Nadu and Leader of opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from 25 May 2016 and President of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) political party.

 G. K. Vasan son of G. K Moopanar, a veteran Indian National Congress Leader is currently the president of Tamil Maanila Congress,

M.K. Alagiri, son of the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanidhi, brother of M. K. Stalin, is also a politician and was a Union Cabinet Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers from 13 June 2009 to 20 March 2013.

V. Kishore Chandra Deo is a politician and a member of the Telugu Desam Party political party. He has been elected to the Lok Sabha for five times, and has also held one term in the Rajya Sabha.

P. K. Basheer is the member of 14th Kerala Legislative Assembly. He is a member of Indian Union Muslim League and represents Ernad constituency.

A. R. Rahman, is an Indian composer, singer and music producer who works predominantly in Tamil and Hindi movies. He is nicknamed “Isai Puyal” and “Mozart of Madras”. In 2010, the Indian government awarded him the Padma Bhushan, Among Rahman's awards are six National Film Awards, two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, fifteen Filmfare Awards and seventeen Filmfare Awards South. In 2006, he was honoured by Stanford University for his contributions to global music. In 2014, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music. In 2009, he was included on the Time list of the world's 100 most influential people. He was for some time a student of Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School, where he was admitted on his music talent and formed a band with his high school classmates.

Gautham Menon (Gautham Vasudev Menon), also known as GVM, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer and actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He has also directed Telugu and Hindi films, which are remakes of his own Tamil films. Many of his films have been critically acclaimed, most notably his romantic films.

 Prashanth Thiagarajan is an Indian actor and businessman, known for his works predominantly in Tamil cinema. He has also appeared in few Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam films. He is the son of an actor Thiagarajan and director in Tamil films while his maternal grandfather, Peketi Sivaram, was an actor and an acclaimed director of Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films. His paternal cousin is an acclaimed actor Vikram. He studied Computer Graphics and Multimedia and went to Trinity College of Music in London before embarking on an acting career. At the peak of his career in the late 1990s, Prashanth was one of the biggest actors in South India. He has won a Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut – South, a Kalaimamani Award from the Government of Tamil Nadu, and a Cinema Express Award.

Dr. Vijay Prabhakar had his early schooling at Madurai YWCA Nursery School, elementary education, his 5th standard at Good Shepherd Convent, Chennai and his Middle School & High School at Madras Christian College School, India. He did his Pre University Course at Loyola College, Chennai and First year of B.Sc (Chemistry) at Presidency College, Chennai before joining Madras Medical College in 1975. A front ranking community activist in Chicagoland, Dr Vijay Prabhakar has added one more feather in his cap of achievements being appointed as the Vice Chancellor of Rhema University, Florida

Davidars of Padappai:

Mark Davidar:

Settled all over the globe (including many cities in India), Davidars is a well-known clan in Padappai, a small town near Tambaram, Chennai. For many years they used to congregate in Padappai for family get-togethers to catch up on relatives' lives and strengthen family bonds. Many of them had their education in MCC. One among the clan, Mark Davidar, was also an alumnus of MCC, and is a son of the well-known conservationist and author E.R.C Davidar (1922–2010). Mark Davidar story is from a small village called Masinagudi off Mudumalai tiger reserve where people coexist with the wild and they have been living like this for generations. E.R.C. Davidar and his family built a cottage on land they procured in Sigur in 1964, and they later bought a 7-acre area of the jungle that they named “Cheetal Walk”. “Cheetal Walk” gradually became the “Segur Nature Trust” (SNT), a 30-acre wildlife reserve and possibly the only one of its type in the entire country - a private wildlife corridor. Mark Davidar has lived in the house since at least the late 1980s, helping to ensure the conservation of the surroundings and building up a rare friendship with the local wildlife. Mark was a great lover of the wild from his early days. For his unique ability to calm and care elephants, Mark is a legend in the Masinagudi – Segur region. His cherished abode “Cheetal Walk” just by the side of the Segur stream (an elephant corridor), is a Mecca of the wildlife photographer and Mark’s tales with massive pachyderms are folklore. It is said, a bull elephant, (later named Rivaldo by Mark) took refuge on his premises “Cheetal Walk” when he suffered a gaping wound on his cheek. During this time, Davidar kept fruits near the water tank for Rivaldo to feed on. The elephant decided to continue the friendship and was frequently visiting for about five years, till his death in October 2013. It is also said, the bull used to spend a considerable amount of time standing in the front yard listening with rapt attention to Davidar, communicating to him in English.

Maybe this attitude towards wildlife helped Davidar in his previous job as the manager of Madras Snake Park, which was founded by herpetologist and conservationist Romulus Whitaker. Originally, the Snake Park was based in Selaiyur. Romulus Whitaker was then frequent visitor to Madras Christian College, Zoology Department. Professor M. V. Rajendran, an expert on snakes, fondly called “Snake teacher”, was one of the Board of Trustees of the Madras Snake Park Trust (MSPT). Some even called him “Dr. M.V. Snake Rajendran, Ph.D.” Incidentally, Dr. AJT Johnsingh, former director Wildlife Institute of India (WII) - an internationally acclaimed Institution, was one of his students - (More of him later in this article). According to Romulus Whitaker, in the early 1970s, when the Madras Snake Park moved to Guindy, it became a local hangout for young folks from nearby campuses like Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, the AC College of Architecture and the Madras Christian College.

(IIT and MMC have considerable number of deer population). (https://www.currentconservation.org/romulus-whitaker/)

Now coming back to “Cheetal Walk”, with its abundant bird population, in the past it attracted famed ornithologist Sálim Ali, and Davidar’s decision to convert the family home into a hub for wildlife enthusiasts provided extra benefits to the local avian population. “During summers, water becomes scarce in the places around Cheetal Walk. Observing this, Mark fitted water basins to the tree branches, providing a much-needed supply for the birds,” says Dr. Sugathan, an ornithologist and former colleague of Davidar’s at Bombay Natural History Society. For wildlife filmmaker Shekar Dattatri, it was Davidar’s two hand-reared civets that made his stay at “Cheetal Walk” memorable. Interestingly, Davidar also ran a small guest house, “Jungle Trails Reserve” (where many MCCians used to stay). I hear it is still there.

Mark Davidar’s brother Peter Davidar has an MSc in Biology and an MPhil in Wildlife Biology. He has undertaken surveys on elephant corridors and is presently a trustee of the Sigur Nature Trust. He is very much interested in wildlife photography. Formerly, Peter was Assistant Manager of a tea estate, worked at the Vandalur Zoo. He is now based in “Cheetal Walk” - the property that is part of Sigur Nature Trust.

A note on E.R.C. Davidar, his wife and daughter:

A lawyer by profession and a shikari-turned-photographer, E.R.C. Davidar, established maybe the first ever private elephant corridor in India, near his jungle-cottage, and undertook the first census of the Nilgiri tahr along the entire range. According to Dr. AJT Johnsingh (in his book “On Jim Corbett’s Trails and other Tales from Tree Tops”), he conducted some study on dholes, the Indian wild dog, under the guidance of Dr. Michael Fox (USA) in the Masinagudi area for a total period of 5 months in 1973 and 1975. “Cheetal Walk” was the week-end jungle home of late ERC Davidar. AJT Johnsingh’s base for his research was none other than “Cheetal Walk”.  He also writes that in 1976, he surveyed the southern Western Ghats for Nilgiri tahr in collaboration with ERC Davidar”. After retiring as Director of the Wildlife Institute of India, Dr. AJT Johnsingh continues his association with the jungles through the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) and (Worldwide Fund for Nature) WWF India, as a consultant. He is also Scientific Advisor to The Corbett Foundation. He has mentored many prominent names in the field of wildlife -Ajay Desai, Ravi Chellam and Justus Joshua, among them. He is now mentoring students from the Columbia University at the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve. “I am never tired of walking in the forests. The more, the better,” says AJT Johnsingh, who has won many prestigious awards including the Carl Zeiss Wildlife Conservation Award for lifetime service to Indian wildlife, and the Sanctuary Lifetime Wildlife Service Award.

Sources: “Dr AJT Johnsingh's wildlife experiences, The Economic Times, June 18, 2015) and http://corbettfoundation.org/articles/2016/12/08/mydayswithelephants/          

Now, coming back to E.R.C. Davidar, he was once the head of Nilgiri Game Association. A shikari himself, he handled the affairs of the organisation for several years until it metamorphosed into the Nilgiri Wildlife Association. He also happened to be the Secretary of the Planters’ Association of Tamil Nadu between 1970 and 1981, a position of great influence, which in no small part helped put an end to hunting as a way of life for planters of the day. Working with the famous hunter turned conservationist Major Richard Radcliffe, ERC made yet another life shift when the organisation he served was rechristened the Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association (NWLEA), a name that holds to date. His many forays into the jungle quite naturally turned him into one of South India’s renowned photographers with many awards to his name. Quite naturally, the government of Tamil Nadu also appointed him as the Honorary Wildlife Warden of the Nilgiris year after year in the 1980s. By now, with a lifetime of experience under his belt, ERC played a key role as an elder whose advice greatly influenced wildlife policy. Apart from being a member of the Tamil Nadu State Wildlife Advisory Board he was also part and parcel of the Bombay Natural History Society, the World Wildlife Fund-India, the Madras Snake Park and the Madras Crocodile Bank. As a member of the Hyena, Caprinae, Wild Cattle and Asian Elephant Specialist Groups of the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), he was able to nudge Indian policy in the direction of the advice proffered by some of the world’s leading wildlife scientists and conservationists. At one wildlife meeting in New Delhi in the early 1980s, he pointed out that we were changing the very behaviour of elephants, turning the free-ranging beasts from being tolerant of humans to intolerant of them. He forecast that the future would present us with unmanageable elephant-human conflicts, a prediction that has come home to roost today.  

His articles and survey reports serve as a vital archival record of the history of the wildlife of India through the 1960s all the way through to 2010 when he passed away. For his contribution to wildlife conservation E. R. C. Davidar, has joined eminent foresters and conservationists in the Hall of Fame of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department (18/01/2016). E.R.C. Davidar has published several articles and books on wildlife, a novel based on the life of the brigand Veerappan, and several stories for children (notably, his much acclaimed book “Cheetal Walk - Living in the Wilderness” for wildlife enthusiasts and “Toda and the Tahr” for children) and guidebooks on wildlife sanctuaries.

His wife, the late Margaret Davidar was a medical doctor, who started her career in the Nilgiris with the mobile medical unit which was involved in providing health care to far flung tribal settlements in the Nilgiris. She also treated many snakebite cases from tribal settlements. She was also an animal lover and shared her husband’s passion for wildlife.

Their daughter Dr. Priya Davidar is also a researcher, scholar and a famous author researching in many areas of the environment. For her doctoral thesis, she worked on pollination of the hemi-parasitic mistletoes by nectar feeding birds, under the guidance of the naturalist, Salim Ali, who is known as the “bird man of India”.  After her doctoral studies, she did postdoctoral stints in the United States at the Smithsonian Institution Tropical Research Institute, the University of Iowa, and the National Zoological Park in Washington, DC, studying plant-pollinator interactions. Fieldwork took her to the neotropics of Central America. She then served as Professor at Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Pondicherry - close to 3 decades. Remarkably, she is said to be the first female professor of ecology in India. She has also held a post at Pondicherry University’s Salim Ali School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences since 1987. Dr. Priya Davidar was former President of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (2009). and is also a member of American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) from 2012. She has to her credit a contribution of over 100 publications, particularly scientific journals – with her papers on environment and biodiversity. She co-authored (editor) with her father E. R. C. Davidar, the book “Whispers from the Wild”.  Her current project is analysing tree distributions at the biogeographical scale, and the conservation genetics of endangered species such as the Asian elephant and Nilgiri Tahr. Large-scale surveys are her specialty: She has taken inventory of plants, butterflies, freshwater fish, sea turtles, migratory waterfowl, and mammals, in the Western Ghats and the archipelago of the Andaman. Her research offers insights into what drives biodiversity in these tropical areas.

“MCC Alumni in Europe”

Posted 20th July 2002 by MCCEurope Tambaram

Under a banner proclaiming "Where duty, right and honour lead" - the key words from the alumni prayer of the college, about 45 former students based in the United Kingdom got together on the afternoon of Saturday, July 20 for food, fun and friendship.

The venue, Barham Park Lounge, Wembley, almost resembled the campus at Tambaram with its tall, shady trees and a cosy but spacious hall, a landscaped garden and a surrounding park. To cap it all, the good Lord sent us perfect sunny weather; those familiar with the tempestuous English weather will know what a heavenly blessing this is.

The event was organised as a family social day and the ladies and children numbering about 15 added colour and life to the occasion. But the crowning glory of the day was the presence of Mr. S. Menon Marath, (1930-33, English Hons.) with Nancy, his wife of 63 years. Menon is a sprightly 91 and an author of six novels, three of which have been published. In Menon's days college was located in Parry's Corner and there were no halls as we know it. Can any other chapter claim to be fortunate enough to have an active member of such vintage!!!

Another special attendee was Mr. E Joseph John (46-49, St Thomas) who was visiting London. After an illustrious career in East Africa and later at Lovedale, he now lives in Kumbanad in Kerala. His presence exemplified the international character of MCC alumni. His profound recollection of everything MCCish bolstered the score of St Thomas's in the heritage quiz that was subsequently held. Without his input, St Thomas's would not have scored many points!

Dr. Richard Bingle (who lived in the campus as a young boy during 1935-44), Mr. Kuruvilla Thomas (42-46, English Hons/Heber Hall) Mr. N Jeyasingh, (55-59, Heber/Botany) were some of the other veterans whose presence lent history and prestige to the occasion. Then there were the baby-boomers Sixties kids, led by Mr. Mohan Singh, and too many to mention individually.

As seems to be the case, we started the get-together with some good food. This time our vice-president, George Oommen (68-72, Selaiyur/History), had organised the tasty food - huge quantities of biryani rice, tandoori chicken, chana dal, naans, thairsadam (yoghurt rice), pickles and Madras poppadoms - with a little wine or beer to go with it. (Yes, we did have fruit juice and mineral water too for those who wanted a change!) Those who know George are aware of his larger-than-life personality. But wearing a chef's hat and apron his joviality was doubly infectious, while he made sure that everyone tucked into the food. In an instant the crowd gelled into the good old Tambaram spirit.

A brief meeting and introductions followed after lunch. MCC Europe has decided that all our meetings would commence with a silent prayer of thanksgiving to our parents/guardians who enabled us to attend a college of such richness as MCC (and also paid for it). We hope other chapters will follow suit.

The following business was then decided:

1) That, Dr. Duncan Forrester, Dr. Richard Bingle, Mrs. Gnanados and Canon Ivor Smith Cameroon, who nurtured the United Kingdom alumni till now, along with Mr. Menon, he being the senior-most alumnus, be declared guiding members of MCC Europe. They are exempt from all charges applicable for our activities. In the hearts of each one of us in Europe, we have given them the keys. Please continue to guide us to where duty, right and honour lead. There is no greater way to thank them.

2) That, a registration contribution of £20 per member, £30 where husband and wife are alumni and £5 for students be made. It was clarified, though, that these are notional sums and whatever contributions that members make would be gratefully received.

3)That, members above 60 years old are exempted from registration contribution.

4) The MCC Europe web site was formally launched with a three-cheer ovation for Jayavelan, (91-94, Commerce/Selaiyur) our webmaster who designed the site and took care of the setting-up costs. Please visit the site at http://www.mcceurope.org/ to keep yourselves informed of all our activities and announcements.

After these announcements, the day flowed into artistic heights, starting with an Carnatic recital by Manju, wife of Madhu Madhavan (87-92, Maths/Heber). The solemn but inspiring melody silenced the crowd, but at the end the cries of "encore" were heart-warming, and Manju readily obliged. The second recital took Carnatic music to its divine best; all we can say is that those unfortunate to miss it, missed something unique.

As MCC has always stood for the best of East and West, the Carnatic recital was followed by a rendering of Que Serra Serra by June Rabi David (wife of Rabi David, 88-89, Econ/Heber). June brought out the musician in those present by letting them join in the chorus. But when she sang the part of being a mother, Rabi was too shell-shocked to join in the chorus!

With two superb pieces by alumni wives who did not study at MCC, we had to prove that we knew more than just hall songs. Sumy Kunchacko (68-69, Philosophy/Women's Hostel and wife of Jacob Tharakan (67-69, Econ/Selaiyur) stepped in and saved the day. The Malayalam song that she sang was so moving that it captured the hearts of all those present and proved that we from MCC cannot be taken for granted.

By now the stage was set to fan the flames of the old rivalries and the group divided into their halls. Wives of alumni naturally joined the four authentic Martin Hall members, easily making up the largest group.

Knowledge and wills were pitted in the MCC Heritage Quiz and Dumb-Charades. For those of you who are interested in knowing more about your alma mater, check out the Heritage Quiz on the website. The quiz triggered lots of positive recollections of our college and we can now probably claim to be the best informed chapter of alumni. Going by the results, Dr. S Radhakrishnan continues to be the best-known alumnus as the question "Who was the philosopher President of India?" was one that everyone answered correctly. Bishop Heber Hall scored a narrow win over the others and won a bottle of red wine.

In Dumb-Cherades, ably produced and conducted by E. Anbarasan (88-94, English/St Thomas), every one excelled in the parts that they acted out that if MCC was a drama school, we all would have passed with distinction! Martin Hall was the winner by a wide margin and received a box of chocolates (Was this rigged? Ed).

It was by all counts an enjoyable afternoon in the company of younger and older Tambaramites, sharing memories of times past and present. For those of involved in MCC Europe, the venture is proving to be a new island of strength. After tea and biscuits we all left around 6.30pm, wondering whether the poet who wrote the famous line, "if there is a heaven on earth it is here", was also an alumnus!

Special Cover on Madras Christian College Globus Alumni Meet,

Chennai - 27th July 2013.

The Madras Christian College (MCC) an arts and sciences college in Chennai, founded in 1837 is one of Asia's oldest extant colleges. The college is affiliated to the University of Madras but functions as an autonomous institution from its campus in Tambaram, Chennai. The College is having the oldest Alumni Association in India. It was founded in 1891 on the initiative of a group of former students, with the object of organizing an annual reunion.

Global Alumni Reunion 2013 was organized by the alumni association on 27th and 28th July 2013 at College Campus situated in Tambaram (East), Chennai. The global reunion was the first of its kind in the history of the 176-year-old college. The reunion received overwhelming response from alumni based in different parts of the world. A Special cover was released to mark the occasion. Mr. Mervin Alexander, Postmaster General, Mails and Marketing, Chennai Circle, released the cover and it was received by K. M. Mammen, President of MCC Alumni Association.

“THE MAGIC OF THE MUSTANGS”

Metro Plus, The Hindu, December 29, 2010

The 60s band The Mustangs returns to rock the city after 40 years with a concert. Shonali Muthalaly reports:

They may come from six cities, four countries and three continents. Their last gig might have been 40 years ago. Their average age might be 65. But, nevertheless, The Mustangs are back. And intend to rock this city.

The band, which sprung up in the 60s, drew followers from across the country with their feisty brand of music, incorporating surf, blues and rock. They even came out with the first Western LP in India, in association with HMV. When The Mustangs disbanded after four years, the team drifted apart. Then, an impromptu reunion followed by a jam session in Bangalore earlier this year threw up the big question. Could they recreate the magic? Well, next week, they intend to.

Over Skype, Haroon Mohamed discusses what made the band special. “Those were the days of Elvis Presley, Cliff Richards… and that's the kind of music we played. Our greatest influences were the Ventures, the Shadows.” He adds with a chuckle, “It was magic.”

Studying at the Madras Christian College (MCC), Haroon originally played bass guitar with college mates in a group called ‘The Thunderbirds'. The Mustangs crew found each other and the band was formed in 1965. “We just loved each other's music.” There was plenty of competition. “A lot of bands: IIT had The Eeatex; the Madras Medical College had The Medics, and Loyola, The Flamingos. Then there were the Anglo Indian bands, and they did some fabulous blues…”

The Mustang's first performance was at the YMCA, in a small cramped room, with an audience comprising mainly parents and their friends. “From there, word spread. People were saying, ‘These guys are good!'

They played at all the big venues of the 60s. “The Music Academy, MCC, Boat Club, and Abbotsbury (which was a dance hall)… We were popular because we had better musicians, a professional attitude, and we weren't prima donnas.”

Drawing crowds:

He adds that their biggest hits were covers of popular songs. “Everything from the 60s… ‘Satisfaction' by the Rolling Stones was a big hit. So was ‘Wooly Bully' by a group called Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. “Our only original composition was a song I composed for my girlfriend. It was called ‘Nina's Theme.'”

How successful was it? “Well, she married me,” Haroon chuckles. “And 40 years later, she's still with me. Writing a song is not a bad way to get a woman. It certainly beats expensive jewellery.”

When the band split up, Haroon says he stopped playing, as did most of the others. “I felt we were at the top of our game. To go back would be impossible.” He moved to Australia for a career in marketing and advertising, where he and Nina raised a family. “Three children and six grandchildren.”

The group, however, stayed in touch. Then the impromptu gig in Bangalore happened. “People who saw us loved us and said you've got to come back.”

Practising hasn't been easy. “We use Skype. We know our songs, know the keys,” says Haroon, adding wryly. “Though, at our age playing and getting our glasses on is a bit of a problem.”

Fortunately, enthusiasm is trumping age right now. “We're supposed to do two shows — one in Chennai and one in Bangalore. Now someone's suggested one more. So I told the band, ‘I'm sure you're going to be tired. Your back's hurting from the train journey. But they're thrilled. We're forgetting we're in our 60s. We think we're still 21!”

He concludes, “To us the big thing is coming home to Chennai where we started with the same enthusiasm we had then — without the whole rock star attitude. There's no Keith Richards here. Just The Mustangs.”

THE ORIGINAL BAND OF THE LATE SIXTIES FROM MCC:

Derek Norris — saxophone and main vocals

George Cherian — guitar, violin, vocals

Christopher Ratnam (Kittu) — guitar and vocals

Anand Padmanabhan (Paddy) — percussion and drums

Haroon Mohamed — bass guitar, and "you don't want to hear me sing."

Support Stars:

John Isaac: Vocals and guitar. Specialises in folk music: Johnny Cash, Jim Reeves

Shyam Sunder Damodar: Professional singer. Will be singing with the Mustangs.

TOUR DATES:

Jan 8: Museum Theatre, Chennai (Madras).

Jan 12th: Dinner Dance in Bangalore. (Venue to be confirmed.)

Jan 15: Whitefield Club, Bangalore

LIFE IN THE SIXTIES AND SEVENTIES

“Still rock ‘n’ rolling after all these years”

 By Jimmy Jacob, DNA, Friday, 15 January 2010

They were all the rage in the 60s. Now they are in their 60s, but The Mustangs, once referred to as the ‘southern Beatles’, are back and ready to roll with the old numbers that people loved them for.

The place was Chennai and the year, 1966. Five college students from Bangalore met up for a jamming session at a hostel room at Madras Christian College to realise that they belonged together in music. Taking their instruments in hand, they decided to rock a music scene that was dominated by bands that played Tony Brent and Pat Boone. And they did so, quite literally.

The days that followed are the stuff of legends. The Mustangs, as they called themselves, went on to win praises from music critics and even cut their first album (a chartbuster at the time) through HMV in Kolkata. And, in the meantime, their number went up to six.

Then, in 1969, while the rest of the world celebrated the phenomenon that was Woodstock, they split. Just like that.

For more than four decades, they remained separated, each making his own way through life. But memories of the old remained, and one fine day in 2010, the Mustangs were back again — the world being their audience.

Sounds like something out of a recent Farhan Akhtar starrer? No, it’s true, and doubting Thomases may go check these guys out when they play at Whitefield Club on January 16.

The names are the same, only the dates have changed. Today, the Mustangs — consisting of guitarists/vocalists Kittu Rufus (alias Ratnam), George Cherian and Timothy Tharasingh; drummer Anand ‘Paddy’ Padmanabhan; bassist Haroon Mohamed and saxophonist/vocalist/tambourine man Derek Norris — hope to make a comeback with the same tunes with which they once regaled the country. So what if they are all between the ages of 64 and 66 and eligible for “railway concession,” as Ratnam puts it. They still play a mean guitar!

Inspired by music greats like Everly Brothers, Cliff Richards and Elvis Presley, the Mustangs made it to the top at an enviable speed way back in the 1960s. Though the sands of time have swept by, the six believe that rock ‘n’ roll still has what it takes to get people up and shaking the booty.

Recalling the days of their formation, Haroon Mohamed says, “In the beginning, when we were part of the Madras Christian College in Chennai, there were two bands that stood out from the others — the Silhouettes and the Thunderbirds. One day, during a practice session at one of the hostel rooms, we realised that we should play together. Ratnam, who was part of Loyola College, joined us later.”

But then, considering that the Mustangs hailed from bands with contrasting inspirations, weren’t there any musical differences among them? “Oh yes, there were some. But we didn’t squabble,” says Mohamed, smilingly, “We simply evolved.”

Derek Norris’s inclusion into the band is yet another thing that the Mustangs like to talk about. “One day, this chap comes up to us and asks if he can sing to the music we are playing. And before we know it, he starts singing Satisfaction in a way that even Mick Jagger couldn’t! I must say his version of the song did get quite popular,” says Padmanabhan.

And, as original compositions are all the rage now, are the Mustangs planning to pump out a few of their own? “We will do that, sure,” says Ratnam, “But, first, we have to give the audience a chance to get used to us. After all, it’s been some time since we played last.”

Incidentally, the name ‘Mustangs’ came from neither the animal nor the guitar. “We decided to call ourselves that because the Ford Mustang was such a grand automobile back then. Everybody liked Mustangs,” says Mohamed.

Sure, they do. And everybody is sure to like this band too, when they come back with a blast on the 16th.

For reservations, call the Whitefield Club manager at 9902254039 or 28453563.

“When The Mustangs came a riding”

Metroplus, The Hindu, January 11, 2011

DEREK NORRIS, SAXAPHONE AND MAIN VOCAL

GEORGE CHERIAN, GUITAR AND VOCALS

HAROON MOHAMED, BASS GUITAR

CHRISTOPHER RATNAM (KITTU), GUITAR AND VOCALS

ANAND PADMANABHAN (PADDY), PERCUSSION AND DRUMS

REVIEW by CHITHIRA VIJAYKUMAR: The return of the Sixties rock band to Chennai was greeted with much nostalgia. Here are two perspectives to their music – one by someone who grew up with their music and another who wasn't even born during their heyday.

Rock star comebacks are tricky things. Very few attempt it, and most do so while clinging fiercely to all that they were, years ago.

So what do you do with a band that politely asks each other if they should break for oxygen? Proudly announces that their average age is now 65? Tells us that there's an ambulance parked outside, just in case, and they hope there will be pretty nurses?

You sing along, and pray like mad that you end up like that when you're 65.

“I wonder how many of their girlfriends are here,” chuckled Shyam Sunder Damodar, who opened for The Mustangs. He gave a one-man concert with his own backing tracks, old favourites such as “Devil in Disguise” and Cliff Richard's “Sway”, which he noted with mild disgust the younger generation thinks was sung by the new-fangled Michael Bublé.

“Stella was our favourite college,” winked Haroon Mohamed. The cheers are lukewarm. “WCC?” he tries, and the hoots are louder. “And, cradle-snatching from Good Shepherd!” he adds on a final triumphant note.

And then, 40 years after The Mustangs had struck their last chord together, the band that cut the first Western LP in the country began the evening with one of their most popular songs, “Satisfaction”.

They began a little nervously at first — who wouldn't be — in front of a packed Museum Theatre audience comprising people who are waiting for the past to be resuscitated, and a few steely-eyed youngsters in Sepulturat-shirts. Not easy.

But they certainly did make it look easy. There were all the old classics — “She's a mover” and “Runaway”, “A Taste of Honey” and “Wooly Bully.”

“This was the music of the Sixties,” says CPI(M) general secretary, Prakash Karat, who was in the audience. “This was what played in our corridors, and on our records. What we grew up on.”

Derek Norris, hips swaying, his voice carrying most of the songs, with his smooth, seductive saxophone. A tireless Anand Padmanabhan, who went at the percussion for over two hours without missing a beat. George Cheriyan, who picked up an electric violin for a lovely “One-Way Ticket”. Christopher Ratnam with a voice that lent itself perfectly to his Elvis medley. Haroon with his bass guitar, and one-liners that strung the whole concert together.

It was a meeting of old friends, each song heavy with memories and an easy camaraderie that had aged like wine over the four decades. So, the technical troubles and the odd off-keys were forgiven, forgotten.

After the interval, John Isaac, well-known for his folk music, strummed a languid guitar to “Bye Bye Love” and “Waiting for a Train”, with Christopher joining in. “Little Ole Wine Drinker Me” had many eyes glimmer, gently, sadly. The Mustangs closed it all with “Tequila”, full of life and joie de vivre. If this was a taste of the Sixties, those of us who missed it and its music, lament. There was, of course, “Mustang Sally” as well. “Guess you better slow your Mustang down, You been runnin' all over town, now,” it goes. Nonsense. They certainly aren't going to be slowing down anytime soon.

“Performing together after 40 years”

By Jackie Pinto, Deccan Herald

DREAM REUNION: The Mustangs, a musical group, took the audience on a trip through the classics of the 60s and 70s.

Those who love the music of the 50s and 60s and were at the Whitefield Club recently for the reunion concert of The Mustangs were treated to a delightful musical evening.

The six-member group had managed to reunite from all over the world after forty years but the members weren’t proclaiming that 60 is the new 20.

Nor were they looking for their music to deliver a message to the new generation of college students.

They treasured every moment of an adventure launched years ago when “six college boys from Madras met up, jammed, made good music and called themselves The Mustangs.”

The jammers — Kittu and George (guitar and vocals), Derek (saxophone), Padmanabhan (percussion and drums) and Haroon Mohammed, the bassist and the historian of the group had been dreaming of this moment for years and planning it meticulously.

“As students of Madras Christian College, our musical influences included Neil Young, the Who, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones among other well-known country and Western singers. We spent our post-college years launching careers, marrying and having families. Yet music remained a vital part of our lives and lucky for us our wives have been very supportive,” says Haroon.

True enough. As the Mustang's revved up their instruments and crooned into the microphones for their practice sessions they were cheered on by their beaming spouses who were with them every step of the way.

“We are lucky to have such supportive partners. Many musicians stop playing simply because their wives won’t support them.” they aver.

“The first Mustang gig was at the YMCA in Parry’s Corner Madras. After the first round of songs – Runaway; A taste of Honey; Walk Don’t Run/ April in Paris and a mean version of Rimsky Karsakofss’ Flight of the Bumble Bee… The Mustangs were formed,” adds Haroon.

“We started practising every day, wherever we managed to find some space, trying out new songs and playing our hearts out to the current chartbusters. We were on a shoestring budget and played mainly to college crowds as they supported and inspired us. After winning the first two Madras Beat Competitions we got gigs in other cities,” they add.

Having cut two very successful discs in the 60s, their musical odyssey was one filled with adventure and camaraderie culminating in this reunion that they had been working on and dreaming of for several years now.

On Saturday, they gave their audience ‘some of the classics of the 60s and the 70s but also shared new sounds formed by the musical influences of the last 40 years on them’.

Sidharth Bhatia’s new book “Rock of Ages” tells the story of India as seen through the lives of iconic Indian rock bands from the 60s and 70s. – Some extracts from the interview by Lalitha Suhasini, “Rolling Stone India Magazine, December 19, 2013

“The Mustangs, a very well-known group from Madras, who did only instrumentals, released a record. Madras was a very hot scene. Madras Christian College and Loyola were packed with bands. Madras had something that people don’t get – it had a music culture. Everybody had some­body in the family who knew music. Secondly, Madras was a hugely Anglicized city. So the Mustangs guy was telling me that everybody in the band’s family had a gramophone player and while they listened to English music, they were also exposed to Carnatic. Their reunions draw a nostalgic crowd even today. The other thing Madras had that very few people pay attention to is the film industry, so there was no dearth of music instruments. In Mumbai, bands had to go to a police band to get a drum kit.”

Who were the most influential bands of the time?

They were influential for different reasons. The Savages, because they were the first real band in Bombay that had a long life, were more or less committed musicians who be­came quite popular. They started making records and were invited to shows. They were not one of the herd. They were the first group to make that kind of impact in Bombay as a proper professional band. The Jets were very professional, but they didn’t last too long – maybe a year and a half or something. Then, there was Great Bear. The Mustangs, for me, are very significant as a group because they were from Madras and they were fully instru­mental and, despite being from Madras, they made a name for themselves.

The best band by all accounts was Human Bondage. They were tight, highly skilled musicians – the Shottam brothers. Suresh Shottam was supposed to be the ultimate guitarist. I’ve got a guy talking about Shottam saying that when he played Hendrix, you couldn’t tell the difference. This is, of course, memory and nostalgia. Human Bondage was also significant because they brought in the raga and they tried a little bit of fusion. They never cut a disc because they didn’t believe that they were good enough.

Atomic Forest was also very significant be­cause they came at a very interesting time – when psychedelia and funk were coming in. The problem with Atomic Forest is that they changed musicians every three months, so it was a very troubled group. They were all about attitude, psychedelia and had serious drug issues. Atomic Forest also had show­manship with Madhukar prancing around the stage, the hair had become longer, the beard was wild. Atomic Forest lasted for years and the first Atomic Forest and the last Atomic Forest had nobody in common, but the name lasted.

West Indies team visited MCC:

In January 1967, during their cricket tour to Madras, the West Indies team visited MCC for an interaction with students in the Anderson Auditorium. The details are given below:

3rd Test: India v West Indies at Madras, Jan 13-18, 1967

The players who visited: the great fast bowlers Hall and Griffith, captain Gary Sobers, spinner Gibbs, Wicket Keeper Hendricks, Murray, King, Hunte, Nurse, Butcher, Kanhai, Robin Bynoe, Clive Lloyd and Rex Colleymore.  

T. Niles (Sri Lanka) JP Singh (Fiji) 1973 front of STH. (From Jeyendra Singh, Botany - album). Note: In the sixties and seventies, there were students from about 20 countries, which included some African states.                         PHOTO GALLERY follows:

PHOTO GALLERY – MY MCC PERIOD AND THEREAFTER

International Students Evening, College Lawn, Tea time, 1966

Olumide Sofoluwe and friend, Nigeria on stage, College Auditorium, Anderson Hall

International Students Evening. Olumide was a Selaiyurian. I Heard he went on to become the Governor of a Bank in Nigeria.  

Singapore Students, International Students Evening. This guy too was a Selaiyurian.

Fiji and Mauritius Students, International Students Evening

Malaya Student on stage, International Students Evening

The Mustangs, the most popular college band in Madras and in the South, entertaining the MCC community during International Students Evening, in the College Auditorium. Some of the numbers we enjoyed were “Apache” and “FBI” of “The Shadows” , “Woolly Bully” - instrumental version by “The Ventures”, “(I can’t get no) Satisfaction” of The Rolling Stones.

The Mustangs were unbeatable in several inter-collegiate music competitions, both in Madras (Music Academy) and elsewhere.  

Note: They are playing here with the drum set from “The Voodoos”, another popular MCC college band in the city, who also played on that day. The lead guitarist and lead singer of this group was Sukumar*, son of M. N. Nambiar, a popular villain actor from Tamil movie world. He was a great singer. But he is no more. (There is small note on him in the end of this picture gallery)

Part of the audience, College Auditorium, Anderson Hall, International Students Evening

Competition winners, announcement of results, International Students Evening

Master of Ceremony, Nowrosjee did some modelling for Bombay Dyeing

Selaiyur Hall Day, 1967, Nowrosjee, General Secretary, Dr. Abel, Hon. Warden, Chief guest, (Dr. J.R. Macphail ?, who was last of the great Scots to serve the college as Principal between 1956 and 1962), Dr. Chandran Devanesan, the first Indian Principal, Poornalingam, chairman of the Hall. Poornalingam’s room in Selaiyur was opposite to my room. We were good friends.  

College Day, 1967, Chairman and secretary, chief guest, Dr. Chandran Devanesan,  Principal

“Ambi, the kambis” putting up a skit in the college auditorium, 1967

Ambi in the centre is now in USA, was here for the 175 year celebration and performed on the stage.

Poornalingam, first from the left was from Ceylon

The troupe, “Ambi, the kambis” was the winners of intercollegiate skit competition continuously for three years. Photo taken in 1968. It was a very popular group in Madras.

Myself in MCC days, Postgraduate studies, Chemistry department

With George, in Selaiyur Hall campus, 1968

(George was good singer. I accompanied him in guitar for the song “Eighteen yellow roses came today” during our Hall Day in 1968. He did some modelling for both Aqua Velva and Binnys)

With Javid Sarfraz (Joe) from Poona (MA Literature), of Selaiyur Hall. Picture taken in the college playground, 1968. He was a very close friend of mine. Where are you?

Some of my close Madras friends. Picture taken during the Chinese New Year dinner, Chunking Chinese Restaurant, Madras, in the early seventies. Standing first from the left is Gauthaman, EVK Sampath’s son, brother of Ilangovan, a central government minister. The guy next to me, standing third from right is Rajni, son of famous Telugu movie satar Jaggaiah, who acted as Pontius Pilate in the movie, “Karunamoorthy”.  Rajni is no more. Standing fourth and fifth from the left are also from the families in the movie industry – Kerala and North.

On my bike, early seventies

With my close friend, Joe, proprietor, Chunking Chinese Restaurant, Madras- in the same period

With some of my close friends in early seventies. Joe and Chang own the Chunking Chinese Restaurant, Madras. The resturant is still there. Rajkumar, standing first from the left is a MCCian. He has been a great friend. Sitting next to me is Rajaseelan of Tambaram, now settled in Maryland, USA after his retirement from IMF. He visits me in Bangaore quite often.

A note on Sukumar, M.N Nambiar’s son, MCCian, Lead singer and guitarist:

Source: Excerpt from “Tribute to Shri Sukumar Nambiar” by V. Suryanarayan, Eurasia Review, January 20, 2012.

“The unexpected and tragic demise of Shri Sukumar Nambiar on Sunday, January 8, 2012 cast a spell of gloom among his numerous friends and followers. It was all the more shocking because Sukumar was a fitness freak, was regular in habits and was also a Karate specialist. His demise will be felt by his many friends spread across the world. Sukumar’s demise was a matter of personal tragedy for me because we were closely associated with the functioning of the Indian Centre for South Asian Studies, a leading think tank in Chennai, which has already made mark in the intellectual life of the city…….Sukumar belonged to an illustrious family, which originally hailed from Manjeri in the Malabar region of Kerala. His father Manjeri Narayanan Nambiar entered the world of theatre and cinema very early in life. MN Nambiar was immensely popular as a villain in Tamil cinema, though in later life he also performed excellent character roles. MN Nambiar’s real character was very different from the roles that he played in the cinema. In the murky world of Kollywood, characterized by black money, mudslinging and character assassination, Nambiar was an exception. Not even once was a brickbat thrown at him…..M.N Nambiar did not want his children to follow his footsteps and, therefore, laid great emphasis on their education. Sukumar’s initial education was in some of the prestigious institutions like the Madras Christian College. He went for higher studies to the United States and acquired his MBA and also MS in International Relations from San Jose State University, California. After returning to India he began to take active interest in current affairs. It was during this period that Sukumar came under the magnetic spell of LK Advani which led to his joining the Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP). His talents and merits were rewarded; he became a member of the National Executive Committee and at the time of his demise was in charge of the Foreign Policy Cell of the Party.”

“A formula for fine living”

METRO PLUS, The Hindu, January 19, 2011

NOSTALGIA: Rani Siromoney on mathematicians of repute, tree-lined college campuses and the city as a citadel of western classical music.

RANI SIROMONEY Born in 1929 she is acclaimed for her perspicacious publications in various branches of Mathematics and her contribution as teacher of the subject. Adjunct Professor of the Chennai Mathematical Institute, she has long served as head of the Maths Department at Madras Christian College. Member of illustrious institutions such as the American Mathematical Society (AMS), European Association for Theoretical Computer Science (EATCS) and International Society for Computational Modeling of Creative Processes (ISCMCP), she goes on international lecture tours. Recognition at home includes a State award for Best Teacher in 1983-84, Outstanding Woman Professional Award in 1984 by FICCI - Ladies Organisation, and Lifetime Award for Women in Mathematical Sciences in 2002.

Sixty-four years ago, when I stayed with my sister in Chintadripet, my weekly chores included a visit to the fish market, which was as crowded and noisy as it is today. When I compare the past with the present, this bustling market comes across as a telling marker of continuity. Madras has grown bigger and made rapid strides in industry and technology, but, in its core, it continues to be what it was. You only have to look at its marketplaces, restaurants, gardens and cultural and intellectual spaces to know this.

Madras has been a hub for voice-training. The well-preserved tradition of choir singing, initiatives to promote Western music and ample opportunities for young musicians encouraged good singers to turn voice trainers. One name that comes readily to mind is George Harris, who came all the way to Tambaram to coach the MCC choir in the 1960s. Given the demand, voice trainers from elsewhere were active in Madras. Even in recent years, the legendary Neecia Majolly, who lives in Bangalore, has worked with singers in Madras.

The city has been a citadel for western classical music. As early as the 1950s, western classical concerts were as regular as clockwork. Not only professional musicians, but enthusiasts of this music form also promoted it. In the mid-1960s, I was part of a successful effort to perform Mozart's Twelfth Mass at the Museum Theatre. Handel Manuel raised the profile of the western classical musician, not just in Madras but the entire country. He founded the Madras Philharmonic and Choral Society in the 1980s, but I fondly remember him as the focused organist and conductor of the St. Andrews' Church. Adept at ‘sight-reading', he could play extempore any piece of notation handed to him. Handel elevated choir singing to great heights and the tradition he established in western classical music is preserved by musicians such as Thangadurai Samuel.

Even in the intellectual domain, Madras has shown the way. Talking about mathematics, it has produced stalwarts such as C.T. Rajagopal, S. Vaidyanathaswamy and P. Kesava Menon. Rajagopal, the first director of the Ramanujan Institute of Mathematics, was a teacher who could instil a passion for the subject in his students. To help the student assimilate what he taught he would chalk down every detail of his lecture. At the end of his class, not a bit of the black board was left unused. He had a mannerism that could not escape notice — he spoke softly with a hand placed over his mouth. Ramaswamy S. Vaidyanathaswamy was a giant in point-set topology. Kesava Menon was a researcher extraordinaire. His work on the theory of numbers brought new insights. Madras continues to produce great mathematicians, such as V. Balaji and V. Arvind, sons of the legendary Vaidyanathaswamy.

The quintessential Madras academician is a conservationist at heart. Having lived on the MCC campus through the Sixties and the Seventies and having visited other campuses around the city, I can safely say academicians have been defenders of old trees. Anyone entering the MCC campus in June walked on a carpet of yellow — a long stretch was strewn with rusty shield-bearer flowers. It is no different now.

People not given to eating out will associate Madras with the safe idli-sambar. But the city has been gastronomically adventurous. During our trips to Madras (from Tambaram) on our trusty Rajdoot, my husband and I never failed to stop at the Buhari's for Ceylon minced parotta. Different foods today, but the adventure still continues.

(As told to PRINCE FREDERICK)

Note: I REMEMBER: There was never a dull moment in Prof. Quibble's maths class. While cleaning the scrolling blackboard, he went up and came down with it, sending his students into a tizzy of laughter. Rajagopal, the first director of the Ramanujan Institute of Mathematics, was a teacher who could instil a passion for the subject in his students.

Legendary performer and conductor Handel Manuel, an old Student of MCC

 Photo: The Hindu Archives

SOME HISTORICAL PICTURES, SKETCHES OF OLD MCC

Madras Christian College in George Town, Parrys Corner before moving to Tambaram

North Beach Road, Madras, 1895. Madras Christian College

“Madras Christian College traces its origins to the General Assembly School founded by Rev John Anderson, a missionary from Scotland. It was founded on April 3, 1837. The school functioned out of a rented building on Armenian street. The college expanded rapidly and soon ran out of space. So it initiated the Tambaram Project in 1919. Prof Edward Barnes and his wife planted rare trees and worked out the landscape. The college shifted to Tambaram in 1937. Women students were admitted on regular basis from 1939.”

Remnant of the old Madras Christian College buildings on Lingi Chetty Street

Note: This is all that remains of a long stretch of Indo Saracenic buildings that housed the MCC till the 1930s. The campus stretched from Parry’s Corner to Anderson Street. The Anderson Church, also part of the campus, still survives.

This historic church was built as an adjunct to the Madras Christian College which was housed in a series of buildings fronting the Esplanade before the institution shifted its school to Chetpet and the college to Tambaram in the 1930s. Since then the buildings that housed the MCC have been brought down one by one and the Anderson’s Church is the only reminder of that educational institution’s tenure at George Town.

Anderson Church, interior

Anderson Church, roofless shell

“Madras U.’s first woman Ph.D.” By K.R.A. Narasiah (Excerpts)

Chennai seems to be notorious for forgetting or not properly remembering some of its pioneering men and women. One such person was Cadambi Minakshi, the first woman Ph.D. of the University of Madras. The second was Eliza V. Paranjothi.

Current Science, in its issue dated June 1936, announced the conferment of Ph.D. on C. Minakshi for her thesis ‘Administrative and Social Life under the Pallavas, the Kailasanatha temple etc’.

We again see in the Current Science of April 1940 an obituary notice saying, “We regret to bring to the notice of our readers the sad and premature death of Dr. C. Minakshi, M.A., Ph. D., Assistant Professor of History, Maharani’s College, Mysore University, on the 3rd March 1940, at the early age of 33.”

Dr. Minakshi was born to Cadambi and Mangalamma in a Tamil Brahmin family in Conjeevaram in 1905. She had three siblings, Lakshminarayanan, Ramasubban and Viswanathan.

She took to study on Western lines, a course which in those days did not find favour with the community, but which led her to distinction. After completing her undergraduate studies in Women’s Christian College, then headed by Eleanor MacDowgall, she did her Master’s in History at Madras Christian College, working with Prof. Ferrand Edward Corley. She was the first woman postgraduate in History from Madras Christian College. She then joined the Department of Indian History and Archaeology in the University of Madras, then headed by the renowned Prof. K.A. Nilakanta Sastri. In recognition of her Distinctions in her earlier studies, Madras University granted her a scholarship in 1931 for advanced studies in History……”

MCC Campus in 1937

“When the Madras Christian College shifted to the Tambaram-Selaiyur area in 1930, it was recorded by Alice Barnes, wife of Professor Edward Barnes, that the 390 acres of the college campus had just a few Palmyra trees. Bird and wildlife however abounded thanks to numerous water bodies. It was all open space with very little development and what little there was, was thanks to the electrification of the Tambaram line of the South Indian Railway, which ensured availability of surplus power for local use.

But that does not mean that the area was devoid of heritage. The region was ruled by the Pallavas with Kanchipuram as their capital and Mamallapuram as their port city. The area was then known as Tondaimandalam and later was successively administered by the Cholas, Pandyas, Vijayanagar kings and their vassals.

Velacheri was clearly a historic settlement for there is continuous mention of the place from the 9th century AD. By the reign of Kulothunga I (1070 – 1120 AD), it was named after his wife as Dinachintamani-Chaturvedimangalam. It was a Brahmin village and evidence of that is attested to by several streets that still bear allied names. Velacheri appears to have had a strong local administration as evinced by inscriptions that detail the functioning of the village Sabha. Two ancient Chola temples still survive in Velacheri. The first is the Dandeeswarar Temple with Chola inscriptions dating from the reign of Gandaraditya (949-957AD). The other is the Selliyamman Temple. In addition, several Vishnu images have surfaced from this village and it is believed that there were at least four temples dedicated to Vishnu located in the vicinity. Some of these images have now been housed in new shrines built for them.” (Source: Madras Heritage & Carnatic Music)

If there is one single factor that brings former students of Madras Christian College back to their college campus in droves, it has to be the lush greenery.

“The scrub jungle, spread over 365 acres with hundreds of species of flora and fauna, was developed on the campus before the college moved to Tambaram in 1937, a century after the Scottish missionaries started it as a college on Armenian Street in 1837. An English botanist couple, Edward Barnes and Alice Barnes, carried out the afforestation that has today turned the campus into a sprawling lab for zoology and botany, the sprawling campus is a big lab.”

“It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanates from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.” -  Robert Louis Stevenson

Great campus, nice atmosphere – plenty of trees, monkeys, deers,  peacocks, monitor lizards and even wild boars.

 Selaiyur Hall, Open air theatre. (From Vinod Jayachandra’s album)

Selaiyur Hall, Dining hall. (From Vinod Jayachandra’s album)

Deer strolling around in Selaiyur Hall. (From Vinod Jayachandra’s album)

St. Thomas Hall mess and Hall Day. (From Vinod Jayachandra’s album)

Deer grazing in the campus (From Vinod Jayachandra’s album)

“Lush green campus – throbbing with life's variety”

Education Plus, The Hindu, April 3, 2012

If there is one single factor that brings former students of Madras Christian College back to their college campus in droves, it has to be the lush greenery and rich variety of life there. Many students who glance at photographs of the initial years of the Tambaram campus find it very difficult to come to terms that the campus was nothing but a barren patch of scrubs and that the vegetation seen today is the result of hard work done by many individuals.

FLORA AND FAUNA:

Home to some exotic varieties of birds, small mammals and trees, the college campus, many former students and faculty members say, is probably the greenest among all colleges, at least in this part of the country.

Joshua Kalapati, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, recalled that in 1932, Edward Barnes and his wife Alice moved into a house they built inside the campus and were the first family of the college campus, that is today spread over 365 acres.

A former student of the college, Mohammed Usman, who was in government service, helped immensely in registering land in the name of the college.

“It was entirely the efforts of Barnes and his wife that the college campus looks like a forest today,” Dr. Kalapati adds.

NURTURING NATURE:

Edward Barnes, who taught in the Chemistry Department, along with his wife Alice, brought seeds and saplings and planted them along avenues.

Several eminent teachers contributed immensely to increasing the green cover and they include Venkatasubban, former Head, Department of Botany; Gladstone, former principal, and renowned experts like Giles Lal, P. Dayanandan, C. Livingstone and Durairaj Rajiah.

BIODIVERSITY:

D. Narasimhan, Associate Professor, Department of Botany, recalled that the land was an abandoned reserve forest. It was highly degraded with only palmyra trees and today, it has assumed the character of a tropical dry evergreen forest.

There are more than 150 varieties of trees, notable among them being ‘vathanai' – a variety of Ebony and Korintii. The campus also plays host to porcupines, mongoose, spotted deer, snakes, amphibians and many more.

Stating that the MCC campus was a perfect example for regeneration of forest, Dr. Narasimhan said when the college began to grow they started to fence the property. This resulted in prevention of grazing and chopping of trees for firewood by people living around the college.

Almost 60 per cent of the 365-acre expanse is under green cover, with buildings only in the remaining portion, a ratio not many other colleges enjoy.

“The campus is the best example how a good protection system with little anthropogenic interference can bring back native vegetation to a near climax level. Today, the campus has one of the best protected green patches,” Dr. Narasimhan points out.

Note: Home to some exotic varieties of birds, small mammals and trees, the college campus, many former students and faculty members say, is probably the greenest among all colleges, at least in this part of the country.

Note: The University of Edinburgh has set up the “The Edinburgh India Institute” to boost cultural, business and academic ties with India. Director Professor Roger Jeffery explains “The University of Edinburgh has been training people who have gone to India since the middle of the 18th century. The city has strong links through the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons and through the Botanical Gardens, with all sorts of plants that have come back from India. Church of Scotland missionary activity also had a strong educational impact, for example with Madras Christian College.”

(Jackal)

Selvasingh Richard, assistant professor of Botany in the college said: “I was on my usual walk around 7.30 a.m. on Saturday when I saw a pair of Golden Jackals (Canis aureus ) near the overflowing lake.

 “I was taken aback to see the jackals heading towards me. As I paused for a while to photograph the duo, I observed that the female jackal was walking ahead, with the male following her. I maintained a safe distance, but the male hid in the bushes, while the female stood still and stared for a moment,” he recalled.

 Mr. Richard added that though there have been many sightings of the Indian fox (Vulpes bengalensis ) - kulla nari - the Golden Jackal has rarely been seen. “The duo was here probably because of the green canopy and the salubrious vegetation that provides food and shelter,” he added.

 “Despite academic growth and the accompanying need for infrastructure development, the college does not disturb the rich fauna of the campus,” R. W. Alexander Jesudasan, Principal and secretary of the college said. Officials of the Forest Department said that Golden Jackal was once a very common breed in the scrub jungle areas of the city and suburbs, but was now rarely seen due to habitat loss and hunting.

Another deer found dead on MCC campus

Siddharth Prabhakar, Times of India, March 6, 2016.

CHENNAI: Carcasses of two deer have been found on the campus of Madras Christian College (MCC) in Tambaram over the past one week. They were reportedly killed by stray dogs.

These incidents have left the student community of the college, constructed inside a forest area, worried. They said the number of stray dogs on the campus had risen significantly.

College sources said the carcass of a fawn, with its throat bitten, was found near the reserve forest on Friday morning. Last week, the carcass of a full-grown deer was also found near the same area, with attack marks on the throat.

“The natural fauna of the campus is being threatened, but the authorities have not taken any note of the rise in stray dog population,” said a student who did not wish to be named.

This is not the first time deer on the campus have been killed by stray dogs. Two years ago, a student died of rabies after a stray dog bit him as he was petting it. “When we complained to the college authorities, they said they couldn't do anything about the situation,” another student told TOI. Similar reports of stray dogs killing deer have been reported from IIT-Madras, another educational institution located inside a forest. “Increase in dog count is an indication of interference of humans with wildlife. Dogs are fed or they live off waste dumped in forest areas. When they are hungry , they attack deer,” environmentalist Nityanand Jayaraman said. He also said educational institutions built inside forests were cutting down trees to make way for more buildings to house more humans, thus upsetting the natural ecosystem.

MCC principal Alexander Jesudasan told TOI that dogs were entering through water-channels or gaps in boundary walls.” We are taking steps to fence all boundaries. We are also co-ordinating with municipality to spay the dogs regularly ,” he said.

While forest department officials said the deaths of the deer weren't reported to them as per protocol, Jesudasan maintained that the local forest ranger had been intimated.

This was in September 6, 2009. There was another incident in June 20, 2013

“How I miss my MCC!”

By N. Gopalakrishnan, The Hindu. February 16, 2013

Alexander John Boyd

Come the first summer showers and as the aroma of the earth ascends to the nostrils, nostalgia drives me to Tambaram, near Chennai. The time machine whirrs back by four decades and I visit yet again the portals of Madras Christian College — one more famous MCC for you.

The coppery red soil is carpeted with chrysanthemums that bloom all around: the setting is definitely not Indian and you start looking for kilt-clad Scots to enliven the English environs. Fathers flourished those days in X’ian — not the ones in white cassocks and red sashes but their genteel ones in bush coats — the earliest versions of today’s safari coats (?). Fathers McNicol, McPhail, Saunders and Kibble are but a few and the presiding deity was none other than the inimitable Rev. Alexander John Boyd.

Father Boyd is perhaps the only example of a person, I remember, who can enforce discipline with a smile: ‘Fella! You’ve just walked on the grass (lawn); that’s four annas’; what a way to punish and fine with no pain. It is said that a proud Englishman wished to ridicule the true Scot in Boyd: “While the Scots feed on oats, we the English feed it only to our horses.” Pat came the reply, “That is why you see fine horses in England and fine men only in Scotland.” A boy who got very poor marks wanted a clarification: “Father, is it out of hundred or out of fifty?” Prof. Boyd replied slowly but firmly: “No son, it’s out of pity that I gave you those marks.”

Prof. Kibble was old and absent-minded. It is fabled that he flashed his torch on the “sundial” to find the time at night. He borrowed Father Boyd’s car on a Saturday evening. After finishing his business at George Town and leaving the car parked at China Bazaar, he took the electric train and returned to Tambaram. Only when Prof. Boyd asked for the car the next morning did the memory of the car parked at Parry’s Corner hit Prof. Kibble.

Among the Indian professors the one who caught your eyes, ears and heart was the veritable Subbu. Short and stout. Be it “Selected English Prose” or “The Return of the Native” khadi-clad Subbu enchanted us with his diction and analysis. “My mind to me a kingdom is” is a dictum we learnt from him. Subbu was Prof. K. Subrahmanyam of “Know Your English” fame.

And not to forget the ‘Dennis the Menace’ in us — hundreds of carts laden with milk, vegetables and other kinds of goods for the Madras market would cross the gates of the college early in the morning — 2 or 3 a.m. The bullocks would plod along while their masters slept deeply. One night (early morning?) all the carts were smoothly turned back towards Chinglepet — away from Chennai — by the boys and pandemonium would certainly have ensued when the sleeping drivers woke up in the “hubby who returned empty-handed” style.

“Had I the wings of a dove,” lamented Alexander Selkirk. He needn’t have. Sitting in the grill room (this is no kitchen grill. A room with only grills and glass windows; no solid doors) in my creaky cane chair as I look around for a ‘panavision’ of Ooty — I take off to pastures of the past for happy landings!

(Dr. Gopalakrishnan studied B.Sc & M.Sc at the Madras Christian College half a century ago. His email:mgk.ooty@gmail.com)

Though i'm not a mcc guy...i love mcc and it's serene surroundings..i was schooled in St.Mary's High School..Armenian St., ch.1 (then Madras.1) in the year 1977 i passed out of the School...most of my pals got it in Mcc and Loyola while i got a seat in Pachiappa's Chetput..in the year 1979 (PUC) then...but still I used to loiter in and around Mcc often as most of my buddies were there...and I simply love Mcc and its environments...and I still cherish the memories till date even after a period of more than 30 years ....

From:  ramakrishna udupa, Posted on: Feb 18, 2013 at 00:01 IST

“Arbours of academia”

Prince Frederick, Environment, The Hindu, June 14, 2012

Protecting ecosystems in urban spaces requires education, sensitization and sustained surveillance. Urban development is a sad commentary on how this lesson is easily forgotten. Fortunately, there are exceptions. Look no further than the IIT Madras and MCC campuses, which are woven into natural ecosystems sustained by nature-loving faculty members and students. On World Biodiversity Day (May 22), PRINCE FREDERICK tracks down academicians Susy Varughese and P.J. Sanjeeva Raj and gets the low-down on the two campus-ecosystems.

MADRAS CHRISTIAN COLLEGE:

Consultant ecologist Sanjeeva Raj, who taught Zoology for 37 years at MCC and lived for 40 years on the campus, calls the forested campus “a successful model of participatory conservation by the academic community”. Edward Barnes, a Chemistry professor and amateur botanist from Scotland, set an example when he moved into the campus in 1932, barely two years after around 400 acres of “pristine scrub jungle” were sliced off the Selaiyur Reserve Forest for the relocation of the college from George Town to Tambaram.

“Barnes and his wife Alice attended to the self-imposed task of transforming this patchy scrub jungle into a mixed forest of large trees,” says Raj. “Alice, a field ornithologist, published the first account of 84 birds observed on the campus between 1932 and 1938. The couple referred to the campus as an ‘academic sacred grove' and declared it a sanctuary. Taking the cue from Barnes, successive curators of this estate have effected careful plantations that have enhanced its biodiversity. The campus is endowed with 458 species of plants and 350 species of animals, including 160 bird species, 24 mammal species, 17 snake species, 10 lizard species, 10 amphibian species and 28 invertebrate species. Despite the severe loss of herbaceous undergrowth in recent years due to grazing by spotted deer and despite a growing number of students and residents, newer wildlife — including 30 peafowl and 10 porcupines — are reported to be colonizing the campus scrub. Clearance of the undergrowth by the deer population has perhaps led to porcupines, peafowl and feral pigs to occupy the new niche. Local migrant birds and butterflies have increased in number, underlining the benefits of adding a diversity of trees, an agricultural farm and a dug-lake to a scrub jungle. Retention of the corridor with the Vandalur Reserve Forest is another reason for the campus' teeming biodiversity.”

The Scrub Society symbolizes the college's continual effort to cherish the wildlife in its midst. Says Raj, “The society was formed in 1990 by a group of environmentally conscious students with C. Livingstone, Botany professor and co-author of the book Campus Flora, as its first president. It has now grown in numbers and importance. Undergraduate students are encouraged to take up Scrub Society work, one of the seven activities that will earn them one credit.”

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, MADRAS:

For Susy Varughese, a faculty member in the Chemical Engineering department, the institute’s contribution to society goes beyond producing brilliant engineers. Her roll of IIT honour includes black bucks, spotted deer, monitor lizards, star tortoises and many others. from the animal kingdom. “As a natural extension of the Guindy National Reserve Forest, we have all the animals found there.”

Susy is part of Prakriti, a wildlife club comprising students, staff, alumni and residents of IIT. This 10-year-old club conducts nature walks and an annual bird-watching camp for children. But it its primary functions as the conscience of IIT, is to encourage residents and the other stakeholders in the institute to avoid lifestyles that endanger its rich wildlife.

“For example, we put up billboards around the campus sensitizing residents to the danger plastic poses to animals. We also circulate emails, urging insiders not to litter the campus with plastic bags. Deer have a tendency to ingest plastic bags with leftover food. Their digestive tract being different from ours, they suffer severely from this unnatural diet. The plastic can get entangled in their intestines and prove fatal,” says Susy. “We encourage insiders to use cloth instead of plastic bags.” Sensitizing the large floating population to behaviours that imperil animals is a difficult task, she adds.

“The ecosystem in IIT is an isolated one. To illustrate the point, a deer from here can’t go to Adyar. In such a scenario, we have to make adjustments for the animal,” says Susy.

The overall situation is, however, chirpy. “Despite galloping developments in areas around IIT Madras — especially on the IT corridor — birds are still found in good numbers.” Cases of birds losing out to development are few, like it happened with the house swifts. They colonized a building on campus, whose curved ceiling provided them ideal nesting spaces, and deserted this home when its windows were shut for the purpose of air-conditioning.

In an urban ecosystem — of which the IIT-M campus is a classic example — man-animal conflicts can’t be avoided and, when they arise, they can be intense. Says Susy, “The conflict can be minimized if we are inclined to make adjustments for them, bearing in mind that they keep a healthy ecosystem going.”

TREE CENSUS IN CHENNAI CAMPUSES

The first phase of tree census covered educational institutions.

D. Narasimhan, associate professor, Madras Christian College is the project coordinator

Number of exotic species trumps indigenous ones in city; second phase to begin by month-end

Exotic species of trees such as gulmohar and copper pods outnumber indigenous ones in the city.

This was one of the findings from the first phase of a tree census spearheaded by the urban forestry division. The second phase is likely to begin in the last week of November.

Over 80,000 trees have been enumerated in Chennai so far. The census is being carried out in two phases with nearly 150 botany students and staff from various city colleges serving as volunteers. The programme began in August 2011 at Guindy National Park.

While the first phase covered mostly educational institutions, the second one will facilitate ward-wise enumeration of trees.

Some of the places covered in the first phase are Guindy National Park, IIT-Madras, Anna University, Theosophical Society, Ramakrishna Mission, Stella Maris College, Ethiraj College for Women, Nandanam Arts College and Queen Mary’s College, an official of the forest department said.

“During the census, we collect details such as the species of the tree, its girth which is the measurement of its circumference, approximate height, age, and its importance,” he said.

So far, over 150 species of trees have been identified. Forest officials are confident they will be able to find more species as the census progresses.

“Exotic species are prevalent now because they were popular until a decade ago. It is only over the past ten years that many indigenous trees were planted,” another forest official said.

The tree census that began in Pune three years ago has not been completed yet. The census has also been carried out in some areas in Mumbai and Bangalore as well, the official said.

D. Narasimhan, associate professor, Madras Christian College, who is the project coordinator of the census, said, “We work for about six to seven hours a day during the weekends. Since we cover residential neighbourhoods in the second phase, we will need the cooperation of residents.”

The census is likely to be completed by February 2013, he said.

“Chennai’s links to ancient Rome found”

(Near MCC or Tambaram)

Source: TOI, Oct 14, 2011

Ancient Romans did not restrict themselves to coastal Tamil Nadu; they set up trading centres even far inland. A team of archaeologists exploring a dry lake bed in Naduvirapattu village, some 12km from Tambaram, unearthed a few days ago some artefacts, including broken pieces of amphorae (jars used by Romans). The team comprised assistant professor Jinu Koshy and students S Vasanthi and K Vignesh of the department of history and archaeology of the Madras Christian College.

The evidence at the site, archaeologists said, was a sign that the village may have been a transit staging area for the Romans before they proceeded towards Kancheepuram, a famous trading centre since the pre-historic era, to exchange their glass utensils and wine for rice, sesame oil, spices and silk.

In fact, they said, the pieces of amphorae were clear evidence of the presence of Romans. Earlier, similar jars had been found at excavation sites in Kancheepuram, Vasavasamudram and Arikamedu near Puducherry. These sites are located near the shore or river (Kancheepuram is near the Palar river), but Naduvirapattu is far from the coast or a river.

"The findings are interesting because the site is between two towns - Somangalam and Manimangalam - important since the pre-historic era," said former deputy superintending archaeologist K Sridharan.

It was a tip by a villager, engaged in sand-mining on a dry lake bed, that took the team to the site where it found artefacts of the Sangam Age (between 3rd century BCE and 4th century CE) and some from ancient Rome. Among them, the archaeologists said, were black-and-red ware, black ware, red slipped ware, double slipped ware, broken handles of vessels, hopscotch and lid knob.

Brick from Sangam Age also found 

We also found two shreds that formed the base of a conical jar. The conical jar is an imitation of the Romans amphorae and is indigenously made, said assistant professor Koshy. Also found was an old brick structure, reportedly from the Sangam Age. Each brick, it was found, was 31cm long, 20.5cm wide and 7.5cm thick.

The dry lake bed is being exploited by sand miners with earth movers, the archaeologists said, adding that unless checked it could destroy rare evidence to trace the cultural history from the early historic period or Sangam Age. The site should be preserved for further research and excavation that could help throw light on the importance of the village during the Sangam Age, structural activities and trade contacts during the age.

Note: For more information on history and archeology in areas around Tambaram and  Tamilnadu, please refer Gift Siromaney’s website  http://www.cmi.ac.in/gift/Archaeology.htm 

Most of these articles were published in MCC Magazine.

Please read “Early history of the Tambaram area”, Weekly Mail, January 16, 1967

MCC Magazine, Vol. XXXVI, No. 2, March 1967, pp. 47-49. Gift Siromoney.

“An organ builder in Madras”

Metro Plus, The Hindu, March 25, 2013

Making a handsome contribution to Madras Christian College’s 175th anniversary celebrations has been an alumnus from the U.K. who has donated the College’s chapel its first organ. The 1863 organ by Charles Brindley comes fully restored from a church in Sheffield and will be installed in Tambaram shortly by Christopher Gray, from Leicestershire, on organ builder, restorer and maintenance provider.

Gray, who has been in and out of Madras for the past decade, was my most recent visitor and from him I learnt that, after Independence, it has been only in the last 15 years that there has been some restoration of church organs in India. And the interest in such restoration has led to him setting up a workshop in Madras and training a couple of local technicians to help with this work, which often involves turning out parts locally.

It was to take a look at the Hill & Son’s organ, dating to 1894, that is in St. Mary’s in the Fort that Gray came out to Madras and in 2004 worked on restoring it. This was followed by working from 2005 on the 1895 organ by Conacher & Co. that is in St. Andrew’s Kirk, Egmore.* Gray’s next restoration work was on the organ in Zion Church, Chintadripet, which he completed in 2007. This organ, Gray thinks, was assembled locally by Wallace Misquith c.1900. The casework, frame and pedal chests were made in Madras, while the main soundboard, keys, action-components and pipes were imported from London by Misquith &Co., then the leading importers of musical instruments in South India.

The latest restoration that Gray has completed in Madras is of an 1890 Conacher & Co. organ in the Egmore Wesley Church. Commenting on this work, which he finished towards the end of last year, Gray says, “This organ has had a much greater scope of work than others in India, having been reconstructed to almost its original form after it had been altered over the years in its two previous homes.” Organs, it would appear, move from church to church. In fact, Egmore Wesley’s previous organ, around 135 years old, is now in the Adaikalanathar Lutheran Church in Purasawalkam, I am told.

Gray has also restored an organ in Bangalore and another in Goa. But what fascinates him as much as working on such reconstruction is the tracing of the history of the organs he works on - and that’s why he landed on my doorstep, though I don’t think he benefitted too much from my inputs.

* St. Andrew’s Church, popularly known as THE KIRK, was built and dedicated in the year 1821 for Christian Worship for the members of the Church of Scotland resident in Madras (now Chennai). The members were mostly Scotsmen from the British Army stationed in Madras and hence the Church came to be popularly known by its Scottish name KIRK. A small school (Madras Christian College) was started in the Church Hall by Rev. George  James Lawrie and Rev Mathew Bourie in 1835. The High School bloomed to a College by Rev. William Miller in January 1, 1877. Evening Services were started in 1881 (After installation of lamps lit by kerosene). Pipe Organ became part of worship and praise in 1883 (A small organ was used before this pipe organ). Sten Nilson in his book, European Architecture in India 1750-1850 writes, "From an artistic point of view, St .Andrew's is undoubtedly the best designed church in Chennai". He further writes," The building was set in a large compound surrounded by a wall but with facades visible from various directions. The order is Iconic, after a Roman pattern with elaborate ornamentation. Details such as coffered ceiling in the portico, the acanthus fillings in the capitals and the fret ornaments on the frieze are particularly striking. The interior is magnificent. The columns supporting the dome stand on a chequered black and white floor.

ANDREW’S CHURCH (KIRK), EGMORE AND MCC CONNECTION

“The Scottish touch” by Anusha Parthasarathy, Metroplus, The Hindu, September 25, 2013

Anusha Parthasarathy traces the history of this community through the churches and institutions they built in the city.

But for the occasional whistle of a train or its screeching halt at the neighbouring Egmore Railway Station, there is no other sound inside the premises of the St. Andrew’s Kirk. Leaves from low-slung branches of myriad trees brush past your face and there is a quiet grace to this 19th Century building. Consecrated in 1821, the stories of St. Andrew’s Kirk are written all over it, in the memorial plaques that adorn every wall and in the way it intrinsically links the history of Scotsmen in Madras.

The church was built in 1818 on the site of a Freemason’s Lodge as a place of worship for members of the Church of Scotland who had settled in the city. At that point in time, most of the Scotsmen here were part of the Madras Army. Imperial Conversations: Indo-Britons and the Architecture of South India by Shanti Jayewardene-Pillaisays that most of the free merchants in Madras were also Scottish, especially in the 19th Century. The Governor of Madras, in the late 1700s, was a Scotsman, Sir Archibald Campbell and Sir Henry Dundas, another elite Scot, was the President of the Board of Control (a state organ) and so, there was a some demand for a ‘kirk’ (Scottish for church) in Madras. Therefore, the Scottish Governor and the Indian Scottish Church establishment built the kirk, and its architect was Thomas de Havilland of the Madras Engineers.

The church was perhaps built, inspired by its namesake in George’s Street back in Scotland and, like the other, was curvilinear in plan and ‘each was fronted by a portico of four columns and a pediment, a tower and spire in the Gibbs manner’, writes Jan Morris in Stones of Empire: The Buildings of the Raj. Morris’ book describes the interiors of the church as it exists now – ‘the long benches of teak and rattan were curved to form a semicircular congregation, echoing the shape of the walls and the central dome above.’ This church, S. Muthiah says, in Madras Rediscovered, was often described as ‘the noblest edifice in Hindustan’.

The church’s role as a garrison church to the Scottish soldiers is apparent from the plaques on its walls, which not only have the name of the person but a little story on their lives. Take for instance, Colonel Francis Dudgeon, Madras Army, who died on his passage to England. The tomb was erected by the officers of the H.M. 44th Regiment MNI. Harry Boys, Royal Artillery, Clerk of this church, who served till his death. Lieutenant Colonel James Walker, 3rd Regiment, Madras Light Infantry was killed when leading a column of Madras troops to the storm of the Burmese trenches, ‘One of India’s first and bravest soldiers’. He died on December 5, 1824.

After the church was built and a community was formed, two chaplains of the Church of Scotland in Madras began a small school near the church, called the St. Andrew’s School (it was first situated in Randall’s Road and then moved to the church premises for a while) and a missionary, Rev. John Anderson, was sent from Scotland to govern it. It was started to introduce western education in Madras. The school then shifted to Armenian Street in George Town and was renamed Madras General Assembly School in 1837. In 1838, it shifted to another place; Errabalu Chetty Street, where more missionaries joined. By 1846, it was running out of Taylor’s Home in Esplanade, where it functioned for 100 years. Around 1877, Madras Christian College was formed and the school and college co-existed. The college moved to a bigger campus in Tambaram in 1937 and the school moved to Harrington Road in 1950.

Origin & History of Madras Christian College,

by Nirmal Sebsastian, CoolAge, Nov 22nd 2011

When two Chaplains of the Church of Scotland in Madras, Reverends George Laurie and Matthew Bowie requested the Church of Scotland to send a missionary to India to govern their small school, St. Andrew's on Randalls Road in Egmore, Madras in the year 1835, little did they know that they were setting the foundations for one of the Country's top most educational institutions. Today's Madras Christian College has its roots in that very same small school for boys.

That missionary, Reverend John Anderson conducted classes in a rented house on the East side of Armenian Street in Georgetown, Madras and named the Institution the General Assembly's School after the supreme governing body of the Church of Scotland. The main aim of this institution was to attract higher caste Hindu students and to convey to them, "as great as an amount of truth as possible through the channel of a good education especially of Bible truth".

Then came the era of educationalist par excellence, Dr. William Miller, who is still considered the Father of MCC. The Miller Statue and the Miller Memorial Library are both named after him, in his memory. During this era, the school grew into a 375 acre wooded campus of a college. He also created hostels and several academic and cultural associations, which helped turn MCC into a premier educational institution in South Asia. Women students were admitted to the college on a regular basis from 1939, and a hostel for them came up in Guindy, Madras in 1950.

Today, the college would not have been where it is, 175 years since its inception, had it not been for Dr. Miller. MCC is considered one of the premier institutions is India for education thanks to the strong foundations laid by Dr. Miller and the other founders of MCC and no matter what we do to commemorate them and their contributions to the brilliance of this institution, the amount owed to them by each and every student ever educated here cannot be made up for.

“John Anderson remembered as heritage church turns 150” Times of India, Mar 10, 2009

The Church of South India's Anderson Church in Parrys turned 150 on Tuesday, March 3. The following Sunday, a special thanksgiving service was held, presided over by Rt Rev V Devasahayam, the Bishop-in-Madras of the Church of South India.

It was on February 22, 1837 that Reverend John Anderson arrived in Madras as the first missionary of the Church of Scotland. He established The General Assembly's School in a rented house on the east side of Armenian Street with the headmaster and 59 boys from the St Andrew's School forming the core (the institution in 1877 became the Madras Christian College and School and shifted to George Town).

In March 1855, Anderson died. Four years later, the Anderson Church was constructed, with Reeverend P Rajagopaul, the first convert of Anderson, becoming the first minister of the church. Surprisingly, the name of Anderson, an educationist, is associated more with the church than with the school he founded. For decades, the church, with its towering steeple, remained a landmark of the Madras Christian College on the Esplanade until the college was shifted to new premises in Tambaram (1937). Currently, the church is the only building of the institution that remains in Parrys.

THE MADRAS CHRISTIAN COLLEGE, HISTORY

 (Excerpts from a Ph.D. thesis)

The Madras Christian College, Tambaram On the 3rd April 1837 the Rev. John Anderson, a missionary sent out by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, opened a school in Armenian Street in George Town, Madras. It is from this institution that the Madras Christian College derives its origin. The aims of the School were plainly stated in the prospectus to be ―to convey through the channel of a good education as great an amount of truth as possible to the native mind, especially of Bible truth. Every branch of knowledge communicated is to be made subservient to this desirable end. As soon as a proper class can be formed, the following branches will be taught. English, including reading, grammar and composition; writing and accounts, history, geography, arithmetic, mathematics, and algebra ; the elements of astronomy and political economy ; logic, moral philosophy, and natural theology ; the evidences and doctrines of Christianity, etc.

The prospect of such an education had a glamour which proved irresistible to the youth of Madras. The numbers in the School increased rapidly, rising to 180 in two months. The School became so popular that within a year new premises had to be found, and in 1838 the School was removed to Errabalu Chetty Street, where it remained for eight years. Fresh help was sought from Scotland, and Anderson was gratified beyond measure when he was joined in 1838 by his close friend, the Rev. Robert Johnston, and in 1841 by the Rev. John Braid wood and Mrs. Braid wood. The numbers in the School rose to about three hundred and kept around that figure for several years. It was necessary to find more adequate accommodation in a building which was owned by the Mission. In 1846 the Mission purchased a building in the Esplanade which had previously been used as a sailors‘ home. The cost of this property, Rs. 25,000. was obtained almost entirely by donations in India. After continuous toil for many years, Anderson was forced to go on furlough in 1849, and though he returned in 1851, his health never recovered, and he died in Madras in 1855. Johnston died in 1855, and Braidwood was invalided home, never to return. The School suffered in consequence, though only for a time.

The first boom in English education was to be followed by a second boom of perhaps even greater significance. The vast vague programme outlined by Anderson was to be canalized into the ordered discipline of University studies; the culture of the West conveyed through the medium of English was to make its full impact on Indian life. The University of Madras was founded in 1857 as an examining and affiliating body, on the lines of London University. When the Rev. William Miller arrived in Madras, on 9th September 1862, no pupil of the School had reached a standard nearly high enough to pass its Matriculation examination. The preparation for University degrees was being offered in institutions managed by Government, which were avowedly neutral in matters of religion, or in institutions which professed religious ideals which were not those of Anderson‘s School. If education was to continue to be a missionary method, the Missions must face the problem and the opportunity set by the University. To the Rev. Miller the answer to such problems and questionings was as clear as daylight. The School must go on, at any hazard, and Missions, singly or jointly, must take up the burden of University education in order to give it a Christian basis.

To work out such a programme Miller was admirably filled, and he gave the whole of his life, his talents, his fortune and his spirit to its completion. He was a man of means, coming from a ship owning family in the north of Scotland. He had done brilliantly at the Universities of Aberdeen and Edinburgh, and was thoroughly prepared by temperament and training for the creative task which it fell to his lot to undertake. By 1865 the first class of six students was ready for the Matriculation examination. The following year they took the Intermediate examination. In 1867 a class was opened to prepare students for the B.A. Degree examination of the University. The School had now become a recognized first-grade college of the University. The first candidates for the B.A. Degree from the College were sent up for the examination in 1868. Five of them passed, and were among the forty who were the successful candidates that year.

Then followed a period of rapid development and expansion under the inspiration, initiative and guidance of the Rev. Dr. William Miller.55 In 1877 the College was renamed as the Madras Christian College, and became the central Christian College for South India. The newly named College was to be governed by a Senate consisting of the Professors, who then numbered five; and a College Council in which were represented the Senate, the supporting Missionary Societies, and interested friends of the College in Madras. The Foreign Missions Committee of the Free Church of Scotland was to be merely a final court of reference. The College was later incorporated under the Indian Companies Act.

A period of bold and brilliant innovation and experiment followed which was to place the College in the forefront of the institutions for higher education in the Presidency. Miller gathered round him a group of brilliant and able men whose names are still household words in many parts of South India. New courses were mapped out and new professorships instituted; specialization in teaching was the order of the day. Numbers continued to increase, and from six students in 1865 it rose to 670 m 1878, with 1000 pupils in the School. How to house all these students became a problem. In 1871 half a lakh of rupees was spent on the buildings which, in the words of a contemporary, then ceased to be an eyesore and became an adornment to Madras. They stretched along what was then the most prominent and widest thoroughfare in the city the Esplanade leading to the seashore from the city proper. During the period 1883-87 a sum of Rs. 1,36,000 was spent in building the College Hall, the tower, and more class-rooms and laboratories. More work was carried out in 1891. The last great effort, prior to the Tambaram project, was the construction in 1907 of a whole new three-storeyed block for accommodating the Science classes and laboratories at a cost of Rs. 3,57,000.

One of Dr. Miller‘s great interests was books, and he gave himself to the building up of a fine library for himself {which he subsequently gave to the College) and to the enlargement of the College Library. Special class libraries were started and also collections of books for those who were preparing for the M.A. Degree. But students were not to become mere book-worms, and their leisure hours must be organized for their profit too. The Madras Debating Society was founded in 1877 for the benefit of the senior students of the College, and the Literary Society for the junior ones. The burning issues of the day were seriously debated in these Societies by the students, and several prominent leaders of public opinion were also given opportunity to speak. These Societies became the precursors of a host of societies, for debating, for producing plays and for the encouragement of the study of the vernaculars and the further study of the sciences.

A College Cricket Club was founded in 1882 and a Tennis Club a few years later. Regular gymnastic classes were also held. These Societies and Clubs were innovations in the field of education, and must have been very exciting in those early days. Most of them have continued in one form or another to the present time, though heir vitality has varied with each generation of students. A College Magazine was started in 1883 which was designed as a monthly review conducted by the Professors of the College at a time when such journalism was almost non-existent. It fulfilled this useful and important function for nearly half a century, but has since become a magazine of more purely college interest.

Perhaps the greatest and most fruitful venture of all was the provision of hostels for the students of the College. In 1882 Dr. Miller rented a house near the College where Brahmin students could live at a reasonable rate under the supervision and guidance of the College staff. The experiment proved so successful that in 1885 a permanent hostel was erected and called the Madras Students‘ Home. This provided accommodation for 45 students and was the first effort of its kind in South India. It was followed by a hostel for Christian students built in 1888 and called the Fenn Hostel ; a second Students‘ Home for Non-Brahmins in 1895; and a fourth hostel known as Caithness Hall in 1902. All these hostels were in the immediate neighbourhood of the College. Such was the creative period of the College History.

In 1907 Dr. Miller left India to reside in Scotland, where he died in 1923. In the fifty years which have elapsed since Dr. Miller left Madras the College has been developing in the main along the lines which he laid down, though there have been new and important developments rendered necessary by new problems created by changing times. The institution of the Honours courses in 1911 was a great advance in the educational standards of the University and the College. It also meant for the College that much greater attention had to be given to comparatively small classes, and consequently the number of the staff had to bear a much proportion to the number of the students. Since 1900 the number of students was kept round about 800, but the number of professors and lecturers had to be greatly increased. Within a few years after Dr. Miller‘s departure, it became increasingly clear that revolutionary changes were necessary if the ideals which he envisaged so clearly for the College were to be embodied for the present and future generations.

In the year 1937, the year which marked the centenary of John Anderson‘s School and the diamond jubilee of the Madras Christian College (under the name), the most startling transformation in the history of the College took place. This was the removal of the College to its new site at Tambaram, 16 miles away from Madras. Here in surroundings very different from George Town and with an organization in many ways new and unique, the College continued to make even more outstanding contributions to the educational progress of the country. Almost everyone who has spoken or written about Indian education in recent years has uttered a criticism and a warning of the danger of mass production‘. The nurture of mind and character, which is education in the true sense of the word, involves far more than mere acquisition of knowledge. It involves power of independent thought and sound judgment, adaptability to varying circumstances, willingness to accept responsibility, and at the same time a high conception of loyalty to the social group, and all the other characteristics of a true citizen. These cannot be learnt from books any more than they can be tested in examinations. They can only be learnt by the living intercourse of students with one another and with their teachers. Close personal contact between the student and teacher, in the relationship of the guru and his disciple, is the traditional Indian ideal of education. It must be retained; and to it must be added the other benefits which come when a group of students live, work, think and play together, in an atmosphere which fosters all that is highest and best.

The Madras Christian College has always recognized this, and has striven to give to its alumni that intangible ‗something more‘. That it has not been unsuccessful in this aim, the high standard of character and integrity and ideals of service, which have come to be indelibly associated with the name of old Christian College students who bear ample witness. The move to Tambaram gave the College a further and an increased opportunity to pursue this aim. With the removal of the College to Tambaram came the Hall system, which is still peculiar to this College. The ‘Hall‘ is indeed to be all that the hostel has been, and a great deal more; and while the fullest benefits accrue naturally to those who are actually resident, the nonresident student is also brought within the orbit of its activity. Each of the Halls (there are three of them) now accommodates nearly 200 resident students. All the non-resident students of the College are also ‘attached‘ to one or another Hall for the various social and educational purposes that the Hall fulfils.

Each Hall is presided over by a warden who is resident, with quarters in the Hall or very near it. All the members of the College teaching staff are also attached to one or other of the Halls and take part in its life; many of the lecturers and most of the demonstrators live in it. While most of the actual instruction in lecture room and laboratory still remains a function of the College as a whole, the Halls are to be the centres for tutorial supervision of students’ work. Every student is allotted to a ‘tutor‘ who exercises general supervision over his work and is ready with help and advice whenever they are asked for. Arrangements have also to be made in each Hall for actual coaching in the various subjects of the curriculum where it is necessary. Thus it is possible for every student to come into intimate contact with some, at any rate, of his teachers.

The intellectual activity of the Halls does not end with these official arrangements. In each Hall the students have organized literary and debating societies, where papers are read and discussions take place. With a smaller number of students forming the unit, there is far greater opportunity for individuals to exercise their talents in these directions than is possible in the large societies in the College. Games are played almost entirely upon a Hall basis. Each Hall has its own section of the extensive playing fields, with its own hockey and football pitches. Inter-Hall matches are played and are occasions of friendly rivalry. From the competing Hall teams outstanding players are selected to represent the College; but the essence of the games organisation is to give opportunity to the ordinary player, who does not excel, to gain both in bodily health and in character through the lessons which the team-game teaches so well. A reading room and an indoor games room in each Hall also serve the needs of less strenuous leisure moments, and have become centres of common life.

There is a library of books for general reading and various newspapers and magazines are available in each Hall. One of the Halls has been fortunate in inheriting the greater part of the library of Bishop Heber College, Trichinopoly. This supplements for its members, the main College library housed in the Miller Memorial building. The stage provided in the Assembly-hall or ‘theatre‘ of each Hall invites those with a leaning toward the drama to exploit their talents in that direction. The organization of the students‘ life within the Halls requires some sort of democratic machinery, and in the election of the various committees, and office-bearers for this purpose a valuable training is being obtained by them in the duties and responsibilities of a citizen in a democratic state. In fact, in all its activities, the miniature fellowship of the Hall prepares the student to take his place in the greater fellowship of the nation.

With the removal of the College from the City of Madras to Tambaram in 1937, the College ceased to be a constituent college of the University and became an affiliated college and had to obtain its affiliation afresh, It got its affiliation renewed for the Intermediate, Pass Degree and Honours courses in 1937. For the Intermediate and the Pass Degree, it continued to offer instruction in the languages of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malaya-lam, Sanskrit and French. For the Intermediate examination, it got affiliation in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, Physiology, History and Logic. For the Pass Degree courses it got its re-affiliation in 1937 in Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Botany, Zoology, Physiology, History and Economics, Statistics. Philosophy and Politics. It was also permitted to continue to present students for the Honours Degree examination in English, Mathematics, Philosophy, Botany, Zoology and Physics. Subsequent to 1937, the College got affiliation in Hindi for the Intermediate and Pass Degree courses (1948); for Economics Honours, Psychology Honours (1950) and Botany and Chemistry M.Sc. (1948). It gave up, however, teaching Urdu for the Intermediate and B.A. Degree courses and Statistics, Physics, Philosophy and Politics for the B.A. Degree courses. In the year 1956, the College started a Pre-University class and all the subjects which used to be taught for the Intermediate classes were being taught, but under a different syllabus and also new subjects like World History and Advanced English and Psychology. The strength of the College steadily increased from 233 in 1880 to 1,258 at present.

The Madras Christian College (MCC)

World Heritage Encyclopaedia (Excerpts)

BEGINNINGS:  

MCC has its roots in a small school for boys established in 1835 when two chaplains of the Church of Scotland in Madras, Rev. George James Laurie and Rev. Matthew Bowie founded the St. Andrew's School on Randalls Road in Egmore, Madras. At their request, the Church of Scotland sent a missionary to India to govern it. Missionary Rev. John Anderson, set up the institution as the General Assembly's School, conducting classes in a rented house on the east side of Armenian Street in Georgetown, Madras. The headmaster and 59 boys from St. Andrew's School moved to this institution. It was named after the supreme governing body of the Church of Scotland and aimed at attracting students from the Hindu higher castes with the aim of "conveying as great as an amount of truth as possible through the channel of a good education especially of Bible truth". The college grew from the school into a 375-acre (1.52 km2) wooded campus under the leadership of educationalist Dr. William Miller, who created hostels and several academic and cultural associations, which shaped MCC into a premier educational institution in South Asia.

The rapid expansion of the college and the paucity of the space necessitated moving the campus to a more spacious location. Accordingly, the college under the leadership of Rev. William Skinner (principal 1909–1921) initiated the Tambaram Project in 1919. Rev. Gordon Matthew as the town planning secretary negotiated with the government, which set aside 390 acres (1.6 km2) of the former Selaiyur forest land in Tambaram. While Mrs. and Prof. Edward Barnes meticulously planted rare trees and worked out the physical landscape, the Swiss architect Henry Schaetti, then based in Kodaikanal, India, designed the buildings. After 100 years in the heart of the city, the college moved to the sprawling, green campus in Tambaram on the outskirts of Madras in 1937.

On 30 January 1937, the governor of Madras, Lord John Erskine declared open the first campus buildings. The hostel gave way to three halls of residence — Selaiyur, Thomas' and Heber — active today as semi-autonomous student communities. Women students were admitted on a regular basis from 1939, and a hostel for them came up in Guindy, Madras in 1950. This too evolved into an on-campus hall of residence for women, Martin Hall, named after Agnes Martin, in 1968.

(Additional Notes on EARLY HISTORY OF MCC & Its HOSTELS:  - From a Ph.D. thesis

Of the 14 non-Government Colleges which were in existence in 1881, twelve were aided and two unaided. Of the 14 only four the Madras Christian College, the Doveton Protestant College, St. Joseph‘s College, Negapatam, and the S. P. G. College, Tanjore were of the First Grade. In 1892, the number of aided Colleges was 25, and that of unaided Colleges 3. Of the twenty-eight Colleges 9 were of the First Grade. The number of pupils in private Colleges increased from 830 to which Missionary and Native agencies have participated in Collegiate education will be seen from the following figures. Of the 28 Private Colleges, as many as 18 were maintained by Christian agencies. Protestant or Roman Catholic and these claimed nearly 2,000 of the 2,566 students. Only two out of the 10 Colleges managed by purely native agencies were of the First Grade the Pachaiyappa‘s College and the Maharajah‘s College, Vizianagram. The Madras Christian College has continued to hold foremost place among the aided Colleges During the period under review its strength advanced from 301 to 801. The various developments it has undergone has enabled it to compete successfully with the foremost Government College. In 1883, the Council of the Christian College decided to establish a separate Professorship in Mathematics, and Mr. W.B. Morren, M. A., took charge of his appointment in December 1883. In July 1884, a monthly periodical of literature, philosophy, science and religion, known as the Christian College Magazine, conducted by the Professors of the College, was started. One of the most important steps towards giving stability to the College and securing the hold it had already taken upon the youth of all portions of the Presidency was the institution, in 1885, with aid from Government, of the scheme of district and inter-collegiate Scholarships which is still in force. The Christian College was the first to take steps to provide Hostels for students. Dr. Miller began with one for Brahmans. In 1882, a large dwelling-house was rented for the purpose and placed under the supervision of a competent graduate. After two years ‘trial’, a handsome and comfortable boarding-house was erected by Dr. Miller at his own cost. This has since been known as the - Madras Students‘ Home. In 1888, another Hostel was opened for Native Christians, called the Fenn Hostel. A chair of Biology was established in December 1885, to which Dr. J. R. Henderson was appointed, and two vears later History was added to the list of optional subjects.)

LEADERSHIP:

MCC's leadership in governance and education has arguably evolved its familial culture and values-driven education. The Rev. Dr. A.J. Boyd led the college for 18 years (1938–56). General Krishnaswamy Sundarji's autobiography reveals that Boyd knew each student personally. Sundarji relates in his book that when he expressed his intention to join the army, discontinuing his studies, Boyd advised him against it as he believed Sundarji would make a good doctor rather than a good soldier.

After Boyd, Prof MacPhail became principal, who was then succeeded by the first Indian principal of the college, Dr. Chandran Devanesan in 1962. A man of Gandhian principles, Devanesen involved the faculty and students in working with the neighbouring community in Tambaram. This period (1962–72) is affectionately referred to by MCCians as "The Devanesan Decade".

The college was one of the first in India to be granted Autonomy in 1978 and the first batch of Autonomous graduates passed out in 1981. The year 2006 marked the Silver Jubilee of Autonomy for Madras Christian College.

CAMPUS:

The 365-acre (1.48 km2) campus is known for its flora and fauna, notably deer and rare trees. The college is distinguished by a lake on campus. The campus curator maintains these natural resources and ensures that no damage is done through unauthorized cutting of plants or grass. The first curator of the campus was Prof. Edward Barnes. Several faculty members from the department of Botany have since served as curators of the campus. They are Dr. K.R. Venkattasubban, Mr. Giles Lal, Dr.D.E.P. Jeyasingh, Dr. P. Dayanandan, C.Livingstone and Dr.G.Ebenezer. Dr. Manu Thomas from Zoology Department is the current Curator of MCC.

It is the second largest scrub jungle in Asia, actively used by departments like Botany and Zoology for their practical work.

The Scrub Society at Madras Christian College, along with other departments and units in the campus, strives for the development, preservation and protection of this campus for the future generations. It was headed by Prof. Dr. C. Livingstone from inception to his superannuation in the year 2007. The college is well known for encouraging student leadership and governance among students through the College Union Society in which, all students are members.

The most recognizable building is the 'Main Building' to which the main entrance leads. It houses administrative offices and some departments as well as lecture rooms. The Miller Memorial Library is another landmark building, built in anticipation of then-prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's visit in 1987.

BIODIVERSITY:

MCC has actively supported the diversity of flora and fauna on campus. Several eminent staff from various departments have contributed to the development and the upkeep of the campus diversity. Professor Edward Barnes (Department of Chemistry), the first curator of MCC Campus (along with his wife) began this process. Dr. K.R. Venkatasubban (Professor and Head, Department of Botany), Dr. P. Sanjeeva Raj (Retired Professor and Head, Department of Zoology), Dr. Gift Siromony (Professor and Head, Department of Statistics), Mr. Giles Lal (Department of Botany) and Dr. C. Livingstone (Department of Botany) have documented the Biodiversity of the campus as well as other areas in the region.

HALLS:

The college has five resident halls: St. Thomas's Hall, Selaiyur Hall, Bishop Heber Hall, Martin Hall (earlier known as Women's Hostel) and Margaret Hall (inaugurated in 2009).

ST. THOMAS'S HALL:

St. Thomas's hall was built in 1937, named after St. Thomas who brought Christianity into India. The first warden of St. Thomas's Hall was Rev. J.R. Macphail and the first general secretary was A. Mohammed Nabi. The Hall constitution was drafted in 1950-51 on the basis of the Indian Constitutional and Parliamentary system, administered by resident students (called the 'general body') who elect representative leaders holding eight ministerial positions and the post of the Speaker. The hall's current ‘E' block was earlier a campus school known as St. Thomas's Annexe. The Hall Emblem is represented using various elements that describe foundational and philosophical bases of the Hall: in the top portion, a lamp signifying enlightenment, divided by a cross signifying the Christian foundation of the college. On the top left: the crucified palm of Jesus Christ. On the top right: An elephant reaching out to a palm branch, signifying striving for higher ambition. On the bottom left: Maize, signifying India's reliance on agriculture. On the bottom right: A dove, signifying peace. The hall organizes an annual dance competition, named Utsav. Hall publications include USHA, the hall magazine and Tribune, the Hall newsletter. The hall has Table Tennis tables, Basketball grounds gymnasium, library, and entertainment room. The hall motto is "For God and Country."

Clubs and Societies in St. Thomas's Hall:

Bharathi Mandram organizes debates, lectures, seminars to promote Tamil culture. Jatra is the theatre society. St. Thomas's Hall's Literacy Programme organizes debates and distributes donations. The Nature Club prepares the hall for Vatika Martin Hall's biennial gardening competition. The Tennis club organizes and facilitates tennis games.

SELAIYUR HALL:

Selaiyur Hall, the oldest one on the college campus, was founded in 1937 and was named after the Selaiyur forest reserve, a part of which was set apart for the college.

The Hall emblem (coat of arms) consists of a shield incorporated with an anchor and held together by a rope. Sculpted above the emblem are images of a lotus, a pair of laurel leaves and a torch, which stand for purity, victory and truth respectively. The motto written in Latin at the base reads Esse Quam Videri which means "Sincerity not sham" and alternatively "To be rather than to seem".

The Hall constitution is derived from the British constitution and the governing body follows the British parliamentary system, reflected in the Cabinet and its manner of functioning since the residence's inception. The Cabinet each year consists is headed by the nominal-executive President (Hall Warden) and the Chairman and consists of seven Secretaries. Finance, Appraisal and Jury committees are appointed by the Chairman and the Cabinet in consultation with the President. Four general body sessions in the presence of 2/3rd of the residents are conducted each year to pass budgets and coordinate planning.

A prestigious line of alumni including India's former Chief Election Commissioner T.N. Seshan and K. Mathew resided at Selaiyur Hall during their years at MCC. It is the only hall on campus that hosts an annual alumni meeting organised by the Selaiyur Hall Old Boys Assosciation (SHOBA). The Hall publishes an annual magazine called Thots at the end of the academic year, conducts Parnassus discussions and has an social initiative titled STEPS. The Tamil society, Kamban Mandram, regularly conducts events of literary and cultural significance. Kathir is a yearly event celebrated by the society on the eve of Pongal. The most eagerly awaited events during the academic year are the cultural festival Moonshadow and the annual Hall Day.

Selaiyur Hall has an in-house Integrated Knowledge Centre (IKC),named the Dr Bennet Albert Integrated Knowledge Centre since 2009, based in its library for the residents to avail of Internet, books, videos, music, and printing facilities.

BISHOP HEBER HALL:

The history of Bishop Heber Hall could be traced back to a similar school started by a German missionary Christian Frederick Schwartz at Trichy in 1762. The school at Trichy grew and became a college in 1878. It was named Bishop Heber College after Bishop Reginald Heber (1783–1826) the hymn writer and erstwhile Bishop of Calcutta. In 1934 this college was closed and merged with Madras Christian College. The teachers and students who shifted to Madras formed the Bishop Heber Hostel at Vepery. After a short stay at Vepery and later at Royapettah, the hostel moved out with the rest of Madras Christian College to Tambaram in 1937. The chapel, the hall library and the coat of arms are reminders of the transformation of the college at Trichy to the Bishop Heber Hall at Tambaram. Heber Hall, as it is known, has several features that are unique to it- a natural pond in its courtyard, the Bishop Heber Chapel and the bridge across the facade of this chapel.

The hall coat of arms, originally of the Bishop Heber College, bears the rock at Trichy, a cross and a Bible, surmounted by a pelican, feeding its young with its own life-blood, symbolizing sacrificial giving.

The motto, in Latin, is "Nisi Dominus Frustra". This means, "In vain, without God." It is from the first verse of Psalm 127 which reads "If the Lord builds not the house, the builders labour but in vain". A hall resident is generally known as Heberian

THE HEBER CHAPEL:

The Chapel is a unique and prominent speciality of Bishop Heber Hall. It is located between the building's C and D blocks. The garden in the frontyard of the chapel is also home to the bell tower. Sunday services are held weekly and the order of worship is a blend of Anglican and Southern Indian styles. The chapel walls are painted and tiles are carefully polished each year by the residents themselves. The floor tiles were imported from Scotland and the altar was cut from a single piece of rock that was transported from Tiruchirappalli. This is a constant reminder of the roots of Bishop Heber Hall.

MARTIN HALL:

Established in 1968, Martin Hall was the only hall for women on campus until 2009, when Margaret Hall was set up. The hall was named after Agnes Martin, wife of Prof. Gavin Martin of the College. Mrs. Martin was also the YWCA's Madras secretary and a caring social worker. The halls has facilities like The Agnes Martin Auditorium, a library, an Indoor Games and Recreation Centre and outdoor badminton and throw-ball courts. Martin Hall is home to 210 students from India and other countries in Asia and Africa.

The Vatika Inter-hall Garden competition was first hosted by Martin Hall in the 1997-98 academic year to commemorate 30 years of women's residency on campus. It has been held every alternate year since then. The residents of this hall are known as Martinians.

MARGARET HALL:

This is a new hall established in 2009 for women students on campus. The hall has the capacity to house 140 students.

PUBLIC SPACES:

ANDERSON HALL

MCC's largest auditorium was built in anticipation of the third World Missionary Conference which was held here in 1938. In the words of Bishop Stephen Neill, this event was "the most international gathering held up to that point in the entire history of the Christian Church." The hall also hosted evangelist Billy Graham's visit to the campus in 1956. He delivered his address in this auditorium. The hall is used for a variety of events and has hosted several notable people — the nation's highest leaders, politicians, theologians, preachers, educators, businesspeople, civil servants, etc. — and continues to be the predominant indoor public space on campus.

MCC QUADRANGLE

The quadrangle or diamond directly in the front of the main building is the largest outdoor public space, used primarily for large student gatherings, such as the shows hosted during the annual Deepwoods intercollegiate cultural festival.

BOXING RING

The Boxing Ring doubles as an outdoor stage with green space in the front for a sizable audience, primarily used for student gatherings.

INTERNATIONAL GUEST HOUSE

This modern building, designed by a Swedish architect to western standards, is situated in the midst of a densely wooded area near the athletic fields. Wild deer grazing outside the dining room is not an uncommon sight.

CAFETERIA AND GUTTERS

The cafeteria and gutters are the spots students congregate during breaks or free hours. The gutters are popular hangouts for intellectual conversation and often the birthplace of artistic or culturally significant initiatives by students.

MACPHAIL'S ARTS CENTRE

MILLER MEMORIAL LIBRARY

An extensive library that was established in 1863, it is now housed in an elegant building, designed in anticipation of a visit by then Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, in 1987. Ahead of its time, this is an eco-friendly design, housing shrubs in arboriums within its glass walls. The library has several thousand books and periodicals in every course administered by the college and many others. A section of these books and journals are now being digitized for use by the students. The library has facilities for visually handicapped students to read in Braille. Several volunteer students assist them in this exercise, especially under the National Service Scheme (NSS) program.

MUSIC:

MCC has been known and acclaimed for its tradition in choral and instrumental music in numerous genres. Notable musicians who have been MCC alumni include pianist and composer Handel Manuel and BAFTA and Academy Award winning composer A.R. Rahman.

The Bishop Heber Chapel sustains a student choir in the Western tradition, who serve the weekly Sunday services as well as the daily prayers, evening compline, special services such as on Christmas, Good Friday, Easter Sunday as well as college-specific occasions. The college choir serves to support the daily morning worship services at Anderson Hall, as well as numerous other events at the college. MCC has been known for its student rock bands, members of which have gained prominence nationally. The well-known local Classic Rock band Rusty Moe comprises members entirely from MCC. They have also been credited as the very first rock band in India to release their versions of popular Christmas singles.

CULTURAL FESTIVAL:

Madras Christian College hosts Deepwoods, which is an inter-collegiate Cultural Festival.Typically held each year in February, it is a three-day event with various colleges from all over the country participating. MCC, as the hosting college, does not participate in the festival. Over 70 colleges from Chennai and other cities in India are participants in the event, bringing together over 30,000 people.

The highlight of the second day of the event is a light music show, aimed at integrating youth of different ethnic backgrounds through multi-lingual music.

Anuratha Sriram, Malgudi Subha, Srinivasan and Unni Krishnan have performed to packed audiences and cheering fans at the event.

A rock concert is the highlight of the third day, involving one of India's leading rock bands. In the past bands such as Parikrama, Orange Street, Pentagram, Moksha, The Killer Tomatoes, Afs, Them Clones and others have headlined.

DeepWoods 2004 was the Silver Jubilee Year for the Festival which began in 1980. The Fest had a byline that said "Celebrating 25 years of Creativity". Over 40,000 students attended the 31st event, at which returning Indian metal bands Blind Image and Junkyard Groove, and Escher's Knot played- all these bands had also played in 1999.

 SHORT HISTORY OF MADRAS

 Survivors of time – “The spirit of an era” by Anusha Parthasarathy,

Metroplus, The Hindu, June 4, 2013

Anusha Parthasarathy goes on a Portuguese trail visiting churches and monuments that represent their culture and architecture

Madras’ history can be broadly categorised into two parts; the era of the Cholas and Pallavas and that of the British. But what about the other influences that are still a part of Chennai’s skyline? While communities like the Armenians, Dutch and Scottish may no longer be around, many of their monuments and relics, in some of the city’s most central locations, continue to tell their stories to those who wish to listen. This series attempts to chronicle these monuments and the history they represent.

There is so much left of the Portuguese history in Madras that it is possible to spend a whole day or two trying to visit them all. From the ancient fortified town of San Thomé to the Church of Our Lady of Glory in Pulicat, their cultural signatures and Baroque-styled churches are spread across the city. In fact, Madras gets its name from a prominent Portuguese family that lived in the 1600s.

On an almost-faded tombstone with an escutcheon on top, in the new St. Lazarus church in Mandaveli, are inscribed the words “This is the grave of Manuel Madra and of his mother… They built this church at their own expense in the year 637 (1637).” The Madras Tercentenary Commemoration Volume mentions Mgr. Teixeira’s comments in the Madras Mail on July 23, 1927 that their name is the ‘most probable origin of the word Madras’. The St. Lazarus church, on the other hand, is said to have been in existence since 1582 (built by Fr. Ribeiro) and was rebuilt by the Madra family. However, the church today bears little resemblance to its past.

The Portuguese were the first to establish a colony in Madras. And, not surprisingly, in the fishing town of San Thomé. There is no record of the year in which the settlement was established but H.D. Love predicts that it couldn’t have been before 1522. But Gasper Correa, who was in India between 1512 and 1561 and wrote Colleccao de Monumentos ineditos: Lendas da India first mentions the town around 1534.

In Madras Rediscovered, S. Muthiah writes that between 1567 and 1592, San Thomé became a Portuguese settlement and an important port. According to The Vestiges of Old Madras by Henry Davidson Love, by 1635, San Thomé extended from the present north entrance to the bend of the road south of St. Peter’s Seminary. Later additions took its western boundary back nearly as far as Arundel Street. And within this boundary, they built seven churches.

But the Portuguese settlement didn’t thrive for very long, according to An Outline Of The History Of The Archdiocese Of Madras and Mylapore by former archbishop, R. Arulappa. Between the 1640s and 1660s, the town was threatened by the Dutch and besieged by the Golconda forces. In the 1670s, the French attacked San Thomé twice. The Portuguese returned in 1688. In 1769, 1780 and 1782, Hyder Ali ravaged San Thomé and the churches were occupied. In the 1800s, the Portuguese handed over the settlement to the British.