A Chettiar Album

A collection of photographs of the Chettiar community. Dating from probably around 1900 to 1950, it gives a remarkable insight in to the community’s part in India and overseas. Many of the pictures are on the walls of The Bangala. An interested reader will find it fascinating.

THE CHETTIAR ALBUM is an unusual book of old Black and White photographs of the Nattukottai Chettiar Community. The photographs dating back to the early 1900’s ,bear stamps from Studios in Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and mainly Karaikudi in India. It is a fascinating display, where one can follow the different styles of dressing, customs and lifestyles through the various periods. It will be of much interest to members of the Chettiar community and those with a keen interest in photography. The book has been compiled by the renowned Historian S.MUTHIAH and his nephew M.MEYYAPPAN JR.               

The lady in the book cover is one of the most striking Chettiar women I have ever seen. And I have no idea who she is. - says S Muthiah. With over 200 photographs, the album records the history of Chettiars through pictures. When he was looking for decor for The Bangala, in antique shops in Karaikudi. In the process, he became addicted and then photographs became the focus. There are seven chapters, starting with Girls and Women, Boys and Men, Pictures from Glass, Families Together, Welcomes and Celebrations, The Chettiars Overseas and From Bullock Cart to Flying High. In the first chapter, you can see the evolution of women's style: from no blouses to long sleeve, followed by three-fourth sleeves, and then the famous puff sleeves. Around 60 percent of the photos came from the antique shops, so we don't know who they are.                             

ABOUT THE COMPILERS:

S.MUTHIAH: - Muthiah, even though born in Pallathur, one of the Chettinadu villages in Tamil Nadu, Muthiah came from the Nagarathar Community in Chettinadu. He inherited the community's passion for publishing and history. He coauthored a coffee-table book The Chettiar Heritage with Meenakshi Meyyappan and Visalakshi Ramaswamy. Muthiah was educated in Sri Lanka, where his father worked. He also studied in India and the United States. After completing a B Sc Degree in engineering and an M.A in International affairs, Muthiah began his journalistic career with the Times of Ceylon and worked for the paper between 1951 and 1968. He was its Foreign News Editor and then Features Editor and was later in charge of its Sunday Times and magazines. From 1954 to 1968, he represented in Sri Lanka first News Chronicle of London and then Daily Mail. He also represented The Observer, London, and its Foreign News Service from 1959 to 1968, besides working for two other British features services.                     

After he returned to India in 1968, he joined the TTK group and was in charge of T.T.Maps in Madras, which published maps, atlases and tourist guide books. He was also an eminent cartographer.  He was a regular contributor on Chennai's history for The Hindu Metro Plus. His column Madras Miscellany was very popular, and revealed several unknown facets of the city that was once Madras, and its connections with other cities of the World. He was also the founder of the magazine Madras Musings and his book Madras Discovered was published in 1981. He was one of the personalities instrumental in organising Madras Week Celebrations every year. Mr.Muthiah has worked hard to save a number of heritage monuments in Chennai. He died on 20 April 2019.                           

M.MEYYAPPAN JR. had also joined together with S Muthiah in this book compilation of Photographs. Mr.M Meyyappan Jr. is a collector of old photographs of the Chettiar community.