Kalaithanthai Karumuttu Thiagaraja Chettiar started Sree Meenakshi Mills in 1940. Sree Meenakshi Mills soon became the largest mill run by an Indian in South India. He then started educational institutions and spent over ₹60 million on them at that time.
Then-Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru came down to South India to inaugurate a high school building on April 15, 1959. The school was run by none other than Mr. Kalaithanthai’ Karumuttu Thiagarajan Chettiar. In his lifetime he forayed into many domains and tasted success in most of it. He is especially remembered for his textile space in South India, and his contributions to education, launching colleges and institutes under the brand name of Thiagarajar.
Mr. Kalaithanthai’ Karumuttu Thiagarajan Chettiar broke the tradition of Chettiars taking up the money-lending profession and changed the path to textile space in 1866. Mr. Kalaithanthai’ Karumuttu Thiagarajan Chettiar was a visionary then and the tradition of his kindness and philanthropy lives through his family.
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