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Sri Lanka
30 Jul 2010
03:27 |
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| Subbiah MUTHIAH |
Subbiah Muthiah's association with Sri Lanka goes back to a father who came to study at Ananda College c.1916 and stayed on. V. Vr. N. M. Subbiah Chettiar, better known in Ceylon as M. Subbiah, or Subi, was to become a stockbroker, then take over Heller & Co. in 1939 and run it as General Trading Corporation. But he was better known for his involvement in Ceylon politics, being a nominated member of the Colombo Municipal Council for several years. Deputy Mayor twice, acting for the Mayor several times and, most significantly, being the Founder-President of the Ceylon Indian Congress formed in 1939 by 16 Indian associations in Ceylon. Later that year, after Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's visit the Ceylon Indian Congress and the Ceylon Indian Association merged to become the second Ceylon Indian Congress, from which the Ceylon Workers' Congress, Democratic Workers Congress and other similar organisations evolved. uubbiah, who was very close to the Ceylon leadership from the 1930s to 1950s, stood for election to the Nuwara Eliya seat in 1947 and lost a close verdict. He left Ceylon for personal reasons in 1960 and settled in his village in India.
Muthiah, born on 13-4-1930, and brought up in a household where Ceylon and Ceylon-Indian politics was daily fare, is an old boy of Ladies' College, St Thomas' Prep. (where W.T. Keble was to prove the greatest influence in his life) and RoyaL before going on to do his school finals in India and, then in 1946 . be one of the first batch of students from this part of the world to go to the U.S. for higher studies immediately after the War. In the U.S. besides graduating with a B.S. (Engineering), B.A. and M.A. (International Affairs), he represented his University in Athletics, Debating, was active in campus journalism and worked with local newspapers.
Returning to Ceylon in 1951, circumstances forced him to rethink a career in the foreign service and he joined The Times of Ceylon, to become wedded to journalism and writing ever since.
With The Times of Ceylon from 1951 to 1968, he was its Foreign News Editor, then, from 1954, its Features Editor, besides being in charge of the Sunday Times, the Group's supplements and The Times of Ceylon Annual, which was a most sought after glossy publication for Overseas gifting during tlis stewardship. He also for 13 years reviewed sport in the Island in liis column 'By the Comer Flag' which successfully campaigned for taking cricket to the rural areas and getting the Police and Sen/ices into first class rugby. Besides tbcussing on the contribution to spurt by sportspersons from rural areas, he was also responsible for The Times giving much space to the Sinhala and Tamil Arts, Theatre and Film scene.
He represented m Ceylon, from 1954, first, the London News Chronicle, then the London Daily Mail till 1968. He also represented in Ceylon, from 1959 to 1968, The Observer, London, and its Foreign News Service. He was also associated with the production of various Ceylon Tourist Board publications.
Returning to India in 1968 due to a citizenship hiccup, Muthiah founded TT Maps & Publications Ltd., in Madras for a leading South Indian conglomerate. This pioneer and leader in the field publishes maps, atlases and tourist guidebooks and has a large offset printing unit for its work. He retired as President of the Company in October 1990, but continues as its President Emeritus. While at TT Maps, he conceived, edited, designed and supervised the production of all its publications - more than 15 titles a year.
The association with the TTK Group continues as its Director, Group Communications, and Editor of its prize-winning house journal, TTK Spectrum. But he also works as an information consultant and freelance editor for various institutions and publishers. This is through his editorial consultancy service, Madras Editorial Services.
In Madras, his association with The Observer, London, continued till 1972 and then for many years he was a regular contributor to Gemini News Service and Compass New Features, London. He has inIndia been writing regularly for various airline, travel and hotel glossies and for overseas and local publishers of travel books. Since 1991, has edited Madras Musings, a widely read city fortnightly focussed on Madras's heritage, environment and civic conditions. For several years now, has been writing two columns a week for The Hindu, 'Madras Miscellany' and ‘Madrascapes'.
He is the author of 16 books with historical backgrounds — 'Madras Rediscovered', 'Tales of Old and New Madras', Madras - The Gracious City', 'Madras - Its Past and its Present', 'Panys 200', "The Parry Story', 'Getting India on the Move', 'A Planting Century', 'Queen of The Coromandel', "The Spirit of Chepauk', 'All in the Game', 'Looking back from Moulmein', 'The Chettiar Heritage' (with Meenakshi Meyyappan and Visalakshi Ramaswamy), 'The Ace of Clubs', 'The Splendour of South India' and 'The Indo-Lankans: A 200-Year Saga'. Also wrote 'Words in Indian English'. Edited' A Social and Economic Atlas of India' and' An Atlas of India' for Oxford University Press, Delhi, and produced for them by TT Maps, 'Madras - Its Yesterdays, Todays and Tomorrows', 'At Home, in Madras - A Handbook', and 'The Janashakthi Book of Sri Lanka Cricket’. He has also authored several geography text books. He is currently working on two biographies and a corporate commemorative volume.
Having a deep commitment to passing on knowledge, he has long given freely of his time to teaching. Has been teaching Journalism and Print Production from 1972 at the Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan, Madras (for Government-recognised diplomas), Anna University and the University of Madras. Helped found India's first degree course in Printing Technology at Anna University in 1980 and has represented the Department on the Board of Studies of the University. Has also been on the Advisory Board of the Regional School of Printing, Madras.
Has been an office-bearer of the Madras Printers' and Lithographers' Association, the All f idia Federation of Master Printers, the Booksellers' and Publishers' Association of South India, the Federation of Indian Publishers, the Indian Geography Association, the Indian National Cartographic Association and the Public Relations Society of India (Tamil Nadu Chapter). He is the Co-convener of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage - Tamil Nadu Chapter. And is a much sought after speaker.
He was awarded in March 2002, the MBE by the Queen of England for his work on Heritage and Environment Conservation in Madras. |
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