- T. V. Sundaram Iyengar
Infobox_Celebrity
name = T. V. Sundaram Iyengar
T. V. சுந்தரம் ஐய்யங்கார்
birth_date = 1877
birth_place =Thirunelveli ,Madras Presidency ,British India
death_date = death date |1955|4|28|mf=y
death_place =Kodaikanal ,Tamil Nadu ,India
occupation = Industrialist
salary =
networth =
spouse =
footnotes =
children =T. S. Soundaram ,T. S. Rajam ,T. S. Santhanam ,T. S. Srinivasan andT.S. Krishna T. V. Sundaram Iyengar ( _ta. திருக்குறுங்குடி வே சுந்தரம் ஐய்யங்கார்) was an
industrialist , the founder of TV Sundaram Iyengar and Sons group of companies, one of India's largest industrial conglomerates. [http://www.tvsiyengar.com/aboutus.htm TVS Iyengar] ] With his humble beginning as a lawyer, he grew into one of the most successful industrialists of his time. The Flagship Company of the group isTVS Motors . He laid foundation for road transport industry in the erstwhileMadras Presidency through the states first bus service. The TVS group he thus started now extends from motor industry, autoservices to financial services.Birth and early life
Sundaram Iyengar was born in
Thirukkurungudi ,Tirunelveli District in the present dayTamil Nadu (then part ofMadras Presidency ) in 1877. Sundaram Iyengar started his initial career as alawyer , as per his father's wishes, then moved to work for theIndian railways and later in a bank. [http://www.outlookbusiness.com/print.aspx?articleid=159&editionid=16&catgid=73&subcatgid=490 60 years in business - Outlook Business] ]As an industrialist
Sundaram Iyengar later quit his jobs and laid the foundation for the motor transport industry in South India when he first started a bus service in the city of
Madurai in the year 1912. [http://www.hindu.com/2005/04/29/stories/2005042900170902.htm TV Sundaram Iyengar dead] ] He established the T.V. Sundaram Iyengar and Sons Limited in 1923, which by his death in 1955, operated a number of buses and lorries under the title of Southern Roadways Limited. This paved the way for the genesis of the TVS group. During the times of the second world war, Madras Presidency was met with petrol scarcity. To meet the demands, Sundaram Iyengar designed and produced the TVS Gas Plant. He also started a factory forrubber retreading, besides two more concerns, the Madras Auto Service Ltd. and the Sundaram Motors Ltd., the former was the largest distributors of General Motors in the 1950s. What started as a single man’s passion soon became the business of a family. Sundram Iyengar had five sons and three daughters, and in his patriarchal Tamil Brahmin family all male members got into the business. With his eldest son, Duraisamy’s early death, four other sons—T. S. Rajam ,T. S. Santhanam ,T. S. Srinivasan andT.S. Krishna — became an integral part of the business and ever since there have been four largely distinct branches that, however, have worked under the TVS umbrella. The group established by Sundaram Iyengar, according to the company, is currently the largest automobile distribution company in India, enjoys a turnover of about US$ 1 Billion (INR 40,000 Million) and has an employee strength of 4000. The group operates in diverse fields like automotive component manufacturing, automotive dealerships and electronics, [ [http://www.tvse.com/abt_corporate.asp TVS Electronics] ] as well as into finances. Some of the of the TVS group are:* Wheels India
* Brakes India
* Sundaram Fasteners,
* TVS Motor Company
* Sundaram Finance
* Turbo Energy Limited
* Axles India
* Sundaram Clayton
* Lucas TVS
* Sundaram Motors
* Sundaram Brake Linings
* TVS LogisticsPersonal life and death
Sundaram Iyengar proved himself as a forward thinker when he got his daughter
T. S. Soundaram , then a teenage widow, remarried, under the auspice ofMahatma Gandhi . [ [http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:gEkV8TCpz_sJ:www.goodnewsindia.com/Pages/content/institutions/gandhigram.html+TV+sundaram+widow+daughter&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1 "The Mahatma's magic lives on in Gandhigram"] ] TS Soundaram then involved herself in theIndian independence movement along with Gandhi. She was later honoured with apostal stamp released in her honour. [ [http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/10/03/stories/2005100302770300.htm Stamp on Dr T.S. Soundram released- The Hindu] ]Apart from being a successful business man, Sundaram Iyengar was also well known as a patron of arts. [ [http://www.arangham.com/ritrev/kaisiki/report.html Kasiki Natakam] ] He was praised by
Rajaji , a senior statesmen in theCongress party of India at that time, for his gesture of retiering and handing over the trade to his sons. [ [http://www.shvoong.com/humanities/5043-king-maker-kamaraj-grew-big/ THE KING MAKER-Kamaraj grew up as a big power] ] He died in the early hours of April 28, 1955 at his residence inKodaikanal at the age of 78 and at that time was survived by his wife, four sons and three daughters. Sundaram Iyengar was honoured by theUnion Government of India by unveiling busts in bronze and in marble in the city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu on August 7, 1956. [ [http://www.hindu.com/2006/08/07/stories/2006080700560902.htm Tributes to TVS Iyengar] ]References
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