Ananda Ranga Pillai - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ANANDA RANGA PILLAI (March 30, 1709 – January 16, 1761), (often pronounced as Ānañtarañkam Pillai (Tamil: ஆனந்தரங்கம் பிள்ளை)) was a dubash in the service of the French East India Company. He is mainly famous for his set of private diaries from the years 1736 to 1761 which portray life in 18th century India.

Ananda Ranga Pillai was born in Madras in a well-to-do yadava family. At a very early age, Ananda Ranga Pillai emigrated with his father to Pondicherry where the family pursued their business interests. On his father’s death in 1726, Ananda Ranga was made dubash and served in his capacity till his removal on grounds of ill-health and deteriorating performance. Ananda Ranga died in 1761 at the age of 51. Ananda Ranga was especially known for his promixity to the French Governor Joseph François Dupleix, who favored him in various appointments.

Ananda Ranga Pillai’s diaries were translated in the early 20th century and bring to light life in the mid 18th century and the Anglo-French Carnatic wars. His mansion in Pondicherry has been recognized as a heritage monument. C. S. Srinivasachari, a prominent Indian historian described Ananda Ranga Pillai as the "Samuel Pepys of French India".

Ananda Ranga Pillai was born to a merchant named Tiruvengada Pillai on March 30, 1709 in the village of Perambur on the outskirts of Madras.[2] Madras was, then, the center of Tiruvengada Pillai’s business activities. In 1716, at the behest of Nainiya Pillai,brother-in-law of Tiruvengada Pillai, who then functioned as the chief Indian agent of French Pondicherry, Guillaume André d'Hébert, the French Governor of Pondicherry invited Tiruvengada Pillai and other important Indian merchants of Madras, to his city. Relying on Nainiya Pillai’s advice, Tiruvengada moved with his family and businesses to Pondicherry and settled there. Soon afterwards, Nainiya Pillai fell out of favor with the Governor and was imprisoned and later died. In contrast, Tiruvengada rapidly rose in favor with the French rulers and attained a respectable position in the city.

On the arrest of Nainiya Pillai, Tiruvengada Pillai had fled to Madras fearing arrest and ill-treatment. However, De La Prévostière who succeeded D’Hébert induced Tiruvengada to return.Meanwhile, Nainiya Pillai’s son Guruva Pillai escaped to France via Madras. His charges against D’Hébert before the Duke of Orleans were responsible for the removal and replacement of Governor D’Hébert.Guruva Pillai later adopted Christianity and settled down in France where he was appointed Chevalier of St Michael. Guruva Pillai died in 1724 followed by Tiruvengada Pillai in June 1726.

Pierre Christoph Le Noir who succeeded De La Prévostière had great regard for Tiruvengada Pillai and his family. Hence on Tiruvengada Pillai’s death in 1726, he gave employment to his son Ananda Ranga Pillai in the French East India Company and made him the chief of the Indian employees at the Company’s factory at Porto Novo. Soon, Ananda Ranga proved his worth. Large quantities of blue cloth were manufactured at Porto Novo. This was made possible mainly due to the efforts of Ananda Ranga Pillai who also established trading posts at Lalapettai and Arcot for trading Indian merchandise for European manufactures. Ananda’s fortune reached greater heights during the tenure of Le Noir’s successor Pierre Benoît Dumas who, too, seemed to have had a favorable opinion of him.

Till his death, Guruva Pillai had functioned as the chief dubash of Pondicherry.A dubash was a merchant in service of the Company who roughly performed the task of a translator and intermediary between Indian and European merchants. On Guruva’s death, the chief dubashship passed into the hands of another family as Guruva Pillai’s children had been raised as Hindus and the Chief Ecclesiastes of the Colony strongly desired that the holders of the particular office needed to be a Christian. When Dupleix became the Governor, the chief dubash was one Kanakaraya Mudali with whom Ananda Ranga Pillai had a bitter rivalry.However, Kanakaraya Mudali died in the year 1746 and in 1747, after many consultations and decision-making, Ananda Ranga Pillai was made chief dubash.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ananda_Ranga_Pillai Ananda Ranga Pillai (March 30, 1709 – January 16, 1761), (often pronounced as Ānañtarañkam Pillai (Tamil: ஆனந்தரங்கம் பிள்ளை)) was a dubash in the service of the French East India Company. He is mainly ...