S. V. Ramamurthy

Sir Sonti Venkata Ramamurthy KCIE (1 August 1888 - 19 January 1964) was an Indian civil servant who served as Chief Secretary to the Government of Madras Presidency from 1939 to 1943 and as advisor to the Madras government from 1941 to 1945.[1] He was the first Indian to be appointed Chief Secretary of Madras. Ramamurthy also acted as the Governor of Bombay Presidency from 19 May 1947 to 30 May 1947.

Sir

Sonti Venkata Ramamurthy

KCIE CSI
Chief Secretary to the Government of Madras Presidency
In office
1939–1943
PremierNone (Governor's rule)
GovernorArthur Hope, 2nd Baron Rankeillour
Preceded byG. T. Boag
Succeeded byC. H. Masterman
Personal details
Born1 August 1888
Vizagapatam
DiedJanuary 19, 1964(1964-01-19) (aged 75)
United Kingdom
NationalityBritish Indian till 1947, Indian after 1947
Alma materLondon Mission High School, Vizagapatam,
University of Madras,
Trinity College, Cambridge

Early life and education

Born in Vizagapatam on 1 August 1888,[2] Ramamurthy studied at the London Mission High School and after graduating from Madras University, did his masters' at the Trinity College, Cambridge.[2][3] Ramamurthy passed the Indian Civil Service examinations in 1911 and was allocated to the Madras Presidency.[2] During his stay in Cambridge, Ramamurthy gained a reputation for his mathematical abilities.[4]

Career

Ramamurthy joined the Indian Civil Service in November 1911 and served his entire career in the Madras Presidency, In 1923, he was appointed District Collector of Ramnad. In September 1927, he succeeded H. S. Shield as the District Collector of Tanjore district, the second native Indian to be appointed to the post.[5] In 1928, he was appointed Secretary of the Development Department of Madras Presidency and served a short stint as the Director of Agriculture before being appointed District Collector of Salem. In 1937, Ramamurthy was removed as District Collector of Salem at the insistence of the Premier, C. Rajagopalachari and replaced with an Englishman, A. F. W. Dixon, who achieved remarkable success in imposing prohibition in Salem district.[6] Ramamurthy responded when, appointed to head a commission after the Governor had dismissed Rajaji's government, he recommended the abolition of prohibition throughout the province.

In 1939, Ramamurthy was appointed Chief Secretary to the Madras government, the first Indian to occupy the post.[7] He served till 1941 during the time when the Second World War broke out and introduced food rationing in the province. He retired as advisor to the Madras government in 1946.

Later life

Following his retirement, Ramamurthy accepted an invitation to act as the Governor of Bombay for a few days. Later that year, he accepted an appointment as the Diwan of Udaipur State. Ramamurthy served for a year and oversaw the state's accession to the Indian Union.

References
  1. The Indian Review. 63. G. A. Natesan. 1964. p. 104.
  2. Ramamurthy, Sonti Venkata. The India Office and Burma Office List. Harrison and Sons. 1922. p. 840.
  3. Tikekara, Arun (2006). The Cloister's Pale: A Biography of the University of Mumbai. Popular Prakashan. p. 333. ISBN 8179912930, ISBN 9788179912935.
  4. Thomson, Sir Herbert (2013). Icarus Went East. p. 64. ISBN 1304581845, ISBN 9781304581846.
  5. "List of District Collectors of Thanjavur". worldstatesmen. Archived from the original on 2015-10-31.
  6. Rajanan, Busnagi (1992). Salem cyclopedia: a cultural and historical dictionary of Salem District, Tamil Nadu. Institute of Kongu Studies. p. 231.
  7. Chopra, Pran Nath (1992). Encyclopaedia of India: Tamil Nadu. Encyclopedia of India. 18. Rima Publishing House. p. 89.
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