M. K. Mackar Pillay

Manadath Kunju Mackar Pillay (1880 – 1966) was an Indian industrialist, banker, philanthropist, and politician who served in the Sree Moolam Popular Assembly.[1] He was a leading cashew and lemongrass exporter, and founder of the eponymous Mackar Pillay and Sons Limited.

This article is about a person whose name includes a patronymic. The article properly refers to the person by his given name, Mackar Pillay, and not as Manadath or Kunju.
M. K. Mackar Pillay
എം. കെ. മക്കാർ പിള്ള
Member of the Sree Moolam Popular Assembly
In office
1936–1947
Nominated byC. P. Ramaswami Iyer
ConstituencyAlwaye
Perumbavoor
Personal details
Born1880
Alwaye, Madras Presidency, British India
Died19 May 1966(1966-05-19) (aged 85–86)
Alwaye, Kerala, India
Nationality British Indian Empire (1880–1947)
India (1947–1966)
Spouse(s)Ishumma Tharackandathil
Amina Tharackandathil
Children17, including M. M. Abdul Hameed
Relatives
  • M. K. Khader Pillay (brother)
OccupationAgriculturalist
Exporter
Politician

Pillay was the promoter of the Bank of Alwaye, Alwaye Municipality's primary financial institution, before it was merged into the State Bank of Travancore in 1965.

Biography

Mackar Pillay was born to Manadath Kunju, an Aluva agriculturalist and trader, as the second of three sons.

In 1941, Pillay founded Mackar Pillay & Sons, one of the largest trading firms in the Kingdom of Travancore. The company was the first to challenge the monopoly of British trading firms in the Malabar coast by directly exporting essential oils.[2]

Pillay's older brother, M. K. Khader Pillay was the first President of the Alwaye Municipality, which was chartered in 1921. Khader Pillay was also bestowed the Khan Sahib title by the British Raj for his service during the Great Flood of 99.[3]

Philanthropy

Mackar Pillay was instrumental in the establishment of co-operatives that strengthened Aluva's local economy, including the Keezhmad Khadi and Village Industries Co-operative Society,[4] and the Keezhmad Co-operative Bank.

Pillay was also a proponent of the education of Muslim women. He presented a considerable scholarship endowment to the Aligarh Muslim University for funding the education of the institution's female students.[2]

Namesakes

Descendants
  • M. M. Abdul Hameed - industrialist, philanthropist, and final managing director of Mackar Pillay & Sons Limited

References
  1. "History of legislative bodies in Kerala-- Sri Moolam Praja Sabha". www.keralaassembly.org. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  2. "റയോൺസിൻ്റെ സൈറൺ മുഴങ്ങുന്നു, "പ്രത്യാശയിലേക്ക് "". NewsWaves. 10 June 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  3. "خان صاحب", آزاد دائرۃ المعارف، ویکیپیڈیا (in Urdu), 7 June 2020, retrieved 19 June 2020
  4. "Khadi & Village Industries Co-operative Society". kkvics.com. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  5. "Renaming Order for the MES College for Advanced Studies, Edathala" (PDF). Mahatma Gandhi University Register. 3 December 2019.
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