T. V. Sundaram Iyengar
Encyclopedia
T. V. Sundaram Iyengar Thirukurungudi Venkagaruswamy, was an industrialist, the founder of TV Sundaram Iyengar and Sons group of companies, one of India's largest industrial conglomerates. 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 is TVS Motors
. He laid foundation for road transport industry in the erstwhile Madras Presidency
through the states first bus service. The TVS group he thus started now extends from motor industry, autoservices to financial services.
, Tirunelveli
District in the present day Tamil Nadu
(then part of Madras Presidency
) in 1877. Sundaram Iyengar started his initial career as a lawyer
, as per his father's wishes, then moved to work for the Indian railways
and later in a bank.
in the year 1912. 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 for rubber
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. Sundaram 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 and T.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, finances and electronics, as well as into IT solutions and services. Some of the TVS group are:
. TS Soundaram then involved herself in the Indian independence movement
along with Gandhi. She was later honoured with a postal stamp released in her honour.
Apart from being a successful business man, Sundaram Iyengar was a patron of the arts. He was praised by Rajaji, a senior statesmen in the Congress party of India at that time, for his gesture of retiring and handing over the trade to his sons. He died in the early hours of April 28, 1955 at his residence in Kodaikanal
at the age of 78 and at that time was survived by his wife, four sons and three daughters. Sundaram Iyengar was honoured by the Union Government of India by unveiling busts in bronze and in marble in the city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu on August 7, 1956.
TVS Motors
TVS Motor Company is the third largest two-wheeler manufacturer in India.It is the flagship company of the parent TVS Group employing over 40,000 people with an estimated 15 million customers. It manufactures motorcycles, scooters, mopeds and auto rickshaws...
. He laid foundation for road transport industry in the erstwhile Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
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 ThirukkurungudiThirukkurungudi
Thirukurungudi is a town which is located in Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, South India. The taluk of Thirukurungudi is Nanguneri and it belongs to Nanguneri Assembely. At the foothills of the Western Ghats and 40 km to the North of Cape Comerin, Thirukurungudi is a village with history...
, Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli , also known as Nellai , and historically as Tinnevelly, is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Tirunelveli District and the sixth biggest city in Tamil Nadu...
District in the present day Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
(then part of Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
) in 1877. Sundaram Iyengar started his initial career as a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, as per his father's wishes, then moved to work for the Indian railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
and later in a bank.
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 MaduraiMadurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
in the year 1912. 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
TVS group
TVS Group is an Indian diversified industrial conglomerate with its principal headquarters located in Chennai and Madurai. Almost all holdings of the group are private...
. 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 for rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
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. Sundaram 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 and T.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, finances and electronics, as well as into IT solutions and services. Some of the TVS group are:
- Wheels India
- Brakes India
- Sundram Fasteners
- ZF Electronics TVSZF Electronics TVSZF Electronics TVS Private Limited Formerly named as TVS Cherry Private Limited is a joint venture between TVS Group, India and ZF Electronics Corporation, USA ,a group company of ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Germany to manufacture precision snap action switches, sensors and electromechanical...
(India) Private Limited - TVS Infotech (Visit Website)
- TVS Motor CompanyTVS MotorsTVS Motor Company is the third largest two-wheeler manufacturer in India.It is the flagship company of the parent TVS Group employing over 40,000 people with an estimated 15 million customers. It manufactures motorcycles, scooters, mopeds and auto rickshaws...
- Sundaram Finance
- Turbo Energy Limited
- Axles India
- Sundaram Clayton
- Lucas TVS
- Sundaram Motors
- Sundaram Brake Linings
- TVS Logistics
- TVS Southern Roadways LTD http://southernroadways.com
- Sundaram Hydraulics Limited
- WABCO-TVS India Limited
Personal 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 of Mahatma GandhiMahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
. TS Soundaram then involved herself in the Indian independence movement
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
along with Gandhi. She was later honoured with a postal stamp released in her honour.
Apart from being a successful business man, Sundaram Iyengar was a patron of the arts. He was praised by Rajaji, a senior statesmen in the Congress party of India at that time, for his gesture of retiring and handing over the trade to his sons. He died in the early hours of April 28, 1955 at his residence in Kodaikanal
Kodaikanal
-Climate:Kodaikanal has a monsoon-influenced subtropical highland climate . The temperatures are cool throughout the year due to the high elevation of the city.-Economy:...
at the age of 78 and at that time was survived by his wife, four sons and three daughters. Sundaram Iyengar was honoured by the Union Government of India by unveiling busts in bronze and in marble in the city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu on August 7, 1956.