>SdkbBot at 22:53, 4 January 2022

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{{Use Indian English|date=October 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[Rao Bahadur]] [[Sir]]
| name = A. T. Pannirselvam
| image = AT Pannirselvam 2008 stamp of India.jpg
| caption =A.T Paneerselvam Udayar
| imagesize =
| order1 = Minister of Home of [[Madras Presidency]]
| term_start1 = 1934
| term_end1 = ?
| governor1 = [[John Erskine, Lord Erskine]]
| monarch1 =
| primeminister1 = [[Raja of Bobbili]]
| term_start2 = 1 April 1937
| term_end2 = 14 July 1937
| governor2 = [[John Erskine, Lord Erskine]]
| monarch2 =
| primeminister2 = [[Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu]]
| order3 = Minister of Finance of [[Madras Presidency]]
| term_start3 = 1 April 1937
| term_end3 = 14 July 1937
| governor3 = [[John Erskine, Lord Erskine]]
| monarch3 =
| primeminister3 = [[Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu]]
| birth_date = 1 June 1888
| birth_place =
| death_date = 1 March 1940
| death_place =
| nationality = [[British India]]n
| party = [[Justice Party (India)|Justice Party]]
| alma_mater =
| profession = [[Politician]]
| spouse = Pappammal
}}

Rao Bahadur '''Sir Arogyaswami Thamaraiselvam Pannirselvam''' (1 June 1888 – 1 March 1940) was an Indian attorney, landlord, politician and leader of the [[Justice Party (India)|Justice Party]]. He was born in a royal family of [[Udayar (caste)|Udayar]] community from [[Thanjavur]] district, Tamil Nadu.

== Political career ==
Pannirselvam was the leader of the Tanjore Municipal Corporation during 1918–20 and a member of the [[Tanjore]] District board during 1924–30.<ref>{{cite book|last=Vasudevan|first=Ravi|title=Making meaning in Indian cinema|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2000|pages=[https://archive.org/details/makingmeaningini0000unse/page/67 67]|isbn=978-0-19-564545-3|oclc=44413767|url=https://archive.org/details/makingmeaningini0000unse/page/67}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Irschick|first=Eugene F. |title=Tamil revivalism in the 1930s|publisher=Cre-A|year=1986|pages=218|oclc=15015416}}</ref> He was an alumnus of [[Cambridge University]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Paramasivam|first=K|title=Justice Party golden jubilee souvenir|year=1968|pages=827|oclc=714082}}</ref> and the first Indian Christian to be appointed as adviser to the [[Marquess of Zetland|Lord Zetland]], [[Secretary of State for India]].<ref name="NYT Obit">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/03/06/archives/british-aide-on-lost-airliner.html|title=British Aide Lost on Airliner|date=6 March 1940|work=[[The New York Times]]|accessdate=25 September 2009}}</ref> He attended the [[Round Table Conferences (India)|1930 Round Table Conference]] on India as a nominee of the Viceroy to represent Indian Christians.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Natesan|first=Ganapati Agraharam |title=The Indian review.|journal=Indian Review : Monthly Periodical Devoted to the Discussion of All Topics of Interest |volume=31|pages=644|issn=0019-6304|oclc=1606107}}</ref>

In 1937, Pannirselvam succeeded [[Mohammad Usman of Madras|Mohammad Usman]] as the Minister for Home of the Madras Presidency, in the [[Raja of Bobbili]] cabinet. In 1936 he became the member for Home in the Executive Council of the [[Governor of Madras]] – [[John Erskine, Lord Erskine|Lord Erskine]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Proceedings of the Legislative Council of the Governor of Madras. Official Report, Volume 83|publisher=[[Madras Legislative Council]]|year=1936|pages=415|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EN8aAQAAIAAJ}}</ref> He also served as the Minister for Home and Finance, in the short lived interim provincial government of [[Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu]] during 1 April – 14 July 1937.<ref>{{cite book|last=Paramasivam|first=K|title=Justice Party golden jubilee souvenir|year=1968|pages=56|oclc=714082}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Alva|first=Joachim Ignatius Sebastian |title=Men and supermen of Hindustan|publisher=Thacker & Co. Ltd|year=1943|pages=68|oclc=37526649}}</ref> After the defeat of the Justice party in the [[1937 Madras Presidency legislative assembly election|1937 Assembly elections]], Pannirselvam became the leader of the Justice party. He was one of the few Justice leaders to win in the 1937 elections, defeating [[George Joseph (Kerala)|George Joseph]] of the [[Indian National Congress]] from the Tanjore Constituency.<ref>{{cite book|last=Joseph|first=George Gheverghese|title=George Joseph, the life and times of a Kerala Christian nationalist|publisher=Orient Blackswan|year=2003|pages=240–241|isbn=978-81-250-2495-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A6MfPh-9DiEC&pg=RA1-PA241}}</ref> The party under his leadership supported the [[Anti-Hindi agitations of Tamil Nadu|Anti-Hindi agitations of 1937-40]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Paramasivam|first=K|title=Justice Party golden jubilee souvenir|year=1968|pages=833|oclc=714082}}</ref> He remained the leader of the party till 1938, when [[Periyar E. V. Ramasamy]] took over the leadership of the party in December 1938.

Pannirselvam was knighted in the [[1938 New Year Honours]] list.<ref>[http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/34469/supplements/3 London Gazette, 1 January 1938]</ref>

== Death ==
Pannirselvam vanished 1 March 1940. He was traveling to London to join the Secretary of State's Indian Council, when the [[Imperial Airways]] flight he was flying in, [[Handley Page H.P.42]] "Hannibal", disappeared in the [[Gulf of Oman]], killing everyone aboard.<ref name="NYT Obit" /><ref name="ImpA Arch">{{cite news|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1940/1940%20-%200669.html|title=Loss of "Hannibal"|date=6 March 1940|publisher=[Flight Archives]|accessdate=14 October 2009}}</ref>

==Legacy==
In 1997, the Tamil Nadu Government named the newly created [[Tiruvarur district]] as "Pannirselvam Tiruvarur" district in his honour.<ref name="hindu1">[https://web.archive.org/web/20090401201738/http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/29/stories/2009032959650500.htm Additional Judges to be sworn in on 31 March]</ref> (However, it reverted to its old name in 1997, when all names of persons were dropped from the names of districts and transport corporations.)<ref>[http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?203878 Name Of The Game Outlook Magazine, 16 July 1997]</ref> On 31 December 2008, the Government of India issued a stamp (valued at Rs. 5) in his honour.<ref name=hindu2/>

==References==
{{reflist|2|refs=
<ref name=hindu2>{{cite web|title=Philatelic expo to feature rare stamps|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/philatelic-expo-to-feature-rare-stamps/article909717.ece|website=The Hindu|accessdate=2 January 2015}}</ref>
}}
{{Commons category|A. T. Pannirselvam}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pannirselvam, A. T.}}
[[Category:Members of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Council]]
[[Category:People from Thanjavur district]]
[[Category:1888 births]]
[[Category:1940 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian Christians]]
[[Category:Indian knights]]
[[Category:Knights Bachelor]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Asia]]
[[Category:Indian landlords]]

A. T. Pannirselvam - Revision history

>SdkbBot at 22:53, 4 January 2022