->FreeToDisagree at 17:37, 30 December 2020

2020-12-30T17:37:04Z

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{{Use Indian English|date=November 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox Officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Lewis Dominic Swamikannu Pillai
| honorific-suffix = [[Order of the Indian Empire|CIE]], [[Imperial Service Order|ISO]]
| image =
| imagesize =
| office1 = President of the [[Madras Legislative Council]]
| term_start1 = February 1925
| term_end1 = 10 September 1925
| governor1 =[[George Goschen, 2nd Viscount Goschen]]
| predecessor1 =[[P. Rajagopalachari]]
| successor1 = V. S. Narasimha Raju
| office2 = Chief Secretary of the Madras Presidency
| term_start2 = 1920
|term_end2 = 1925
| successor2 = [[G. T. Boag]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1865|02|11}}
| birth_place = Madras
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1925|09|10|1865|02|11}}
| death_place = [[Royapuram]], Madras
| nationality = [[India]]n
| party =
| alma_mater =
| profession = [[Politician]], [[astronomer]], [[linguist]], [[philosopher]]
| spouse =
}}

Diwan Bahadur '''Lewis Dominic Swamikannu Pillai''' <small>[[Order of the Indian Empire|CIE]], [[Imperial Service Order|ISO]] </small> (b. 11 February 1865 - d. 10 September 1925) was an Indian politician, historian, linguist, astronomer and administrator who served as the second President of the [[Madras Legislative Council]].

== Life ==

Swamikannu Pillai was born in a poor Indian Christian family of Madras Presidency on 11 February 1865.<ref name="bi">{{cite book|title=The national biographical dictionary of India|url=https://archive.org/details/nationalbiograph0000shar|url-access=registration|author=Jagdish Saran Sharma|publisher=Sterling Publishers|year=1972|pages=[https://archive.org/details/nationalbiograph0000shar/page/184 184]}}</ref>

Pillai had his schooling in Madras and graduated in law before doing his LlB.<ref name="tamilexiconpxvii">{{cite book|title=Tamil Lexicon|publisher=University of Madras|year=1982|pages=xviii}}</ref>

When the then President of the Madras Legislative Council, P.Rajagopalachari resigned his post in 1924 to join the India Council, elections were held for the post of President. In February 1925, Swamikannu Pillai took charge as the first elected President of the Madras Legislative Council.<ref name="secondchamberp424">{{cite book|title=The Second Chamber: its role in modern legislatures : the twenty-five years of Rajya Sabha|author=S. S. Bhalerao|publisher=Rajya Sabha|year=1977|pages=424}}</ref>

During his tenure as President of the Madras Legislative Council, Pillai created the Legislative Council library.<ref name="muthiahp41">{{cite book | title=Madras Rediscovered| last=Muthiah| first=S.|authorlink=S. Muthiah |year=2004| pages=41| publisher=East West Books (Madras) Pvt Ltd| isbn=81-88661-24-4}}</ref>

In his honour, the LD Swamikannu Pillai Endowment Lectures in philosophy were later established at the University of Madras. Some of the major figures in comparative philosophy, such as [[Klaus Klostermaier]], Ignatius Puthiadam, [[Richard De Smet]], Ignatius Hirudayam, Jean de Marneffe, Ignatius Viyagappa, [[Bede Griffiths]], [[William Sweet]], and [[George F. McLean]], have been invited to deliver these lectures.

== Death ==
Swamikannu Pillai died on 10 September 1925 at 7.00 PM at his house in [[Royapuram]].<ref name="nature">{{cite journal|title=Obituaries|journal=Nature|volume=116|issue=550 | doi= 10.1038/116550c0|year=1925|pages=550|bibcode = 1925Natur.116S.550. |doi-access=free}}</ref> He was sixty years old at that time.<ref name="nature" />

== Honours ==

Swamikannu Pillai was made a "Diwan Bahadur", appointed a Companion of the [[Imperial Service Order]] in 1917 and finally appointed a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire in the 1924 New Year Honours' List.<ref name="proserpiop102">[[#Proserpio|Proserpio]], Pg</ref>

== Works ==

* {{cite book|title=Panchang and Horoscope|author=L. D. Swamikannu Pillai}}
* {{cite book|title=An Indian ephemeris, A. D. 1800 to A. D. 2000|author=L. D. Swamikannu Pillai}}
* {{cite book|title=Indian Chronology|year=1911}}

== Notes ==

{{reflist|2}}

== References ==

* {{cite book|title=L. D. Swamikannu Pillai:A Biographical Study|author=Leo Proserpio|publisher=Codialbail Press|year=1931|ref=Proserpio}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pillai, L. D. Swamikannu}}
[[Category:1865 births]]
[[Category:1925 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian historians]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian historians]]

L. D. Swamikannu Pillai - Revision history

->FreeToDisagree at 17:37, 30 December 2020