Ananda Ranga Pillai
Encyclopedia
Ananda Ranga Pillai (often pronounced as Ānañtarañkam Pillai ) was a dubash in the service of the French East India Company
. He is mainly famous for his set of private diaries from the years 1736 to 1761 which portray life in 18th century India.
Ananda Ranga Pillai was born in Madras in a well-to-do yadava
family. At a very early age, Ananda Ranga Pillai emigrated with his father to Pondicherry where the family pursued their business interests. On his father's death in 1726, Ananda Ranga was made dubash and served in his capacity till his removal on grounds of ill-health and deteriorating performance. Ananda Ranga died in 1761 at the age of 51. Ananda Ranga was especially known for his proximity to the French Governor Joseph François Dupleix
, who favored him in various appointments.
Ananda Ranga Pillai's diaries were translated in the early 20th century and bring to light life in the mid 18th century and the Anglo-French Carnatic wars
. His mansion in Pondicherry has been recognized as a heritage monument. C. S. Srinivasachari, a prominent Indian historian
, described Ananda Ranga Pillai as the "Samuel Pepys
of French India".
on the outskirts of Madras. Madras was, then, the center of Tiruvengada Pillai's business activities. In 1716, at the behest of Nainiya Pillai,brother-in-law of Tiruvengada Pillai, who then functioned as the chief Indian agent of French Pondicherry, Guillaume André d'Hébert
, the French Governor of Pondicherry invited Tiruvengada Pillai and other important Indian merchants of Madras, to his city. Relying on Nainiya Pillai's advice, Tiruvengada moved with his family and businesses to Pondicherry and settled there. Soon afterwards, Nainiya Pillai fell out of favor with the Governor and was imprisoned and later died. In contrast, Tiruvengada rapidly rose in favor with the French rulers and attained a respectable position in the city.
On the arrest of Nainiya Pillai, Tiruvengada Pillai had fled to Madras fearing arrest and ill-treatment. However, De La Prévostière
who succeeded D’Hébert induced Tiruvengada to return. Meanwhile, Nainiya Pillai's son Guruva Pillai escaped to France via Madras. His charges against D’Hébert before the Duke of Orléans were responsible for the removal and replacement of Governor D’Hébert. Guruva Pillai later adopted Christianity
and settled down in France, where he was admitted to the Order of Saint Michael
as a chevalier
. Guruva Pillai died in 1724 followed by Tiruvengada Pillai in June 1726.
who succeeded De La Prévostière had great regard for Tiruvengada Pillai and his family. Hence on Tiruvengada Pillai's death in 1726, he gave employment to his son Ananda Ranga Pillai in the French East India Company and made him the chief of the Indian employees at the Company's factory at Porto Novo
. Soon, Ananda Ranga proved his worth. Large quantities of blue cloth were manufactured at Porto Novo. This was made possible mainly due to the efforts of Ananda Ranga Pillai who also established trading posts at Lalapettai and Arcot for trading Indian merchandise for European manufactures.
Ananda's fortune reached greater heights during the tenure of Le Noir's successor Pierre Benoît Dumas
who, too, seemed to have had a favorable opinion of him.
Till his death, Guruva Pillai had functioned as the chief dubash of Pondicherry. A dubash was a merchant in service of the Company who roughly performed the task of a translator and intermediary between Indian and European merchants. On Guruva's death, the chief dubashship passed into the hands of another family as Guruva Pillai's children had been raised as Hindus and the Chief Ecclesiastes of the Colony strongly desired that the holders of the particular office needed to be a Christian. When Dupleix became the Governor, the chief dubash was one Kanakaraya Mudali
with whom Ananda Ranga Pillai had a bitter rivalry. However, Kanakaraya Mudali died in the year 1746 and in 1747, after many consultations and decision-making, Ananda Ranga Pillai was made chief dubash.
In November 1738, the bitter rivalry that had existed between Ananda Ranga Pillai and the chief dubash Kanakaraya Mudali flared up into a conflagration. Observing that Ananda Ranga Pillai had not remitted the interest for the loan he had borrowed to pay coral merchants, Kanakaraya Mudali reported the same to the Governor. Initially, the Governor Dumas insisted upon the dubash paying the interest but later, on learning of the heavy losses that had befallen the dubash that year, he conceded and even offered to pay off Ananda Ranga Pillai's debts. But Ananda Ranga Pillai refused. The matter was raised before the Council where Ananda Ranga had to answer for the charges brought out against him. Ananda Ranga pleaded with Mr. Golard a member of the Council explaining that he had never paid interest before. At length, the Council decided in favor of Ananda Ranga Pillai and his debt was waived.
On October 22, 1739, Kanakaraya Mudali's son, Velvendra Mudali died at the age of 21. Velvendra's mother committed suicide on hearing the news.
On October 19, 1741, Dumas left Pondicherry leaving charge to the Deputy Governor who ruled Pondicherry till January 14, 1742 when Joseph François Dupleix
arrived from Chandranagore. During Dupleix's tenure, Ananda Ranga rose to the zenith of power and prominence in French India and exercised firm control over the internal affairs of the territory.
From 1743 onwards, Ananda Ranga won the confidence of the Governor of Pondicherry and rose up the ranks. when the suburban villages of Pondicherry were leased for five years to Kumara Pillai, Vira Nayakkan, Chandramadi Pillai, and Ella Pillai, Ananda Ranga Pillai was able to offer surety for the renters for a period of five years. Nevertheless, when Kesava Aiyan died, Ananda Ranga was not able to prevent Kanakaraya Mudali from nominating his brother-in-law Gavinivasa Mudali as dubash in Kesava Aiyan's place. Kanakaraya Mudali secured his objective despite the vehement protests of Ananda Ranga Pillai. On June 29, 1744, the marriage of Ananda Ranga Pillai's daughter Papal was conducted in regal splendor. Ananda Ranga further solidifed his position by mediating in disputes such as those between Prakasa Mudali and Tiruvengada Pillai, etc. Not to be left behind, on November 30, 1745, Ananda Ranga's great rival Kanakaraya Mudali constructed a church at Ozhukkarai and celebrated its consecration by providing a great feast. Ananda Ranga Pillai, however, heaped heavy criticism for inviting people of non-Christian faiths for the feast celebrating the consecration of a church.
On February 12, 1746, Kanakaraya Mudali died and on his death, there was an inheritance dispute between his heirs. A Committee of 20 officials were appointed to arbitrate and Ananda Ranga Pillai led the Committee. The Committee decided that Chinna Mudali, the brother of the deceased Kanakaraya Mudali was the rightful heir to his estate. However, Chinna Mudali was not satisfied and the matter dragged on till April 1746, when Ananda Ranga's diplomacy finally sealed the matter.
Apart from pleasing the Governor through his service, Ananda Ranga Pillai also incurred the Governor's wrath on certain occasions. There was at least one occasion during the period when Ananda Ranga was questioned by Dupleix regarding payment of the large sum of money he owed to the Company. Ananda Ranga Pillai, however, soon cleared off his debts by paying one Suga Singh the money the Company owed him. However, still, Dupleix demanded 1,000 pagodas that Ananda Ranga Pillai owed the Company. It was evident that much more than the service Ananda Ranga Pillai had rendered to the Company, it was Ananda Ranga Pillai's position as Dupleix's favorite that had helped him scale the ladder.
Ananda Ranga Pillai was questioned by the Governor regarding the ill-treatment of a prisoner called Mari Chetti. Chinna Mudali was deputed to interrogate two eye-witnesses Tandavarayan and Rangan and they swore that Ananda Ranga's conduct towards Mari Chetty was, in no way, objectionable. Based on this evidence, Ananda Ranga was acquitted.
Throughout Dupleix's tenure, Ananda Ranga Pillai entertained dignitaries as the dubash of Fort St David, Indian merchants, and even Mahe de la Bordannais. He also supervised the regular payment of revenue. Official communications to the Governor, too, was handled by him. He performed errands for the Governor and adjudicated on criminal cases. In May 1746, he interceded on behalf of one Karaikal Tiruvengadam who had been imprisoned and obtained his release.
Soon after Kanakaraya Mudali's death in February 1746, his younger brother Chinna Mudali started making efforts to obtain the post of Chief Dubash which his brother had previously held. However, the property dispute he had with Kanakaraya Mudali's wife and his own lack of competence and skill soon saw him out of the race. On June 12, 1746, de Bausset, a long time companion of Ananda Ranga Pillai urged him to campaign for Chief Dubash-ship. However, Ananda Ranga Pillai seems to have been reluctant to accept the post initially when the Governor nominated Ananda Ranga Pillai for the post. 193 194 However, on the insistence of Mrs. Dupleix he accepted. At that time, he came to know that another aspirant Annapurna Aiyan had bribed the Governor and his wife for the post. However, this attempt fails as Ananda Ranga Pillai is eventually appointed chief dubash. Mrs. Dupleix, allegedly, demanded exorbitant bribes in order to support his candidature.
The official appointment of Ananda Ranga Pillai was delayed by a couple of years due to the stoppage of trade arising out of the outbreak of hostilities between the French and the British. The British retaliated the French occupation of Madras by an invasion of Pondicherry in July 1747. This invasion launched by Admiral Boscawen ultimately failed to capture Pondicherry but hostilities soon came to an end by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chappelle.
In 1748, Ananda Ranga Pillai was officially designated chief dubash of French India. Soon afterwards, hostilities with the British broke out once again. The French waged a proxy war on behalf of Chanda Sahib
supporting his claim in the war of succession to the throne of Carnatic. The British felt compelled to intervene and support Muhammad Ali in order to check the rise of French influence in the Deccan. In the early stages of the war, the French gained the upper hand and by May 1751, French power in India was at its zenith. However, the arrival of Robert Clive thwarted the French attempts to win the battle for Chanda Sahib and the French eventually lost. During the later stages of the war, Pillai notes, Dupleix's temperament grew highly irritable and officers, including himself, feared to approach him. The lavishly constructed palace at Pondicherry, the Gouvernement was completed during this period.
Pillai also expressed strong disapproval of some of the allegedly corrupt measures of Governor Dupleix's wife Madame Dupleix. The bitterness led to open hostilities between them. Pillai was given the charge of collecting the revenue of a few villages in Karaikal and he performed his duties satisfactorily despite the prevalence of incosistencies and incorrectness in some of the records kept by his subordinate agents.
Following the unsuccessful bid at territorial expansion, Dupleix's fortunes declined rapidly. He fell out of favour and was replaced as Governor-General with Charles Godeheu
in the year 1754. With Dupleix's departure for France, Pillai's influence in the colony began to decline. To make matters worse, he was frequently troubled by poor health. By 1756, his health had deteriorated to such an extent that the Governor-General Georges Duval de Leyrit
was obliged to remove him from service.
Pillai died on January 12, 1761 at the age of 51, just four days before Pondicherry surrendered to the troops of Colonel Coote. Pillai left behind three daughters. He also had two sons Annasamy and Ayyasamy who predeceased him.
Since the discovery and translation of his diaries during the 19th and early 20th centuries, Ananda Ranga Pillai has accumulated a great deal of posthumous fame and recognition for his depiction of 18th century South India, the intrigues and deals in French Pondicherry and his description of the French conquest of Madras and the Carnatic Wars. His set of diaries have emerged as one of our primary sources of reference on the Carnatic Wars. Ananda Ranga Pillai has been referred to by V. V. S. Aiyar
in his journal Balabharati and had attracted the curiosity of Subrahmanya Bharati, Aurobindo Ghosh and Mandyam Srinivasa Iyengar. C. S. Srinivasachari, a prominent Indian historian, described Ananda Ranga Pillai as "the Samuel Pepys
of French India".
Ananda Ranga Pillai traded in cloth, yarn, indigo and arecanut with Manila, Mocha and Mascareigne. He had his own ship Anandappuravi which sailed on long trading voyages on high seas.
Ananda Ranga Pillai's house in Pondicherry, which is located in a street named after the dubash, was one of the few buildings to survive the British invasion of the city in 1761. It was recently recognized as a heritage monument by the Government of Pondicherry. The mansion is known for its unique blend of Indian and French architecture: the ground floor being built in Indian fashion, while the columns which supported the terrace followed the French architectural style.
A diary maintained by Muthu Vijaya Tiruvengadam Pillai, grandson of Ananda Ranga Pillai, related the period from 1794 to 1796 was translated and published on March 30, 2000.
.
Tyagaraja Desikar wrote Ananda Rangan Kovai, a poem of 400 lines in praise of Ananda Ranga Pillai. This work, it is believed, took 16 years to complete and was presented to the dubash in the year 1755. In the poem,Tyagaraja venerated Ananda Ranga as the sovereign whose kingdom extended from Gingee
to Vijayapuram and Delhi and praised him for the "conquest of Vanga, Kalinga and Telinga". Pillai, in turn, gifted Tyagaraja with costly ornaments, money and land.
French East India Company
The French East India Company was a commercial enterprise, founded in 1664 to compete with the British and Dutch East India companies in colonial India....
. He is mainly famous for his set of private diaries from the years 1736 to 1761 which portray life in 18th century India.
Ananda Ranga Pillai was born in Madras in a well-to-do yadava
Yadava
The Yadavas were an ancient Indian people who believed themselves to be descended from Yadu, a mythical king. The community was probably formed of four clans, being the Abhira, Andhaka, Vrishni, and Satvatas, who all worshipped Lord Krishna. They are listed in ancient Indian literature as the...
family. At a very early age, Ananda Ranga Pillai emigrated with his father to Pondicherry where the family pursued their business interests. On his father's death in 1726, Ananda Ranga was made dubash and served in his capacity till his removal on grounds of ill-health and deteriorating performance. Ananda Ranga died in 1761 at the age of 51. Ananda Ranga was especially known for his proximity to the French Governor Joseph François Dupleix
Joseph François Dupleix
Joseph-François, Marquis Dupleix was governor general of the French establishment in India, and the rival of Robert Clive.-Biography:Dupleix was born in Landrecies, France...
, who favored him in various appointments.
Ananda Ranga Pillai's diaries were translated in the early 20th century and bring to light life in the mid 18th century and the Anglo-French Carnatic wars
Carnatic Wars
The Carnatic Wars were a series of military conflicts in the middle of the 18th century on the Indian subcontinent...
. His mansion in Pondicherry has been recognized as a heritage monument. C. S. Srinivasachari, a prominent Indian historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, described Ananda Ranga Pillai as the "Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
of French India".
Early life
Ananda Ranga Pillai was born to a merchant named Tiruvengada Pillai on March 30, 1709 in the village of PeramburPerambur
Perambur , is a locality in Northern part of the metropolitan city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu state, India.It is one of expensive area in chennai with all facilities of needs....
on the outskirts of Madras. Madras was, then, the center of Tiruvengada Pillai's business activities. In 1716, at the behest of Nainiya Pillai,brother-in-law of Tiruvengada Pillai, who then functioned as the chief Indian agent of French Pondicherry, Guillaume André d'Hébert
Guillaume André d'Hébert
Guillaume André d'Hébert was Governor General of Pondicherry for two times. He was preceded by Pierre Dulivier and succeeded by Pierre André Prévost de La Prévostière .-Titles:...
, the French Governor of Pondicherry invited Tiruvengada Pillai and other important Indian merchants of Madras, to his city. Relying on Nainiya Pillai's advice, Tiruvengada moved with his family and businesses to Pondicherry and settled there. Soon afterwards, Nainiya Pillai fell out of favor with the Governor and was imprisoned and later died. In contrast, Tiruvengada rapidly rose in favor with the French rulers and attained a respectable position in the city.
On the arrest of Nainiya Pillai, Tiruvengada Pillai had fled to Madras fearing arrest and ill-treatment. However, De La Prévostière
Pierre André Prévost de La Prévostière
Pierre André Prévost de La Prévostière was Governor General of Pondicherry. At his time the main interests of the France was only commercial rather than political. So, no significant events occurred during his tenure. His Successor, Pierre Christoph Le Noir was a very able governor and actual...
who succeeded D’Hébert induced Tiruvengada to return. Meanwhile, Nainiya Pillai's son Guruva Pillai escaped to France via Madras. His charges against D’Hébert before the Duke of Orléans were responsible for the removal and replacement of Governor D’Hébert. Guruva Pillai later adopted Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and settled down in France, where he was admitted to the Order of Saint Michael
Order of Saint Michael
The Order of Saint Michael was a French chivalric order, founded by Louis XI of France in 1469, in competitive response to the Burgundian Order of the Golden Fleece founded by Philip the Good, duke of Burgundy, Louis' chief competitor for the allegiance of the great houses of France, the Dukes of...
as a chevalier
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
. Guruva Pillai died in 1724 followed by Tiruvengada Pillai in June 1726.
Early career
Pierre Christoph Le NoirPierre Christoph Le Noir
Pierre Christoph Le Noir was Governor General of Pondicherry twice . During his rule, Yanaon was added to the French Establishments of India as a third colony in 1727. He expanded the Pondicherry area and made it a large and rich town...
who succeeded De La Prévostière had great regard for Tiruvengada Pillai and his family. Hence on Tiruvengada Pillai's death in 1726, he gave employment to his son Ananda Ranga Pillai in the French East India Company and made him the chief of the Indian employees at the Company's factory at Porto Novo
Parangipettai
Parangipettai , historically called Porto Novo, is a panchayat town in Cuddalore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Parangipettai is situated on the north bank of the mouth of the Vellar river at a distance of 30 km from Cuddalore. From Chennai, Parangipettai can be reached through...
. Soon, Ananda Ranga proved his worth. Large quantities of blue cloth were manufactured at Porto Novo. This was made possible mainly due to the efforts of Ananda Ranga Pillai who also established trading posts at Lalapettai and Arcot for trading Indian merchandise for European manufactures.
Ananda's fortune reached greater heights during the tenure of Le Noir's successor Pierre Benoît Dumas
Pierre Benoît Dumas
Pierre Benoît Dumas was the French Governor General for Pondichéry and Réunion. Predecessor of La Bourdonnais on the Isles and Dupleix in the Indies, Dumas hailed from Southern France. There is still a street in Pondicherry named after him....
who, too, seemed to have had a favorable opinion of him.
Till his death, Guruva Pillai had functioned as the chief dubash of Pondicherry. A dubash was a merchant in service of the Company who roughly performed the task of a translator and intermediary between Indian and European merchants. On Guruva's death, the chief dubashship passed into the hands of another family as Guruva Pillai's children had been raised as Hindus and the Chief Ecclesiastes of the Colony strongly desired that the holders of the particular office needed to be a Christian. When Dupleix became the Governor, the chief dubash was one Kanakaraya Mudali
Pedro Kanagaraya Mudaliar
Dubash Pedro Kanakaraya Mudaliar was the chief dubash and a broker for the French East India Company. He remained in service for the longest period of twentyfour years between 1722 and 1746, specially during the early period of Joseph François Dupleix. He was succeeded by Ananda Ranga Pillai...
with whom Ananda Ranga Pillai had a bitter rivalry. However, Kanakaraya Mudali died in the year 1746 and in 1747, after many consultations and decision-making, Ananda Ranga Pillai was made chief dubash.
Rise to power
| "On considering this transaction, it appears to me that our lordly Governor was bereft of sense; and it was in this wise". |
| - Ananda Ranga Pillai on Governor Dupleix, regarding Dupleix's decision over a minor local dispute.| |
In November 1738, the bitter rivalry that had existed between Ananda Ranga Pillai and the chief dubash Kanakaraya Mudali flared up into a conflagration. Observing that Ananda Ranga Pillai had not remitted the interest for the loan he had borrowed to pay coral merchants, Kanakaraya Mudali reported the same to the Governor. Initially, the Governor Dumas insisted upon the dubash paying the interest but later, on learning of the heavy losses that had befallen the dubash that year, he conceded and even offered to pay off Ananda Ranga Pillai's debts. But Ananda Ranga Pillai refused. The matter was raised before the Council where Ananda Ranga had to answer for the charges brought out against him. Ananda Ranga pleaded with Mr. Golard a member of the Council explaining that he had never paid interest before. At length, the Council decided in favor of Ananda Ranga Pillai and his debt was waived.
On October 22, 1739, Kanakaraya Mudali's son, Velvendra Mudali died at the age of 21. Velvendra's mother committed suicide on hearing the news.
On October 19, 1741, Dumas left Pondicherry leaving charge to the Deputy Governor who ruled Pondicherry till January 14, 1742 when Joseph François Dupleix
Joseph François Dupleix
Joseph-François, Marquis Dupleix was governor general of the French establishment in India, and the rival of Robert Clive.-Biography:Dupleix was born in Landrecies, France...
arrived from Chandranagore. During Dupleix's tenure, Ananda Ranga rose to the zenith of power and prominence in French India and exercised firm control over the internal affairs of the territory.
From 1743 onwards, Ananda Ranga won the confidence of the Governor of Pondicherry and rose up the ranks. when the suburban villages of Pondicherry were leased for five years to Kumara Pillai, Vira Nayakkan, Chandramadi Pillai, and Ella Pillai, Ananda Ranga Pillai was able to offer surety for the renters for a period of five years. Nevertheless, when Kesava Aiyan died, Ananda Ranga was not able to prevent Kanakaraya Mudali from nominating his brother-in-law Gavinivasa Mudali as dubash in Kesava Aiyan's place. Kanakaraya Mudali secured his objective despite the vehement protests of Ananda Ranga Pillai. On June 29, 1744, the marriage of Ananda Ranga Pillai's daughter Papal was conducted in regal splendor. Ananda Ranga further solidifed his position by mediating in disputes such as those between Prakasa Mudali and Tiruvengada Pillai, etc. Not to be left behind, on November 30, 1745, Ananda Ranga's great rival Kanakaraya Mudali constructed a church at Ozhukkarai and celebrated its consecration by providing a great feast. Ananda Ranga Pillai, however, heaped heavy criticism for inviting people of non-Christian faiths for the feast celebrating the consecration of a church.
On February 12, 1746, Kanakaraya Mudali died and on his death, there was an inheritance dispute between his heirs. A Committee of 20 officials were appointed to arbitrate and Ananda Ranga Pillai led the Committee. The Committee decided that Chinna Mudali, the brother of the deceased Kanakaraya Mudali was the rightful heir to his estate. However, Chinna Mudali was not satisfied and the matter dragged on till April 1746, when Ananda Ranga's diplomacy finally sealed the matter.
Apart from pleasing the Governor through his service, Ananda Ranga Pillai also incurred the Governor's wrath on certain occasions. There was at least one occasion during the period when Ananda Ranga was questioned by Dupleix regarding payment of the large sum of money he owed to the Company. Ananda Ranga Pillai, however, soon cleared off his debts by paying one Suga Singh the money the Company owed him. However, still, Dupleix demanded 1,000 pagodas that Ananda Ranga Pillai owed the Company. It was evident that much more than the service Ananda Ranga Pillai had rendered to the Company, it was Ananda Ranga Pillai's position as Dupleix's favorite that had helped him scale the ladder.
Ananda Ranga Pillai was questioned by the Governor regarding the ill-treatment of a prisoner called Mari Chetti. Chinna Mudali was deputed to interrogate two eye-witnesses Tandavarayan and Rangan and they swore that Ananda Ranga's conduct towards Mari Chetty was, in no way, objectionable. Based on this evidence, Ananda Ranga was acquitted.
Throughout Dupleix's tenure, Ananda Ranga Pillai entertained dignitaries as the dubash of Fort St David, Indian merchants, and even Mahe de la Bordannais. He also supervised the regular payment of revenue. Official communications to the Governor, too, was handled by him. He performed errands for the Governor and adjudicated on criminal cases. In May 1746, he interceded on behalf of one Karaikal Tiruvengadam who had been imprisoned and obtained his release.
Soon after Kanakaraya Mudali's death in February 1746, his younger brother Chinna Mudali started making efforts to obtain the post of Chief Dubash which his brother had previously held. However, the property dispute he had with Kanakaraya Mudali's wife and his own lack of competence and skill soon saw him out of the race. On June 12, 1746, de Bausset, a long time companion of Ananda Ranga Pillai urged him to campaign for Chief Dubash-ship. However, Ananda Ranga Pillai seems to have been reluctant to accept the post initially when the Governor nominated Ananda Ranga Pillai for the post. 193 194 However, on the insistence of Mrs. Dupleix he accepted. At that time, he came to know that another aspirant Annapurna Aiyan had bribed the Governor and his wife for the post. However, this attempt fails as Ananda Ranga Pillai is eventually appointed chief dubash. Mrs. Dupleix, allegedly, demanded exorbitant bribes in order to support his candidature.
As chief dubash
In 1748, Ananda Ranga Pillai was officially designated chief dubash of French India. Soon afterwards, hostilities with the British broke out once again. The French waged a proxy war on behalf of Chanda Sahib
Chanda Sahib
Chanda Sahib was the Nawab of the Carnatic between 1749 and 1752. His birth name is Husayn Dost Khan. He was the son-in-law of the Nawab of Carnatic Dost Ali Khan, under whom he worked as a Dewan. He belonged the Muslim Nait community which had ruled the Carnatic under the Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Khan...
supporting his claim in the war of succession to the throne of Carnatic. The British felt compelled to intervene and support Muhammad Ali in order to check the rise of French influence in the Deccan. In the early stages of the war, the French gained the upper hand and by May 1751, French power in India was at its zenith. However, the arrival of Robert Clive thwarted the French attempts to win the battle for Chanda Sahib and the French eventually lost. During the later stages of the war, Pillai notes, Dupleix's temperament grew highly irritable and officers, including himself, feared to approach him. The lavishly constructed palace at Pondicherry, the Gouvernement was completed during this period.
Pillai also expressed strong disapproval of some of the allegedly corrupt measures of Governor Dupleix's wife Madame Dupleix. The bitterness led to open hostilities between them. Pillai was given the charge of collecting the revenue of a few villages in Karaikal and he performed his duties satisfactorily despite the prevalence of incosistencies and incorrectness in some of the records kept by his subordinate agents.
Following the unsuccessful bid at territorial expansion, Dupleix's fortunes declined rapidly. He fell out of favour and was replaced as Governor-General with Charles Godeheu
Charles Godeheu
wankerCharles Robert Godeheu de Zaimont was Acting Governor General of Pondicherry who is the Commissioner of French army during Dupleix's reign.-Important incidents:...
in the year 1754. With Dupleix's departure for France, Pillai's influence in the colony began to decline. To make matters worse, he was frequently troubled by poor health. By 1756, his health had deteriorated to such an extent that the Governor-General Georges Duval de Leyrit
Georges Duval de Leyrit
Georges Duval de Leyrit was Governor General of Pondicherry between 1754 and 1758. He was preceded by Charles Godeheu and succeeded by as Arthur, comte de Lally-Tollendal.-Titles:...
was obliged to remove him from service.
Death and legacy
Pillai's health worsened with the passage of time. However, he notes in his diary, the corruption and intrigues which allegedly plagued the French colony on Dupleix's departure.Pillai died on January 12, 1761 at the age of 51, just four days before Pondicherry surrendered to the troops of Colonel Coote. Pillai left behind three daughters. He also had two sons Annasamy and Ayyasamy who predeceased him.
Since the discovery and translation of his diaries during the 19th and early 20th centuries, Ananda Ranga Pillai has accumulated a great deal of posthumous fame and recognition for his depiction of 18th century South India, the intrigues and deals in French Pondicherry and his description of the French conquest of Madras and the Carnatic Wars. His set of diaries have emerged as one of our primary sources of reference on the Carnatic Wars. Ananda Ranga Pillai has been referred to by V. V. S. Aiyar
V. V. S. Aiyar
Varahaneri Venkatesa Subramaniam Aiyar , also known as V.V.S. Aiyar, was an Indian revolutionary from Tamil Nadu who fought against the British occupation of India. His contemporaries include Subramanya Bharathi and V.O. Chidambaram Pillai, who subscribed to the militant form of resistance against...
in his journal Balabharati and had attracted the curiosity of Subrahmanya Bharati, Aurobindo Ghosh and Mandyam Srinivasa Iyengar. C. S. Srinivasachari, a prominent Indian historian, described Ananda Ranga Pillai as "the Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
of French India".
Ananda Ranga Pillai traded in cloth, yarn, indigo and arecanut with Manila, Mocha and Mascareigne. He had his own ship Anandappuravi which sailed on long trading voyages on high seas.
Ananda Ranga Pillai's house in Pondicherry, which is located in a street named after the dubash, was one of the few buildings to survive the British invasion of the city in 1761. It was recently recognized as a heritage monument by the Government of Pondicherry. The mansion is known for its unique blend of Indian and French architecture: the ground floor being built in Indian fashion, while the columns which supported the terrace followed the French architectural style.
A diary maintained by Muthu Vijaya Tiruvengadam Pillai, grandson of Ananda Ranga Pillai, related the period from 1794 to 1796 was translated and published on March 30, 2000.
Patronage of arts
Ananda Ranga Pillai patronized the Hindu religion, arts and poetry. And in return, poets praised Pillai in their works. Tamil poet Namasivaya Pulavar, who also wrote a verse in praise of Ananda Ranga's father, Tiruvenkadam Pillai, wrote that Ananda Ranga was as learned as the thousand-headed Adisesha serpent. Madurakkavirayar wrote that when he saw Ananda Ranga Pillai, he beheld the whole town of Pondicherry in him who was generous enough to offer him all the wealth that he wanted. Kasturi Rangaiyan wrote an ode composed in TeluguTelugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
.
Tyagaraja Desikar wrote Ananda Rangan Kovai, a poem of 400 lines in praise of Ananda Ranga Pillai. This work, it is believed, took 16 years to complete and was presented to the dubash in the year 1755. In the poem,Tyagaraja venerated Ananda Ranga as the sovereign whose kingdom extended from Gingee
Gingee
Gingee is a panchayat town in Viluppuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The nearest town with a railway station is Tindivanam, 28 km away....
to Vijayapuram and Delhi and praised him for the "conquest of Vanga, Kalinga and Telinga". Pillai, in turn, gifted Tyagaraja with costly ornaments, money and land.