P.M. Sivagnana Mudaliar Bust – A Forgotten Civic Leader Inside Ripon Building Complex, Chennai
Within the colonial-era premises of Ripon Building , the seat of the Greater Chennai Corporation , stands a lesser-known yet historically significant bust, that of P.M. Sivagnana Mudaliar , a long-serving Commissioner whose legacy quietly lives on in stone. While most visitors focus on the grand white façade of the Ripon Building or the civic activities it hosts, this modest bust tucked inside the campus pays tribute to one of the earliest Indian Commissioners of the Corporation of Madras , who held office during a transformative period in the city’s municipal history. Statue of P.M. Sivagnana Mudaliar, former Commissioner of Madras, proudly standing near Ripon Building, Chennai Who Was P.M. Sivagnana Mudaliar? P.M. Sivagnana Mudaliar served as the Commissioner of the Corporation of Madras from 1894 to 1919 , a remarkable tenure spanning 25 years. At a time when British officers dominated civic administration, his long-standing role as an Indian in a key municipal position was bot...