The first hiccup came when the Ramaswamy’s father MA Muthiah passed away in 1974. MAM Ramaswamy is easy with his charity. Ramaswamy was also a maternal cousin of former Indian finance minister, P. Chidambaram. Ramaswamy was also a maternal cousin of 1. The ‘Nagrathars’, the community of Chettiars, is divided into seven sects following different temples. MAM Ramaswamy is easy with his charity. I-T Department Raids Rs 10,000 Cr Chettinad Group of Companies. Members of one of South India’s largest, oldest and most valuable family-held business groups washed their dirty linen out in the open. Confirming the news, G P Jayakumar, spokesperson for his cousin A C Muthiah, said the patriarch of the 103-year-old Chettinad empire, had been undergoing treatment for multiple health problems at a city hospital. For Ramaswamy, it was the crown jewel of his public life. The History Behind the Feud Ripping Apart Chettinad’s First Family. Raja Annamalai Chettiar was known to be a person who could donate several acres of land without much ado, but could even admonish an employee over a few rupees. Ramaswamy had an older brother Muthiah, upon whose death in 1970 at the age of 40, Ramaswamy inherited the title Kumar-rajah of Chettinad and Chairmanship of the Chettinad Group of Companies. But several questions remain unanswered. Ramaswamy came from old money and was part of the famously industrious Nattukottai Chettiar community. Muthiah also reportedly believes that Ramaswamy only indulges in charity for people around him, and not for the larger society or community. According to me, he can only be S Ayyapan and not MAMR Muthiah,” he said at a press conference recently. Is there someone else behind this public showdown? He loves his horses, and takes pride in having run the various educational institutions, most importantly the Annamalai University which was taken over by the Tamil Nadu government in 2013. MAMR Muthiah is a sharp, astute businessman. The trouble reached a flashpoint recently when several men close to Ramaswamy were arrested for trying to attack Muthiah. The M. Ct. family has descended from one branch of the S. Rm. Find out about the real fued that lead Chettinad group owner MAM Ramaswamy to disown his adopted son MAMR Muthiah. Now, on the basis of another complaint by Ramaswamy, similar cases have been filed against Muthiah and his men. Ayyappan said he would fight for properties he was entitled to. Chettinad Owner, MAM Ramaswamy, Disowns Adopted Son2. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service", Chennai turns virtual island; road, rail, air links disrupted, With Instant savings account, interactive app, credit card and more, ICICI Bank ‘Mine’ is a complete banking package for millennials, 10% attendance at Madras HC due to heavy rains. He says that his son wants to take over the entire wealth of the family and does not live up to family rituals. Many following the sequence of events are asking, what is the real reason behind this feud? “I am not here to take back what Ayyappan has already taken away from my cousin, but to save whatever he cannot inherit,” said A.C. Muthiah. It has also been reported that AC Muthiah said that MAMR Muthiah ‘hijacked’ Chettinad Cements. Muthiah Chettiar. On Saturday, Ramasamy’s health condition worsened and he was put on life support. On adoption, Ayyapan became MAMR Muthiah. MAM Ramaswamy (84), the last of the Rajahs of Chettinad, died on Wednesday after a brief illness. Chennai business tycoon M A M Ramasamy dies, leaves behind troubled legacy. They are tight-fisted when it comes to business, but very generous with charity. M A M Ramaswamy, the man who once controlled the 103-year-old Chettinad Group, one of Tamil Nadu’s oldest family-run businesses with interests in cement, engineering, logistics, minerals, education, healthcare and plantations, is now caught in a family feud that has pitted him against his adopted son M A M R Muthiah, who controls the Group and its flagship Chettinad Cements. Ramaswamy says that his son MAMR Muthiah has betrayed him. The rules of adoption of the community state that a family can adopt a child from the same temple-sect. Copyright © 2020 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. But the same family in the same generation has another failed but lesser known adoption — that of Annamalai Chettiar. In 1996, Ramaswamy decided to adopt a son to take over the business and take care of him in his old age. “Whatever the law may be, he is no more my son. The foster son of MAM Ramaswamy, the octogenarian patriarch of the Chettinad family that runs a Rs 4,000-crore business empire, has alleged that former BCCI chief and Ramaswamy's cousin AC Muthiah has created documents with Ramaswamy's thumb impressions in an apparent attempt to transfer wealth. MAM, as he was popularly known, was hospitalised in November. The adoption was not without controversy. He has been at the helm of affairs since the late ’90’s. Chettinad Cements, for example, is a publicly listed company with shareholders. Acknowledged as a community leader of the Chettiars, Ramasamy, the grandson of merchant prince Raja Sir Annamalai, upheld the family tradition of philanthropy through a number of schools and hospitals. Find out about the real fued that lead Chettinad group owner MAM Ramaswamy to disown his adopted son MAMR Muthiah. CHENNAI: M A M Ramaswamy, the 84-year-old business tycoon, who once controlled one of the biggest business empires in Chennai, passed away in a city hospital at 4.30pm on Wednesday. An observer who has been following the Chettinad Group for several years says that to understand the present tussle, one has to understand two characteristics of the Chettinad family.