After being honoured with the Padma Shri in 2003, textile industrialist and philanthropist Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti, 84, was conferred with the Padma Bhushan in the category of trade and industry on Saturday. “When I got the Padma Shri award in 2003, I think, I was the first person to have received that award from the weavers’ community,” he told news agency ANI on Sunday.
“At the time in 2003, I got this honour because of the weavers’ efforts, quality... and our workers’ sales ability. I submit this honour to my weavers and workers,” he added.
He inherited the popular silk saree showroom, Nalli Silks, from his grandfather, Nalli Chinnasami Chetty, in 1958 and is currently a partner. His grandfather was chosen to weave a silk shawl to be presented to King George V in 1911. Nalli started with its first store in Chennai in 1928, and now has stores across India, including Delhi and Mumbai, and overseas in the US, Singapore and Canada. Several eminent personalities, including Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Carnatic legend MS Subbulakshmi, had visited Nalli stores.
Kuppuswami Chetti was born in 1940 in Kancheepuram as the only son into a Padmasaliyar weaving community. Sarees created by weavers in Kancheepuram were brought to be sold in Chennai. “Up to 1985, we had only one shop, then my son opened branches across India, because my grandfather told me that you have to be there from the time the shop opens until it closes… Even now, I’m there in the shop all the time,” Kuppuswami had told the Harvard Business School in an interview in 2014.
With Kuppuswami still hands-on with the business in Chennai, Madurai and Trichy, his son takes care of other branches in India while the fifth generation of the family has entered the business now. His granddaughter Lavanya Nalli, who has an MBA from Harvard, manages international operations and online business of the brand.
{{/usCountry}}With Kuppuswami still hands-on with the business in Chennai, Madurai and Trichy, his son takes care of other branches in India while the fifth generation of the family has entered the business now. His granddaughter Lavanya Nalli, who has an MBA from Harvard, manages international operations and online business of the brand.
{{/usCountry}}Chetti had entered the family business when he was about 15 years old. He has previously credited his grandfather for innovation for being open to work with chemical engineers from Switzerland to produce chemical dyes, which led to more colourful varieties.
Breaking away from tradition, Nalli Kuppusami made a bold decision in the 1950s that the store would refrain from selling on discounts, a concept unheard of at the time, Nalli’s website said. “This decision marked a significant departure from the norm and positioned Nalli as a pioneering force in the textile industry,” the website said, adding that in a marketplace, where sales and promotions entice consumers, Nalli’s strategy is to deliver unrivalled quality at competitive prices, earning an ever-growing base of loyal customers.
Chetti is also a patron of Carnatic music in Chennai and financially backs venues that platform performances. He has held leadership roles in Chennai’s sabhas such as Sri Krishna Gana Sabha and Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha. He has authored three books in Tamil — Vetrikku Moondre Padigal, Needhi Noolgalil Nirvagam and Padagacheri Mahan.
The Padma Bhushan award recognises Chetti’s “outstanding contributions to industry, cultural arts, and education,” Nalli said in their social media pages.