ABSTRACT
Nainiappa Poulle belonged to the Idayar caste, which was placed lower in the then caste hierarchy, in which the Brahmins and Vellalas were placed at the top. Nainiappa Pillai came to the rescue of the French Company in Pondicherry. He obtained the goods at a lower price and allowed the Company to defeat the collusive designs of its distributors. In spite of opposition from the French Jesuits, Governor Chevalier Hebert backed Nainiappa with all his authority, for the sake of commerce. Nainiappa’s death and Hebert’s arrest along with his son on 15 December 1718 put the French Jesuits on the defensive. Guruvappa, the eldest son of Nainiappa went to Paris to be present at the case in an attempt to recover Nainiappa’s properties in Pondicherry, claim damages and reinstate the memory and honour of his father. Nainiappa’s martyrdom clearly shows that economic reasons alone cannot determine the evolution of an individual or society.
