P. Kalifulla

Who is P. Kalifulla?

P.Kalifullah or P.Khalifulla, was a politician of the Madras Presidency, British India. He served as the minister for public works in the short lived ministry of Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu during April–July 1937. He was a Tamil Muslim belonging to the Rowther community. His father T.A. Pitchai Rowther was a wealthy businessman of Tiruchirapalli.Born in 1888 in Tiruchi into a wealthy rice merchant’s family, his birth name was Mohamed Pichai Rowther Ibrahim Khalifullah. He went on to be known by the honorific ‘Khan Bahadur’ title bestowed on him by the British. In later years, his work as the Dewan of Pudukottai made him more popular as ‘Dewan Khalifullah.’

The Khalifullah family traces its roots to the village of Iluppur in Pudukottai district. “His great grandfather was a Hindu merchant who, while travelling to Tuticorin on a business trip, fell ill with severe stomach pain. A Sufi saint staying in a nearby mosque offered prayers for him. He converted to Islam after this incident,” says K.Kutbuddin, 84, the youngest son of P. Khalifullah, a retired engineer now based in Chennai.He was the eldest child in a family of six sons and seven daughters.

EARLY LIFE

Khalifullah had his early education in Tiruchi, and then did his post-graduation from Madras University. He is thought to be the first south Indian Muslim to obtain a Masters degree in 1913. “My grandfather was a man of vision, and was very keen to educate all his sons,” says Kutbuddin. “Being educated then was a way to help others in life.”