Thachenkary (Rao Sahib ) Dr. T. C. Joseph (Wing) (Changanacherry Town)

Dr. Thachenkary Curien Joseph, L.M.S. was the first Medical Graduate of the Catholic Community of Changanacherry. He served as the District Medical Officer (DMO) in the Madras Presidency during the British Raj in India. For his meritorious service, the British Viceroy and Governor-General of India, Lord Irwin, awarded the title of Rao Sahib upon him on June 5th, 1928 from Simla. (He was the only one from Changanacherry to receive this honor.) After his medical service, he retired to his ancestral home in Changanacherry, where he died in old age of pneumonia. A life long bachelor, he contributed to many charitable causes. His endowment of an additional wing at the "Home for the Destitute" in Changanacherry, still functioning, is considered one of his many notable acts of philanthropy.