History of Private Banking in South Canara District (1906-69)

This book is an outcome of  PhD thesis at IIM Bangalore. The book covers not just the story of the Syndicate Bank but also covers other banks from the South Canara region. It is heartening to note the South Canara region was home to 22 banks- incredible given the relatively small size of the region. The region neither had any industrial base nor were there large depositors and borrowers. Despite this, the ability of the regional banks to tailor their services as per needs of the region and deliver it frugally is a demonstration of the dexterity and visionary thinking of leaders of the region. A very interesting aspect of these banks, which the book highlights in its distinct ways, is that many of these banks were established by different linguistic communities. This stems from the fact that South Canara has always been a multilingual community. This is exemplified by the fact that some of these banks were established by Muslims, Bunts, Saraswat Brahmins, Christians, and Gaud Saraswat Brahmins
While on the face of it, the book seems to narrate the history of banking in South Canara district, it is actually reflective of the ethos of banks playing an “inclusive” role in the development of the region to ensure better quality of life for all the people in the community, a concept which is highly relevant even today.