A pioneer and a visionary, Padmashri Machani Somappa was an industrialist with an undying spirit of entrepreneurial adventure and insight. The nationalist in him believed unswervingly that the fruits of his business success would augment not just his community but also a country he cared deeply about. These attributes, by themselves, would have been enough to mark him as an extraordinary figure. But what made Machani Somappa truly unique was his humaneness.

Born in the year 1904 in Yemmiganur to a master weaver named Machani Somanna, Somappa had four brothers and was part of a large joint family. Somappa got his education in Coles Memorial High School, Kurnool.

During the harsh famine in the years of 1934 to 1936 the government opened a relief center for weavers in which Somappa was an advisory committee member. After the relief center wound up, Somappa continued the good work done by it by starting a Weaver's Co-operative Society in the year 1938. By virtue of hard work, integrity and dedication to social service Somappa rose to the pre-eminent position as the National Leader for Handloom Weavers and a leading industrialist in Rayalseema. Somappa then went on and founded various Co-operative institutions based on the needs of the people. Some of them include The Yemmiganur Co-operative Town bank, The Yemmiganur Co-operative stores, The Yemmiganur Co-operative Milk Supply Society, The Yemmiganur Co-operative House Building Society, The Yemmiganur Leather Workers Co-operative Society for harijans and The Yemmiganur Co-operative Marketing Society for Farmers.

He thus transformed the obscure village of Yemmiganur into a model township full of economic activity. In recognition to his meritorious service to the Handloom Industry, the government of India awarded him the " Padmashri " in the first list of honors in the year 1954.

The large number of institutions started by Somappa has grown into gigantic proportions and have been providing employment to thousands of workmen. As part of his visits to the Udyog Bhavan he chanced upon an opportunity to enter into the engineering industry as a family project. The industries secretary advised Somappa to take up manufacture of Coil Springs as an import substitute with a West German collaboration. Somappa entered into collaboration with Stump & Schuele Gmbh to forge Stump, Schuele & Somappa in Bangalore. Today SSS, as it is widely known, is the Largest Quality Spring maker in India, supplying to all major OEMs in India and to some of the biggest names in the automotive industry around the world.

Under the guidance of Somappa, his youngest brother Machani Ramanna developed the family business into a large and successful business group called the “MG Group”. The MG Group has over time successfully ventured into various businesses such as Automobile Dealerships for TATA vehicles, Bajaj Two wheelers,Tafe Tractors & Telcon.

Somappa's business successes and his dedication to service to society all make a fascinating life. He had an abiding love for his hometown and its people and behind a stiff exterior there always lived a humane and caring personality.