Rao was the youngest of the four sons of Upendra Pai, a lawyer practicing in the Munsif's court at Mulki, near Mangalore. Born on 19 November 1852, at Mulky, near Mangalore, hei underwent early schooling at Government High School, Mangalore, and it was the early demise of his mother that is believed to have profoundly influenced him to take to studies seriously. After passing his F.A. examination, his father sent him to Madras to take up higher studies. Following his graduation from the Presidency College, he joined the Madras Law College. Here he came into contact with Justice Holloway, whose personality was a rewarding experience to him.
Career
In 1876, following the demise of his father, he returned to Mangalore and successfully practiced law. Rao was also an admirer of nationalist leaders of India. He held Sri Aurobinda Ghosh in great admiration. He was an avid reader of Aurobindo's paper 'Yugantar'. In his office room was prominently displayed a portrait of Ashwini Kumar Dutta, one of the heroes of nationalist Bengal, one word from whom could make the traders of his native town refuse to sell even a yard of cloth to European officers, including the collector of the district. Rao was a patriot at heart and a humanist by action. In 1891, four teachers, whom he had met in Madras, approached him with a proposal to start a school in Mangalore and thus was born the Canara High School, Mangalore. Shortly thereafter, in 1894, with a view to encouraging the education of girls, he started the Canara Girls' High School, indeed a revolutionary step considering the prevalent values and attitude of the people towards women's education at that time. The disastrous crash of the Arbuthnot Company at the beginning of the 20th century prompted him to start, in 1906, the Canara Hindu Permanent Fund Ltd. with a view to enabling the community to mobilise its own resources for self-help. Among his important contributions to the GSB community was the setting up of the ‘Poor Boys Education Fund’ under the aegis of Gowda Saraswath Brahman Parishad, of which he was one of the founders. He believed in creating an institution focused on social responsibilities.' Focus on your goals and profits will follow' was his dictum.
Death
Throughout his life, Ammembal Subba Rao Pai suffered from a severe gout, an affliction to which he finally succumbed on 25th July 1909.
Business career
Concerned about the high interest rates being charged by moneylenders to the poor people of South Canara, Pai founded the Canara Hindu Permanent Fund Ltd. on 1 July 1906, not long after the formation of Corporation Bank in the same area.
