Nilgiri Documentation Centre

Image : A picture of John Sullivan’s original portrait, contributed by Georgina Mosley, a descendant of Sullivan family, by special arrangement from London

When Dr. Karunanidhi came to power in 1971, the Nilgiris was facing multiple challenges in terms of amenities and infrastructure in the wake of surging tourist traffic. The situation would have got out of hand but for the series of far reaching decisions taken by the DMK government. The most significant and timely  move, in 1971,  was the supply of drinking water for the town from the Parsons Valley reservoir about 15 kms away. The government takeover of private bus transport in the district brought roads and transport to remote hilly hamlets besides providing jobs to the local people. In 1968 and, again in 1974,  the DMK saved the Nilgiri Mountain Railway from being nearly terminated. Tourism promotion in the district was upgraded by bringing it under a tourism corporation.  The construction of a professional indoor stadium brought many a national games to the town. Later, the opening of a Farmers’ Market came as a boon to local small farmers. Dr. Karunanidhi also granted a free land to establish the Young Badaga Association as a cultural symbol of the dominant indigenous community.

In 2000, when the tea crisis in the Nilgiris was at its peak, Dr. Karunanidhi’s government invited the Save Nilgiris Campaign to hold a stakeholders meeting to diffuse the crisis. The meeting paved the way for stabilizing the beleaguered tea industry.    

Nilgiri Documentation Centre

The agrarian changes and the host of ‘English’ vegetables, tea, trees and fruits that he introduced; the roads and other amenities he created; the reforms in the administration that he made and the special attention that he accorded to the indigenous people continue to benefit the district and its population even after two centuries. 

Sullivan’s love for the Nilgiri hills never diminished even after the death of his wife and eldest daughter within a week in 1838. His descendants continued to serve the Nilgiris till the 1930s.

The only unfulfilled wish of John Sullivan, the founder of modern Nilgiris, was that he wanted to spend his last days in the warm slopes of Melur in the Nilgiris.

He died in 1855 in London and his grave remained undiscovered for 144 years till a Ooty man found it in 2009.

Nilgiri Documentation Centre

Nehru described the Nilgiris as, ‘second England’ and did much for the its post independence development with far reaching schemes like the Kundah hydro electric project and the Hindustan Photo Films. He also planned a paper industry which did not materialize.

Nehru visited the district no less than five times.Nehru first came to the Nilgiris in May 1948, barely three months after Gandhiji’s murder, to inaugurate the conference of the Third UN Economic Commission for Asia and Far East at Ooty. During his visit he also met philosopher J. Krishnamurthi who was here. The two met at Raj Bhavan for one and half hour discussing forces of good and evil operating in the country, how the former could win over the latter.

Nehru’s second visit was in February 1958 to interact with the Defense Services Staff College and the Madras Regimental Centre, Wellington.

The third visit came just a month later, specifically to acquaint himself with the work of Pasteur Institute at Coonoor. The visit paved the way for the much need financial support to the Institute to carry on its crucial research work.

Nehru’s fourth visit was in June 1959 to inaugurate the AICC Sub-Committee Seminar on Planning at Ooty. His fifth and last visit was in March 1960 to inaugurate Powerhouse No 1 of the Kundah Hydro-Electric Project. Nehru described the project as an ‘outstanding symbol and example of international cooperation’. He had the dam inaugurated by a mason. When Price Peter of Greece and Denmark, who had researched the Todas in 1949 personally sought Nehru’s intervention to save the Toda race which was facing a serious health crisis, he personally arranged for special medical attention and also appointed a local Toda lady as a health worker to take care of her community.

He was also instrumental in encouraging Dr. Narasimhan to found g the Nilgiri Adivasi Welfare Association.

During all the visits Nehru made it a point to spend some time with Ms. Anna Ornsholt, the Danish Governess of Indira Gandhi, who had settled down in Kotagiri. – Nilgiris Discovery Center

The following is an account of Ooty life in 1920) 

“July was a gay month in spite of a good deal of monsoon rains and August promises  finer weather and an equally festive time.

The two Chief events in July were the Bachelor’s Ball and the staging by the Children’s Dramatic Society of the play ‘Where the Rainbow Ends’. The Bachelor’s Ball was given in the dining room of the Ooty Club. There were nearly 200 people and dancing was kept up till dawn. The fair sex had donned their prettiest gowns and Lady Willingdon (Governor’s wife) was in a lovely brocade of green and silver.

Early during the month of August,  Mrs. Richardson gave a riding gymkhana. This was held on a portion of the Downs not far from the golf link. There were three events and they were interesting not only to the competitors but to the spectators as well. After the events the hostess and the guests adjourned to the Gymkhana Club for tea where the tables were decorated in mimosa flowers. Mimosa flowers excellently in Ooty and in August and September the trees are laden with the pretty fluffy yellow bloom in great masses.

Hunt meets three days a week and there have been some glorious runs.

The golf links are in good condition for the monsoon rains have softened the ground. There has been several competition  of late albeit not of a very serious nature. There is usually a golf meeting during September when various interesting competitions and matches take place.

Tennis is, of course, only practicable spasmodically during the monsoon. During the break the tennis enthusiasts make hay while the sun shines  and get in as much tennis s they can.

Ooty is undoubtedly a sportsman’s paradise. He can shoot a tiger if he wants huge game or have a jungle-sheep  if his ideas are modest.

Fishing is also a very favorite pastime, the rivers being well stocked chiefly of trout. The cool and bracing climate  of  Ooty make it an ideal place for shooting trips. There are many dak bungalows were the sportsmen could put up for a few days within 10 or 12 hours of Ooty and civilization

There is a project on foot for starting a new club next year. At the club members can play tennis, badminton, billiards and bridge and dance too. (The project in the original gymkhana grounds (present Race course) never came through. Dance and entertainment moved to Assembly Rooms. Golf moved to present gymkhana and racing stayed in the grounds)

Images: British life in Ooty in the 1920s

Nilgiri Documentation Centre

Major and Brevet Liuet-Colonel James Law Lushington Morant of the Royal Engineers was born in Belgaum, India to a Madras Army Chaplain. He joined Madras Sappers and Miners in January, 1862. Before that he served in PWD in Bombay, where his contributions still stand and a café is said to be named after him in the whereabouts of the Victoria Terminus.

When he was posted as District Engineer of Nilgiris, though his jurisdiction did not cover the railways, he launched a relentless campaign for a mountain railway starting with an elaborate report of his own in 1855 which answered all the doubts of  the worst skeptics of the proposal. He followed it up with his  paper  ‘Mountain Railways for the Nilgiri Hills’  in 1874 running to 44 pages with several pictures.  It was at Major Morant’s instigation the famous Riggenbach of the Rigi system of mountain railway paid a visit to the Nilgiris. Alas ! he did not live to see his work becoming a reality in 1899.

The present scenic ghat road, wide and with a gentle gradient, from Kotagiri to Mettupalyam  was traced and constructed by Major Morant in 1872-75.

Lamenting that, ‘ The site of Ootacamund has been well chosen but from its commencement it has never been systematically treated, the town having been allowed to grow up uncontrolled’, Major Morant, singlehandedly, drew up the present system of drinking water and drainage plan for the town in 1870. In 1877  Morant, drew up a scheme for improving the Marlimand supply by adding three more reservoirs.

As a true son a Chaplin, Major Morant, ‘who had a special penchant for ecclesiastical architecture’, built the Chancel of All Saints Church and the Roman Catholic church (St. Joseph’s) at Coonoor, the Anglican church (St. George’s)  at Wellington and the Protestant Church at Gudalur.

Chisholm and Morant worked together on many buildings including the Lawrence school buildings and the old Breeks School (now the Court complex). It was Morant’s  idea to put up a clock tower to the court buildings in 1878 when the question arose as to what to do with the public subscription that was collected for a reception to then Prince of Wales  who cancelled the visit owing to prevalence of cholera epidemic.

Morant worked with Chisholm on many Madras landmarks also like the Post and Telegraph Office.

In his capacity as an architect Colonel Morant entered into the competition for the Municipal Hall and offices at Bombay in 1884 and obtained the second prize of Rs. 3,000, the successful competitor being Mr. Chisholm. Morant built the hall and the offices.

Colonel Morant took much interest in all branches of his profession and wrote extensively. He also collaborated with the French Astronomer  Janssen during his visit to the Nilgiris to observe the solar eclipse.

Major Morant died in Australia on 17^th June 1886 due to a terminal disease. A memorial plaque in St. Mary’s Church, Chennai commemorates him. 

Image: Like many benefactors of Nilgiris, Major Morant too did not leave behind any of his own pictures. When we  did the Nilgiri history calendar 2019 we showed his back talking to the  founder Roman Abt as a mark of remembrance.

Nilgiri Documentation Centre