“O Valley” is an abbreviation for the name of a plantation company called “Ouchterlony Valley Estates Ltd” located at Gudalur area in the Nilgiris, producing mainly coffee, tea and cardamom, which was started by a European settler by name General James Ouchterlony who came to the Nilgiris in 1842. Gudalur is a very important place in Nilgiris, about 50 km away from Ootacamund towards the tri junction of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, which can be arguably called “Golden Gate to Ooty”. “O Valley” is an exclusive plantation zone extending over a 15km stretch, covering an area of over 22000 acres, having tea and coffee estates and large forest area. It is a Panchayat, while Gudalur is now a Municipality.  

The topography of the area is diverse, with mountains and cliffs climbing towards Ooty, connected by a hilly road having numerous hair pin bends. It has scenic beauty all around with its streams, waterfalls, flora and fauna. The lower areas of the hills are ideal for coffee cultivation while higher slopes are suitable for Tea plantation. John Sullivan, the founder of European settlement in Ootacamund and Nilgiris, then Collector of Coimbatore was the pioneer promoter of coffee, tea and cinchona plantations in the Nilgiris.

 Interestingly, the early planters had army background, perhaps due to their vast experience in the North African campaign in the 1^st World War and from the jungles of Burma in the 2^nd WW. No ordinary person could have thought of such an arduous task of daring in to the jungles of Niligiris because of the obvious odds against, the dense and fearsome forest, frightening wild life, inclement weather, vulnerability to all types of health hazards and above all the inaccessibility, even on foot. Man is basically nomadic, moving around mainly for his wants and needs.  The aim of migration of human being has been to attain “prosperity” for self or for a larger number, but the reasons causing migrations vary. For poverty stricken, it is for earning a living, while for the economically better off it is wealth accumulation. The Britishers who came to India fell mostly under the second category.

England and Scotland were separate countries till early 1700s and by way of a referendum conducted in Scotland in 1707 it became part of England to form the present UK. That gave big opportunities for the Scots to come to India and join the East India Company since then. By 1771, more than half of the writers, engineers and surveyors of the company were all Scots, who were followed by planters,  traders, teachers and missionaries impacting the transformation of the primitive Indian society in to an awakening community, as well converting the sleepy land in to productive land masses.In contrast to the English man, the Scottish man, in my observation, is more robust, enterprising, adventurous and go-getters. Characteristic difference is like the hard pack ice cream and the cloudy softy. Indian Army still maintains lot of Scottish army traditions, the pipe band of the infantry units is an example for that. Besides keeping the morale of the troops high with their music, they perform duties of stretcher bearers in the war and also provide first aid to the war casualties.

One such Scot was General James Ouchterlony who came to the Nilgiris in 1842 to become a “Planter”.  In order to do that, he leased  20000 acres of contiguous  land  having an average elevation ranging between 900-1300mt, from Thacharakari Thirumulpad of the Nilambur Kovilagam in 1847, to open coffee plantations. He formed a company known as the “Ouchterlony Valley Estates Ltd”, (shortly called “O Valley Estates”), and planted coffee and tea in selected areas with the help of laborers mostly from remote places in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Waynad in Kerala. First planting of coffee was done in Lauristone Estate by a Jamaican planter by name Mr. Wright. Later, tea was planted on the higher elevation areas of Arattupara near New Hope. O Valley comprised of number of estates named New Hope, Glenvans, Guynd, Tulloes, Kelly, Lauriston,Suffolk, Mulakkad, Helen and Barwood.

 Incidentally, my father Late Mr. N.C.Varghese was a senior long time field head of four larger estates: Tulloes, Glenvans, Mulakkad and New Hope during his 35 year tenure with the company before his retirement by end of 1960s. That is the very reason that I have an interest in writing this. I dedicate this story to him for his immense contributions towards the growth of O Valley, with untiring dedication and absolute loyalty.

 In the year 1927, O Valley was inherited by one James Henry Wapshare who lived in Naduvattam (about 15 km from Gudalur towards Ooty) with his wife Nellie, daughters Violet and Dorothy and sons Edward and James in their estates, Burnside and Compton. He took a loan of Rs. 10.5 lakhs from Imperial Bank of India in 1927 under a debenture trust deed to finance the purchase of O.V. Estates, later registered as “Ouchterlony Valley Estates Pvt.Ltd”.  The loan was to be repaid by 15 November, 1937 as per the agreement. However, he could not repay the loan as agreed upon and the bank was pressing for the repayment. There was a big slump in the coffee and tea prices in 1836 which compounded the problem further.So, the family wanted to sell the property to return the loan and thus avoid taking over the property by the mortgage company to which it was pledged.  They got an offer of Rs.14 lakhs from one A.L.&Co for the entire property which included the Naduvattam estates. On a second thought, the family decided to retain the Naduvattam property and sell only O Valley. Prolonged negotiations took place with the Wapshares by the mortgage company represented by M/S Peirce Leslie & Co. Ltd and the Imperial Bank of India, and a price of Rs.10.5 lakhs was arrived at for the O Valley property alone.

Meanwhile, the unexpected happened. James Henry Wapshare died on 18 May, 1937, at the age of 67, leaving behind his widow, sons and daughters to fend for themselves. Having cleared the bank loan, the property was already in the hands of the mortgage company, though the legal transactions took some time and eventually M/S Peirce Leslie & Co. Ltd took possession of O Valley on 14 Jan 1939.As a result, instead of attaining prosperity for which Wapshare migrated to Nilgiris, the family ended up being on the brink of bankruptcy. Look at the “irony of fate” and destiny’s unpredictability that the family faced at that time besides the loss of the bread winner. I wonder how true were the sign postings on those winding roads down which read “EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED”. Likewise, there were two information boards at the entrance of a Church, the top one read “WELCOME” , and the bottom said, “TRESSPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED”, that means that even God says, “Life Is Like That”, which teaches us a big lesson that the “circus should continue to keep the trapeze swinging”.

O Valley had been doing well in the hands of the Managing Agents since then, but suddenly in 1950 something untoward happened.  The family consisting of Nellie (wife of late James Wapshare) and daughters Violet and Dorothy instituted a suit against the management of O Valley accusing them of fraudulent practices during the transaction of 1937 and hence the property should go back to them as rightful heirs. The mired legal tangle went on for long from Madras High Court to Supreme Court handled by eminent layers, but the family could not convincingly evidence their stand, and therefore the case was dismissed in favor of the owners of O Valley.

In 1965, the owners of O Valley represented by M/S Peirce Leslie & Co. Ltd sold the estates to one B.M.Bajoria, who in turn transferred it to a business man named Bishwanatha Junjunvala in 1969. Within a short time, it was taken over by the well known Calcutta industrialist B K Birla, who later gifted it to his daughter Manjushree Khaitan in 1971.Thus the legendary “O Valley Estates” had been renamed as Manjushree Plantations Limited with its head office at New Hope. It is learnt from various sources that the garden has lost its old charm and worth, and the tea planted first time in Arattupara has outgrown to become trees, so divergent to the level maintained tea fields of yester years. Yet, “O Valley” continues to survive because of its resilience and the undying spirit of its founders. Manjushree Plantations is still aromatic with its packaged tea brands in the market. But its balance sheet does not show any vibrancy commensurate with the largeness of the original O Valley. By the way, my e-mail ID is “tomnewhope@yahoo.co.in”, because of our family’s nostalgic attachment to New Hope.

James Ouchterlony and James Wapshare could never go back to UK like most of the English men did. It seems they were buried in O Valley only. Some remnants of Wapshares, his grandsons through his one son married to an Indian woman, live at Naduvattam holding the fort based on a “Succession Certificate” obtained from court. One of the daughters who was living there had gone to UK for treatment, and in her absence they had taken possession of her bungalow also, according to their watsapp messages. On does not know the present state, except that it is a “fait accompli”. Nonetheless, there is still a ray of hope because our legal system provides for a remedy if there is a right and when a wrong is done against that, as contained in the Latin maxim, “Ubi jus ibi remedium”.

In conclusion, I can only say that the series of events which had taken place in O Valley during almost a century have been so intriguing, like that of a Shakespearean melodrama. It is a coincidence that the spirits of the main characters are on site watching the evolutionary changes of that place. May the souls of those pioneers “Rest in Peace”, amidst the greenery of coffee and tea they planted for posterity.

“Every cloud has a silver lining”, is a known phrase of hope and promise, particularly in times of adverse circumstances. Similar to that saying is “Every hill has a valley beside”, likewise every mountain carries tales, fairy tales, fables and tribal folklore. These nature’s mysteries and stories of spooky spirits create curiosity among enquiring minds. Such inquisitive people possess a zest in them to reach the end of the tunnel to see the light on the other side. If you search your mind you may come across such novel experiences in your own life.

 Nobody in this world has ever seen an “Immortal Queen”, even the long reigned queen of the England Queen Elizabeth could not remain so. On the contrary, our queen belongs to the mystic world of nature and hence death has no access to her doorstep. My familiarity with the Queen’s estate and my escapades there in my younger days have given me loads of sweet memories to cherish. I belonged to Gudalur, an important tri junction of roads leading to Mysore and Kerala, about 50 km down the winding roads from Ootacamund in the Nilgiris.  Interestingly, I was the only Army Officer from there in the 60s and 70s, which gave me an easy access to the office of Collector on my visits to Ooty, as a matter of courtesy.

Nilgiris (“Nila” means blue and “Giri” means mountain) stands conspicuous among all hills in the Western Ghats of southern India, otherwise called the “Blue Mountains”. Nilgiris has three distinct hills namely, Ootacamund, (natively called Udhagamandalam), Coonoor and Kotagiri (where Kota tribe lives). They look like sisters of identical beauty; however Ootacamund (shortly called Ooty) is larger and more attractive and hence called the “Queen of Hill Stations”. Besides its unique bluish shade, Nilgiris is famous for Kurinji plants (Strobilanthes Kunthiana) that flower every 12 years, Nilgiri Tahr, a rare species of mountain goats seen only in NIlgiris and Munnar in India, and a conducive climate for health and convalescence. Ooty has an elevation of 7949 ft (2240m) while the highest peak “Dodabetta” stands at 8650 ft.

This gem of a nature’s wonder was shrouded in darkness before its actual discovered by a man of enterprise named John Sullivan, though an Italian priest and explorer by name Rev. Jacome Forico was the first European to visit Nilgiris in 1603, but there is nothing much on record about his itinerary and  adventure. It has dense forest with tall and large teak and eucalyptus trees having a rich wild life of rare species, mostly blanketed in mist and fog in winter months, having extreme cold climate. Nonetheless, it has a salubrious climate for the rest of the year, which beckons people from far and wide for health and fun. But, the biodiversity of the entire region has undergone certain ecological changes now due to commercial tourism and migration. Still the “Queen of Hill Stations” has its old charm tempting people to say, “Oh! What a place, I love it”.

 John Sullivan, a man of grit, ambition and vision came to Madras (Chennai) from England in 1803 at the age of 15 to be a “Writer” with East India Company. He became Collector of Coimbatore district in 1817. His father John Sullivan (senior) was the Resident in the court of Tanjavur in India then. Sullivan had heard many tales of the mountains of Nilgiris and got totally mesmerized by the enchanting beauty of the Blue Mountains, which he wanted to see for himself.

In order to accomplish his dream, he set out to explore the Nilgiris in 1819, after obtaining an order from the British East India Company, “charging him with investigating the origin of the fabulous tales that are circulated concerning the Blue Mountains to verify their authenticity and to send a report to the authorities”. He had sent two surveyors, Keys and Mc Mohan to do an initial reconnaissance but neither could go beyond the foothills. So, he took out an expedition on January 2, 1819 to assess the potentials of “Neilgherry” (as Nilgiris were known then) and its eco systems. His contingent consisted of several dozens of elephants, hundreds of dogs, ponies, dozen English huntsmen and detachment of European and Madras sepoys.

 It took six days of foot journey through treacherous terrain during which few lives were lost, and finally they reached a plateau called Dimbatti, north of Kotagiri, about 34 km from Ooty, where he  hoisted a British flag.   Sitting at Dimbatti, surrounded by the hazy whispering mists of the morning, Sullivan then aged 31 years sent an interesting message to Sir Thomas Munro, the Governor of Madras, “My dear Colonel, I have been in the highlands for the last one week. This is the finest country…it resembles I suppose Switzerland more than any other part of Europe…it freezes here every night, this morning we found ice in our water chatties (clay pots)”.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

 On return, he sent a report in which he specifically mentioned that the unique climate of Nilgiris was conducive to establish a sanatorium for invalid soldiers. Because of his persistent persuasion, the Madras administration instituted a medical board to verify his claims, besides stationing 50 soldiers to test the region’s salubrity.  The outcome was positive and thereby the government accepted his views that the “unusually temperate and healthy” climate was ideal as a resort for the invalids, primarily the soldiers.

 He made a second visit to the Nilgiri hills in May 1819 and reached the village Hosatti near Kotagiri, where he camped to gather more information about the place and people, and made useful contacts with the original inhabitants, the Toda, Badaga, Kota, Kurumba and Irula. Among them the Badagas now constitute the largest population, and they are more advanced in the field of agriculture, business and education in comparison. In fact, they stand forefront socially and economically now.

 So obsessed with the panoramic place and people that he built a house at Kannerimukhu near Kotagiri, the first building made by a European in the Nilgiris known as “Sullivan’s Bungalow”, with the help of the locals on a 5 acre land bought by him from the Todas at a price of Re. 1 per acre. His wife along with their infant son had moved to this Bungalow in 1823.This happens to be the only memorial now in his name in the hills, which had been donated to St Stephens Church, Ooty by Col & Mrs Gilhan in 1872. Interestingly, Sullivan was married to Henrietta Cecilia Harrington, aged 17, daughter of Reverent William Harrington and Anne Collet Forde, and their wedding took place at Madras on 2^nd January 1820.

 At this juncture, Sullivan’s attention turned to Ootacamund, which was seen to be having higher potentials for habitation, development of horticulture, and more importantly as a settlement for Europeans in India. To have a foothold there, he built his second house in Ooty named “Stone House” (Kal Bungalow) as his residence, and the Oak planted in front is an attraction for visitors. Since it falls within the premises of the government college it has become the residence of the Principal of the college later, yet it continues to be a popular tourist spot because of its unique aesthetics.

Furthermore, Sullivan created road accessibility to Coonoor and Ooty from Kotagiri, besides making the Ooty Lake of a length of 2.5 km covering an area of 65 acres, in 1824 for irrigation purposes, which has become a major tourist attraction for water sports now. Introducing English vegetables like cabbage, carrot, beetroot, turnip, radish, etc., and the much used potato was one of the biggest contributions by him to the horticulture development of Nilgiris. He taught them how to cultivate wheat and barley in the valleys towards Mettupalyam.

 He was the first to promote plantation of Tea, Coffee, Teak and Cinchona trees in Nilgiris which had changed the ecosystem of those ranges as a whole. This also impacted the development of Tea plantations in Munnar and Wayanad in Kerala in later years. The government Botanical Garden designed and established by William Graham Mclover in 1840 at the lower slopes of Dodabetta could be viewed as an extension of Sullivan’s horticultural vision.

John Sullivan, the “Founder of European Settlement in Ootacamund and Modern Nilgiris” was the first person who truly understood the “Blue Mountains”, better known as the “Queen of Hill Stations”. He made Ooty a self reliant township with administrative buildings, connecting roads, market, courthouse, hospital, post office, bank, police station and a jail too. All roads lead to one prominent junction in the town known as the Charring Cross; the reclamation to raise the ground of that area where the Adam’s Fountain adorning the Gandhi statue seen now, was due to the forethought of Sullivan. His pioneering efforts for developing the economy of the region and welfare of the tribal people undoubtedly are remarkable achievements.

 Gradually, number of British people made their residences in Ooty and nearby hills, and as a result the nascent community attracted lot of visitors in search of health and leisure. A sanatorium for invalids already established in Ooty and Coonoor had led to the creation of Cantonments at Ooty and Wellington where military units like the Madras Regimental Centre and Defence Services Staff College came up subsequently. Prestigious public school named Lawrence School established in 1858 at Lovedale near Ooty by the British exclusively for wards of military officers was a distant outcome of Sullivan’s interest in promoting education.  Sullivan encouraged Christian Missionaries to establish quality English schools in Nilgiris, which directly impacted the transformation and empowerment of the local society.

At the peak of his career, he was struck by a personal tragedy in which his wife and daughter aged 16 died within ten days time in 1838, which was a big blow to his life. They were buried in the premises of St. Stephen’s Church in Ooty; visitors see their graves with curious eyes even now.

Sullivan was of the opinion that the indigenous people were the owners of the land, and that view paved way for the introduction of “Ryotwari System” (Pitta- Patta System). Later Sir Thomas Munro, who was Governor of Madras Presidency from1820 to 1822, granted ownership of land to the original inhabitants. However, Sullivan’s closeness to the local community and his total control over Ooty were not fully endorsed by some in the Presidency. Hence, the control of Ooty was gradually shifted to Major William Kelso, known as his rival. Consequently, Sullivan was appointed as a senior member of the Revenue Board of Madras, a position held by him till he retired.

On retirement from service, a sad Sullivan returned to England along with his eight children in 1841. He died in 1855 as an unsung hero there and was buried in the churchyard of St. Laurence Upton-cum Chalvey Church; Berkshire in England, the tomb was later shared by his second wife Frances who died in1876.  The Church was magnanimous in dedicating its “West Window” as a memorial to him. Though his mortal remains are in England, the people of Nilgiris love him and continue to keep him in their hearts as an immortal figure, while the Queen lives forever with them.  What an Irony!

 In due course of time, Governor Sir Thomas Munro and many from Madras Presidency visited Ooty. Ultimately, Ooty became the summer Capital of Madras Presidency under the colonial administration, which brought sizable white population as permanent settlers to Ooty.

Following his footsteps, one of his sons Henry Edward Sullivan was also a Collector of Coimbatore in the 1860s, who was a prominent and effective civil servant of Madras Presidency later. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M K Stalin had invited Orien Sullivan & Jocelin Mary Smith, fifth generation descendents of John Sullivan for the bicentenary celebrations of Nilgiris in 2023. People of Nilgiris commemorate John Sullivan’s birthday every year on 15 June. The 236^th anniversary celebrated this year witnessed the Collector garlanding busts of Sullivan at Kennerimukhu at Kotagiri and Garden Road in Ooty. It is learnt that a proposal to build a permanent memorial in his name in Ooty is on the cards.

The development of Nilgiris as an iconic tourism destination by Sullivan and the resultant increase in population in the hills caused the construction of a meter gauge rail line under Nilgiri Mountain Railway in 1908 from Mettupalyam to Ooty, on which the “Toy Train” called the “Blue Mountain Express” runs 46 km through the mountainous steep terrain, offering a picturesque journey to the travelers. This steam engine train with wooden bogies has been recognized as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.

It is heartening to note that the people of Nilgiris are proud to maintain the exquisiteness of Queen’s dignity and the legacy of John Sullivan, forever. Constant efforts being undertaken by organizations like Nilgiri Discovery Centre, Nilgiri Documentation Centre, Save Nilgiri Campaign, Keystone Foundation and the District Administration towards this end are really noteworthy. Lord Curzon, then Viceroy of India made a famous statement after his visit to Ooty in 1903, that he “came, he saw and was conquered by the charm of Ootacamund”.

Arguably, the development of Modern Nilgiris is all because of John Sullivan’s uncanny foresight, innovative mind, unwavering dedication, unyielding commitment, relentless pursuit, empathetic humane approach, and more so his true love for the Immortal Queen. Well known anthropologist and Nilgiris expert Paul Hocking has aptly remarked, “His impact was widespread and permanent”.

A military search party found the wreckage a whole week after the accident on Dec 19 in the Denad reserve forest near Kil-Kotagiri, 40 miles north of Coimbatore. The party found the plane completely disintegrated and the bodies in decomposed state.

The wreckage of the plane was found in a rocky desolate valley below Rangaswami Hill, eight miles from Kil-Kotagiri, with an elevation of about 6,000 feet. The military party and medical men from Wellington had practically to crawl on hands and feet the last one and a half mile to reach the spot.

Immediately on receipt of information, Messrs. H.C.M. McLaughlin,

Collector of the Nilgiris, T.V.M. Wilson, R.D.O., Coonoor, Ayyannah

Conservator of Forests, went to the spot. Kuttappa Kurup, a forest guard and a washerman were the first to spot the wreaked plane.

Inspector Mansfield of Ooty Police with his party rushed to the place and saw the plane lying “in a million and one bits”. The belongings of passengers were lying scattered about.

Mr. Viswanathan, Inspector of Post Office, Coonoor, who arrived in the party which reached first, salvaged most of the mails. Valuables were also brought back by the police.

After the discovery of the plane wreckage, several persons care forward to claim the reward of Rs.500 announced by the D.S.P of Coimbatore for anyone whose first information led to the discovery of the plane. Great efforts made by Mr. and Mrs. Morris and the Mysore Police to locate the missing plane. A military party consisting of 100 officers and Sepoy’s led by Lt. Col. Mukherjee of the staff College comprised the search party. The search team was followed by angry tigers and wild elephants.”

As it was considered impossible to remove the bodies from the spot owing to the difficult nature of the terrain, an inquest was conducted on the spot.

Among the dead were Andrew Browne Wiseman, the Chief Pilot, Ramnath Narayan Aiyar, Co-Pilot, Cynthia Celine Staggs, Air Hostess, P.K. Kapur of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, C.P. Harry of Mukund Iron and Steel Works, Mr and Mrs, Abraham Wald, world renowned statistician, Mrs. Thein of Britain, Mr and Mrs Robey of Britain, C.G. Marshall of UK, F.W. Saile of Switzerland, and Brig. Abaya Singh.

Nilgiri Documentation Centre.

The Mysore royal connection with Nilgiris can be said to date from 1782 when the father of Ooty founder John Sullivan, Rt. Hon. John Sullivan who was the British Resident at the Court of Tanjore, signed a treaty known as ‘The Rana Treaty for the Restoration of the Hindoo Dynasty of Mysore’ which paved the way for the present Wadiyar dynasty.

The connection was renewed in 1873 when the Maharajah of Mysore Chamarajendra Wadiyar bought the Fernhill Palace in Ooty as his  summer residence. He was the first of the royal families of India to set up summer homes following the declaration of Ooty as the Summer Capital of the Madras Presidency in 1870. The house was originally built in 1844 by a Captain F. Cotton and later was used as a Country Club in 1860s.

The Fernhill Palace played host to many of the British dignitaries including governors. Many important meetings concerning the Madras government including the first set of meetings regarding the sharing of Cauvery waters among the riparian states in the 1930s took place here.

Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar’s tenure as governor of Madras, though for just two years, was well remembered. It was a popular sight of him with his royal get up traveling with his nine Rolls Royse cars  across the Ooty town those days.

Nilgiri Documentation Centre

Padinjarethalakal Cherian Alexander (1921–2011) was an Indian Administrative Service officer of 1948 batch who served as the Governor of Tamil Nadu from 1988 to 1990 and as the Governor of Maharashtra from 1993 to 2002. He was considered as a candidate for the post of the President of India in 2002. He was also a member of the Rajya Sabha  from  2002 to  2008.

His career included extended stints with the United Nations and India’s Ministry of Commerce and his high-profile appointment as the powerful Principal Secretary to the late Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. He also served as the Indian High Commissioner to the Court of St. James’s.

The role of Governor Dr. P.C. Alexander in the conservation of the Nilgiris stands out because he played a decisive role in checking the unprecedented degradation of Nilgiris during the late 1980s.

During his tenure as Governor of Tamilnadu under President’s Rule in 1988, he spared enough time and attention to the Nilgiris. On public demand, he prevented a private factory mindlessly putting up a unit in the present Elephant corridor in Gudalur. He presided over the historic Save Nilgiris Run in 1988 and declared, ‘Nilgiris shall be saved and will be saved’. 

It was during Dr. P.C’s period initiatives were taken for the Master Plan for Nilgiris and the Hill Area Conservation Authority for the state.  The Hills Area Development Programme in the district was also streamlined during his time.

Just before leaving Tamil Nadu in 1991, he specially made a day’s visit to Ooty to declare open the exhibition  ‘Nilgiris Then and Now’.  During his speech he announced a reward of Rs.3000 from the Governor’s discretionary fund to the Save Nilgiris Campaign for its good work in the district.

Nilgiri Documentation Centre

Air Marshall S. Raghavendran was a member of the small group of future fighter pilots who joined the Indian Air Force in 1947 soon after independence. During his 41 year career, he participated in two wars, was a Commander of Squadrons and Air Force Stations and ultimately rose to be the Vice Chief of the Indian Air Force before retiring in 1988.

His book “Panther Red One: Memoirs of a Fighter Pilot: Memoirs of a Fighter Pilot”  published in 2013 is a riveting account of  not just the mighty Indian Air Force but a picture post card account of life in Ooty from the 1920s to the 1950s. He was believed to be working on his second book.

Hailing from Palghat Iyers of Perinkolam, the Air Marshall recalls quite candidly his simple and humble early years in Ooty, the contented life with his siblings and relations, his barefoot schooling in Municipal (now Government) High School, his clustered house Ivy Cottage, the laid back and ‘egalitarian’ town that was Ooty, the family picnics, their first car and the British administrators of those days.

Ooty of the 1930s, as the Air Marshall says   ‘deserved to be called the queen of hill stations. All the surrounding mountain tops were covered with a blanket of trees and there were trees all over the township. The roads were well developed but there were very few cars. It was tranquil, very peaceful and laid back. There was an influx of the rich and the famous during summer. The town looked more lively but not crowded.

Air Marshall’s father was the first and only non-British and non-Christian to teach in Breeks Memorial School from 1922 to 1949 before moving to Lawrence School, Lovedale. Breeks school did not admit Indian students those days.

Nilgiri Documentation Centre

Penn’s work documents the high point of British Nilgiris, when Ooty became the Summer Capital of the Madras Presidency in 1870.  

Penn opened his ‘Ootacamund Photographic Room’ in Charing cross, where he displayed and sold prints and albums of the pioneering photos taken in the hills. He also documented the local people, culture and customs. Penn specialized in portraiture of people, properties and animals, both domestic and wild. He came to be recognized as a leading photographer with exclusive access to the Government House and the  Ooty Club.

Penn also supplied illustrations to various books including ‘Sport in the Nilgiris and in Wynaad’ by F.W.Fletcher, ‘Overweights of Joy’ and ‘Lotus Buds’ by Amy Wilson Carmichael,  ‘Ootacamund. A  History’ by Sir Frederick Price and ‘Castes and Tribes of South India’ by Edgar Thurston.  

Penn’s collections number in hundreds. The largest collection  is held in the Oriental and India Office Collection in the British Library, London followed by  The Royal Commonwealth Society, the Alkazi Collection in London, New York and Delhi, the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford.

Penn’s great, grandson has published some of Penn’s works in ‘Ootacamund: A Photographic Record by A. T. W. Penn’ and ‘The Nicholas Brothers & A.T.W. Penn: photographers of South India 1855-1885’

Penn was an active member of the local European society and was a member of the Nilgiri Volunteer Rifles, a self protection outfit which came into force in the wake of the Indian Mutiny of 1857.

Penn returned to England briefly before returning back to settle down in Coonoor where he died in 1924. He is buried in the Tiger Hill cemetery.

Nilgiri Documentation Centre

C. Iyothee Thass (1845 – 1914) was a prominent Tamil anti-caste activist and a practitioner of Siddha medicine. Iyothee Thass (1845-1914) who belonged to Chennai was brought up in the English household of George Harrington in Ooty.  His father worked for the Harrintons. Thass also called himself Pundit Ayodhya Dasa and Kathavarayan.

Thass became a well known Siddha practitioner and Tamil scholar with  expertise in the traditional knowledge on astrology and palm-leaf manuscript reading. In 1870,  Thass founded Adhvaidhananda Sabha  in Ooty. In 1891, he established an organization called the Dravida Mahajana Sabha, and organised the First Conference at Ooty.

In that conference, ten resolutions were passed including the one on enacting a criminal law to punish those who humiliated untouchables, creating separate schools and providing scholarships for matriculation education for untouchable children; providing employment for educated untouchables, and representation for untouchables in District Boards and Municipal Boards.

In 1898 Thass visited Sri Lanka and converted himself to Buddism under the influence of Colonel Olcott of Theosophical Society and founded ‘The Sakya Buddhist Society’ at Royapettah, Madras.

In 1907, Thass  launched  his journal Oru Paisa Tamilan as an organ of this organisation. After a year the name was changed to Tamilan. It was edited, published and owned by Thass. The average circulation of the weekly was 500. The Tamilan is considered the most renowned journal in Dalit print history because of its rich content and ideology.

In 1881, when the colonial Government planned to carry out the second census, Thass gave a memorandum to the  Government requesting that the people of Depressed Classes in Tamil speaking land should be considered as Adi-Tamilar and not as Hindus.

The institute for Siddha Research in Chennai is named after Thass.

Nilgiri Documentation Centre

Sir C.P was a resident of Ooty from 1917 when he acquire Delisle bungalow. He was involved with the Theosophist movement from the beginning and was closely associated with Dr. Annie Besant.

Sir C.P.,  as member of the Madras Governor’s Executive Council in 1923-28 for irrigation and electricity, not only implemented pioneering projects including the Mettur and Pykara dams but also was the first to moot interlinking of rivers including the Ganga-Cauvery canal. He piloted the Pykara scheme in the face of much opposition from politicians, public and engineering experts. The success of the scheme paved the way for the rapid industrialization of the Coimbatore district, turning it to a Lancashire of the East.

After Independence, Sir C.P. divided his time between London, Madras and Ooty. He invariably spent the summer months in Ooty giving lectures and lending his support to local issues. He took active interest in the Nilgiri Library.

Sir C.P passed away in London though he had expressed his desire in private to pass his final days in Ooty.

Nilgiri Documentation Centre

In 1962 he was appointed the Mexican Ambassador to India. The ‘Ootacamund’ was written during his tenure in India. Critics consider this poem as not just a travel poem but a deeper commentary on human-nature relationship.

“This poem seems to be about nature and how it doesn’t care a single bit about humans. The last sentence in particular made me think that wilderness does not care that we have learned to talk and communicate. It flourishes whether we are there or not- it doesn’t need anything but other nature. This world is not ours, and we shouldn’t treat it as so”.

Another critic writes, “In the very first stanza one may see that the speaker is searching for Todas. Todas are an ethnicity of people who live in the Nilgiris of India. It then goes on to describe the people and their homes. Because I believe this poem is about the loss of respect for the Earth and things wiser than you. The last line from this stanza that I think is interesting goes like this: “shines like the moon on an empty well” . When a well is out of water, it kind of means you’re screwed if that’s your only water source. Water means survival because you can’t live more than a few days without it, signifying a metaphor for the end of our days if we run out.

The next stanza really stands out as backing me up on my hypothesis of this poem being about how the Earth could not care less if humans survived and that it would keep on living without us, probably stronger than before. From my understanding, Miss Penelope seems like a metaphor for white people or maybe just the British. She says how India could be so much more, but we never put it to it’s full potential. The next few lines seem to point out how the crows still do not care a single bit that we haven’t put India to it’s full use. They are part of the Earth and don’t care either way. Even though the British are disappointed at the use of the goods in India, the real goods are the secrets that the elders know, Wisdom.

The next stanza makes me think of humans destroying forested areas and how this is a prevailing problem that needs to be stopped. Clearings are made by restructurings of forested areas, and thus termites try to build back what was already theirs. For this next paragraph, I am skipping the 4th stanza because it is short and doesn’t seem to have much significance to the meaning I find is suggested in this poem. First off, this is where the poem starts to have a more hopeful theme to it. “A vision on the mountain road:/ the rose camellia tree/ bending over the cliff”.  This image seems to bring out how we humans may do terrible things to our environment, but the environment will still function, just as a camellia tree can lean over a cliff for years without falling. The next lines describe in more detail how the tree is impervious to what we do. Trees represent the Earth as many other things in this poem do. The Earth does not need language, and does not get the same vertigo we humans get. It can function on its own, and human’s problems are minor compared to the Earth.

The last stanza seems to have a very uplifting ending because of its’ last line.  “The charitable stars/ not crushing- calling me” .I think “charitable” stars are referencing how the stars have wisdom, and could be charitable if only we could understand them and worship them. In the beginning I thought this poem had no meaning at all, but as I looked deeper it really stood out as something to show people that we need to save our planet.

Nilgiri Documentation Centre

Bhai Mardana, Guru Nanak’s Muslim childhood friend, accompanied Guru Nanak in all his journeys, playing the Rebab, a musical string instrument.

In all places and along the journey, Guru Nanak would enlighten people through his divine Shabads (Hymns) the existence of Ik Onkar or One God, and to give up existing superstitions and futile rituals in their pursuit for salvation. Well-read in several religious scriptures, the Guru would engage in healthy debates with priests and religious scholars as he went along, winning them over with logic.

Guru Nanak Ji’s First Udasi was from 1500 to 1506 when he  visited places in the north including present Pakistan, Delhi, Haryana, Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar , Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Bangladesh, West Bengal, and Orissa.

Guru Nanak’s  Second Udasiwas  from 1506 to 1513 at the age of 37 years when he traveled through the southern parts of India including present Andhra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Sri Lanka.

In circa 1507, Guru Nanak’s entourage is believed to have visited the Nilgiri hills from Palghat. Though the saint was known to speak several languages, it is doubtful if was familiar with the hill languages. However, as the first written record of Nilgiris in 1602 states some of the hill tribes were proficient in Kannada and Malayalam by virtue of their trade with the plains people in Kerala and Karnataka. Guru Nanak Ji could have used these people as interpreters. In any case, the Nilgiris hills were sanctified by his presence.

Nilgiri Documentation Centre

Sir P.T’s son P.T.R. Palanivel Rajan was Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from 1996 to 2001 and his grandson, Palanivel Thiaga Rajan is the present finance minister of Tamil Nadu.

While the credit for passing the Hindu Religious Endowment Bill in 1926 goes to the Justice Party, the renovation and rehabilitation of many ancient temples in the south owe much to the personal contribution of Sir P.T.  

The connection of Sir P.T to the Nilgiris, particularly Ooty, was long and intimate. He was a regular visitor to the hills every summer before and after independence. He used to stay in Lawley Institute where a portrait of him still hangs. Many issues of national and state importance were discussed in the cool climes of Ooty with fellow party members and other stalwarts who were also regulars to the Ooty season.

Sir P.T was the editor of Justice Party Golden Jubilee Souvenir in 1968. His welcome address and the article on the Tamils is a comprehensive compendium on the history of the Justice Party and the leading lights of the Tamil society of his time. Some timeless excerpts from the volume.

“Cleverness without character is worse than useless and often proves dangerous”.

“University and secondary education produced efficient subordinates and not leaders. A radical changes in the educational  policy will  likely to meet with opposition  from vested interests.”

“In office the officials came to look upon the ministers as their masters when as a matter of fact they should have conducted themselves only as the servant of the public. The government is different from the ministry. The government is a continuing one and the ministry is a changing one.”

“In spite of the assurance given by Pundit Nehru that English would be the associate language as long as non-Hindi States want it attempts have been made to force this language on unwilling states. I may perhaps be permitted to say that the attitude of the people of southern states may be the beginning of the Federation of Southern States visualized by the founders of the Justice Party.”

“Students indiscipline is agitating the minds of not only the parents but also of politicians and governments. I should like to impress on the students that student career is a period of preparation for battle of life. Failure in preparation means failure in battle.”

“If democracy is to be made safe for India, the voters should be allowed to vote for any candidate without fear or favour. In order to ensure this, the police should observe strict neutrality. A well trained and contended police force will be an asset to society and ensure freedom and safety to the citizens.”

“Our leaders in all walks of life should subject themselves to strict disciple and punctuality and then by their practices set an example to the present generations. Our MPs and  MLAs should view their responsibility  in the proper perspective. The country should come first and the party next.”

“Friends would like to know what should be the future of the Justice Party. In a parliamentary democracy, if you follow the British practice , there can be only two well defined parties – party in power and party in opposition. Already there are two parties functioning – The Congress and the DMK. Our party will be superfluous and will be a misfit in the existing context. “

Men may come, men may go, Parties may appear and disappear. Empires rose and fell. Civilizations flourish and disappear. Justice Party as an organization may disappear. But the principles for which the Party stands are of eternal value and will never perish.

Nilgiri Documentation Centre

Reclus, it was said,  ‘does not belong to any people in particular, but to all humanity… He belonged to all humanity firstly because of the ideas he had always preached and practiced, ideas which are superior to all racial and national prejudices, and secondly through this quality of sincere savant, for science, worthy of the appellation, science which has no other aim but the honest search for truth, has no party and knows no frontiers’.

Reclus toured the Nilgiris in 1895 and wrote an account titled,        ‘The Mountaineers of the Neilgherries’. Describing the land after the monsoon rains he wrote,

“After the rain season the atmosphere seems deliciously pure and transparent; vegetation starts into fresh life, the grass shoots up, brilliantly tinted flowers glow amongst the ferns, creeping plants run riot over the trees. The precipitous mountains stand up like walls, seamed with deep gullies. At their base are bamboo thickets and an impenetrable jungle, covert of the tiger, bear, and wild boar. The swamps are succeeded by the prairie, and beyond it lies the forest. Above, perpendicular rocks; below, the plateau, swelling into shady hill-sides, which are furrowed with narrow valleys, the beds of limpid streams. The traveler journeys through parks and woodlands, by paths bordered with mulberry and eglantine, over prairies scoured by buffaloes; suddenly he finds himself at the edge of the plateau. A vast plain stretches away into the distance. Alternating patches of forest and cultivated and tint it with green and yellow and violet. Here and there it is picked out with White by those human hives, the towns. The azure sea bounds it to the west; in the south rise the faint blue Cardamums The eye is satiated with soft brightness, as it broods over the wide expanse, pierces the aerial depths, dwells upon an innumerable variety of forms, colours, movements. At eventide the divine splendour that fills the heavens breaks into dazzling colours.. gold, orange, crimson, scarlet, vermilion, slowly melting into clouds of purple and rose. And when the sun is swallowed in ocean, earth, weary of radiance, drunken with light, draws a veil of transparent shadow over her voluptuous limbs, envelops herself in silence. The atmosphere grows strangely limpid, the stars seem more brilliant than elsewhere; the constellations rise like swarms of fire-flies, and the infinite universe stands revealed”

Nilgiri Documentation Centre

He made an important contribution to Ooty by appointing McIvor to create the Botanical Gardens. McIvor was by nature quarrelsome, assuming and financially  shrewd and speculative. Yet Cleghorn appointed him over others; and quite rightly so as history proved later.)     

Huge Francis Clarke Cleghorn was born in Madras, but came to Scotland at the age of four to be raised by his aunts and grandfather.  His schooling was at the High School of Edinburgh and Madras Academy, followed by studies at the universities of St Andrews and Edinburgh. At Edinburgh he studied medicine. In 1842 he joined the East India Company as an Assistant Surgeon and returned to Madras. Illness forced Cleghorn back to Britain in 1848, where he stayed for three years, during which he wrote his important report for the British Association on the effects of tropical deforestation, and worked on Indian economic products for the Great Exhibition of 1851. After returning to Madras in 1851 he taught botany and materia medica at the Medical College and was secretary of the Agri-Horticultural Society.

In 1855 he was appointed by Lord Harris, Governor of Madras, to the new post of Conservator of Forests. Before leaving for a second home leave in September 1860 Cleghorn established a forest conservancy system in Madras.

After returning to India in 1861 the rest of Cleghorn’s career was largely spent working on forestry in the NW Himalayas. For a time he acted as Inspector-General of Forests and he has been considered to be the founder of Forest Conservancy in India.

On McIvor Cleghorn reported, ‘Honesty & Conciliatory manners remain grand essentials.  – Dr Wight (Robert Wight) & myself have been strong friends of McIvor and have befriended him in several difficulties, but it has been impossible to absolve him from blame in some matters, when a little suavity of speech would  have made all straight. He is now prosecuting an Officer of the Engineers in the Supreme Court’.

Considering the Herculean task of bringing a large piece of ground ( it was a bushy ravine in fact)  into order, where English experience was  of comparatively little use, and when soil, climate & situation were  entirely different,  Cleghorn recommended a younger man like McIvor whom  he described as a ‘practical Horticulturist & not a Scientific Botanist’.

Nilgiri Documentation Centre