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| John Sullivan, founder of Nilgiris and Ooty.tripadvisor.com |
During the colonial rule both under the English company and later under the Raj after 1858 the Europeans, being adventurous as they were, discovered lots of hill resorts to take refuge from hot winds and searing heat on the plans in the summer season. Over a period of time they discovered as many as 65 hill station, invariably most of them were in the Sub Himalayan hill of northern states. Attracted by the comfortable climatic conditions and vast tracks of unexplored, diverse and green wooded areas, the British began building sanatoriums for the ailing people from the army, military stations to train cadets in different terrains, schools for their children and summer houses to relax with their families. In 1864, Shimla (now the capital of the Himachal Pradesh) was declared as the summer capital of British India. This place was very much loved by Lord Curzon, builder of the Victoria Memorial, a marble edifice in Kolkata.
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| Ooty hill station, TN and the narrow gauge train. outlookindia.com |
Except the residents of Nilgiris District, people from rest of Tamil Nadu and other states may not be aware that the Nilgiris hills and Ooty town were first discovered by John Sullivan, then the District Collector of Coimbatore. Ooty is one of 65 hill stations established across India by the British. To be on the hills under the cool shadows of the trees in the summer recess gave the Europeans a big relief from the scorching sun. Across India Ooty was known as “the queen of the hill stations” set at an elevation of over 7000 feet above the MSL in the midst of luxuriant forests, tea and coffee. plantations.
Two years ago 231st birth anniversary of John Sullivan, the founder of Modern Nilgiris hills was celebrated on 16th June 2019 by the district administration. The officials led by the Collector Ms. Divya paid homage at the Sullivan Memorial at Kenneri Mukku village, Kotagiri. After garlanding the statue, the collector paid a rich tribute to him.
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| statue of John Sullivan, founder of Nilgiris and Ooty.tripadvisor.com |
Above image: The bust of John Sullivan, the founder of modern Nilgiris in Ooty. Having joined the East India Company in 1804 in Madras as a writer in 1807, he was promoted as an assistant to the chief secretary in the political and foreign department. Two years later he was posted as the Resident at Mysore. Before becoming collector of Coimbatore in 1815, he had a brief stint in Chingalput as the District Collector for a year. He held the post in Coimbatore till 1830. In 1835, he became a senior member of board of revenue. Subsequently, in 1841 he retuned to England after death of his wife Henrietta (he married her in 1820) and one of his children in Ooty (both were buried there). He died in London on January 16, 1855. One of his sons Henry Edward Sullivan became collector of Coimbatore in 1869..........,,,,,,,,,,
The officials of the Nilgiris Documentation Center (NDC) on the occasion of his birth anniversary availed themselves of the opportunity of requesting the the Governor's intervention to set up a permanent official memorial for Sullivan at Ooty in the form of a museum on his contribution to Nilgiris and his life so that the youngsters could take inspiration from his biography.
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| Location. ooty, Tamil Nadu state. ooty.xyz/ |
Sullivan took up the job of the District collector of Coimbatore in 1815, and 4 years later on 2 January 1819 he began taking steps to undertake a reconnaissance survey of the then unknown Nilgiri hills after getting necessary permission and official orders from the English company in Madras. He was always inquisitive and ready to face challenges in pursuit of exploration of near-by areas. Soon he wrote to the EIC's office in Madras informing them about the unexplored Nilgiris hills and the prevalence of cool and congenial weather quite reminiscent of the English country side. He also hinted about the other potentials of that place.
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| Ooty lake, Nilgiris, TN. fabhotels.com |
His discovery of Ooty and his subsequent stay up on the hill made him an immortal figure. The Ooty lake owes its origin to him. Between 1823 and 1825 he developed the Ooty lake, a lively tourist spot; it stretches 2.5-km-long body of water, hedged by beautiful trees on the far side. The Europeans started the golf club and gymkhanas and in 1941 the Ootacamund Club came up.
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| Ryotwari System introduced by Thomas Munroe.unacademy.com |
The NDC of the district administration in 2019 made references to two important lasting legacies of John Sullivan - One is the Ryotwari system which is now an integral part of Indian agriculture. it was introduced by Thomas Munroe in Madras, Assam and other places and Sullivan was an ardent supporter of this system. The other one being Ooty, the first hill station of the entire British empire.
NDC also suggested that the life of Sullivan could be entered into the school text book so that students will get to know him and his vital role in Nilgiris. The memorandum also made a request that the Indian postal department could come out with a postal stamp in his honor which he deserves. Because the discovery of Ooty was his pioneering singular achievement despite odds. He not only developed the economy of this region but also the welfare of the Tribal population. On his early arrival, the tribes were of great help to him. Keenly interested in the tribal welfare of Todas, he specifically made a request to the English company to respect their way of life, belief and tradition and the development in Nilgiris should not be at cost of uprooting the tribal community.
Sullivan was personally responsible for the promotion and growth of horticulture and introduction of western vegetable plants on the hills of Nilgiris. He indirectly opened the doors for tourism in this part and and the hidden potential of tea and coffee plantations on the hills under suitable climatic conditions. In the hot summer seasons people in thousands make a beeline to Ooty to escape from the
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| .ooty tea plantation. clickindia.com |
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| Oldest tea factory, Munnar 1880. .tripadvisor.in |
unbearable hot summer. Besides he brought to light the potential of hydroelectric power production in this part. For more than two centuries, the Nigiris tea (introduced in 1835) and coffee have been famous in many parts of India and the world. The Kanan Devan Hills Plantations Company (KDHP), tea estate factory which was owned by Tata Tea plantation, Munnar dates back to 1880.
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| Sullivan's grave in the UK. newindianexpress.com |
Above image: The grave of John Sullivan, the then District Collector of Coimbatore, TN and the founder of the Nilgiris Hills and summer hill station Ooty at St. Laurence Church, Upton near Heathrow airport in the UK,
https://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/050119/why-not-ootys-bicentenary-show-in-london.html
https://navrangindia.wordpress.com/2014/12/15/oldest-tea-factory-built-by-the-british-and-highest-tea-plantation-in-the-worldkolukkumalais-india/
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2009/jul/04/ooty-founders-grave-spotted-in-uk-64884.html
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