John Sullivan — The Saga.
The saga of John Sullivan, founder of modern Nilgiris originates from his birth on 15th June 1788, in an influential Irish family to the couple Rt. Hon’ble. John Sullivan and Henrietta Anne Barbara, the sister of Lord Hobart, the incumbent Governor of Madras in 1793, while the former was famous for having built the pristine building of Govt hospital in Madras.
John Sullivan had a remarkable service in the Madras Civil Service, wherein the rise of his career rank was sublime. Sullivan joined as a writer in 1804 and repatriated in 1811. While during the years in between, Sullivan served at various levels. In 1814, he was made the Collector of Chingleput after his return to India, subsequently becoming the Collector of Coimbatore in the year following and retiring post accomplishing service as the Member of Council of the Governor, and President of the Revenue, Marine and College Boards.
Sullivan’s actions since 1819, while being the Collector of Coimbatore is responsible for the fame he possesses after two centuries. His flair was the catalyst to figure out what’s behind the ranges of the western ghats. Leading the troops of the European Army and Indian Sepoys on Jan 2nd 1819, Sullivan headed towards the Nilgiri hills, and the rest is history.
The desperately ascending troops also entailed prisoners from Coimbatore and Salem, alongside several elephants, trained dogs, and ponies. After about 6 days of climbing, Sullivan and crew managed to camp at Dimbatty, a Baduga hamlet near Kotagiri.
It was in 1821, Sullivan was attracted by the valley of Ootacamund, which eventually made him buy 100 acres of land from the Todas. A modern house was constructed, where Sullivan planted an Oak tree, naming it Stonehouse. Its inauguration was on 1st June 1823,and it marked the official establishment of Ootacamund. The Stonehouse is today’s Govt. Arts College, Ooty.
The one who is responsible for the construction of roads in the ghat section, employed a Scottish gardener to introduce the hills to the crops of the British diaspora. The crops included new varieties of oats, wheat, barley, carrot, beetroot, cabbage, potato, peach, strawberry, etc. The local Baduga’s popularly called the barley supplied to the coterie as “Sullivan’s Ganji”. Sullivan, in 1834 introduced the district, the beverage crop “Tea”, through the Tea Committee constituted by Governor Gen. Lord Willian Bentinck. Tea is today’s backbone to the district’s economy.
John Sullivan regarded the natives of Nilgiris as the “Lords of the Soil''. His noble impact on indigeneous Baduga community was much more than any other local tribes.
Sullivan, at the British Parliament before the British House of Commons argued, “The natives of India should be entrusted with a great share in the administration of their Own country. Except the army, all civil administration of the government should be left to the natives. I think of them as eminently qualified. All the business of the country is in fact now done by natives. If they had been treated as we have been treated, I have no doubt they would have been trustworthy. They must occupy the posts which are now filled by Europeans “, which I believe was a colossal statement that endorsed equal rights for Indians.
Sullivan evidently worked for reformations, and it is perceptible that he challenged British governance at instances. He proclaimed the condemnation of British rule when they displaced myriad native troops and officials.
Sullivan, like a prophet, had warned of the Indian mutiny of 1857 in 1855. He made clear that the despondent natives would bounce back with fortitude to beat the believed to be invincible British army.
The date of Sullivan’s demise was a mystery for a long time until Nilgiri Documentation Centre confirmed it as 15th June, 1855. It was not just the Nilgiris, but the sons of the nation who had lost a beloved friend, an English daily had written after his demise. Man dies, but his legacy is immortal, that stands tall even today.