John Sullivan Memorial (My Journey to the Blue Mountains)

John Sullivan, an eminent British civil servant, is widely recognised as the founder of the Nilgiris. As I write about my visit to his memorial, I am reminded of an interesting debate that I had with my Indian counterparts about the legacy of the British Raj. Opinions were divided with some arguing that India would have been better off without Britain colonising it, while others disagreed. Ayan and Sundeep argued passionately that India benefited immensely from the Raj and that the British left at the right time. Whatever the merits of both schools of thought may be, nowhere was the legacy of the British more evident than here in the Nilgiris. From Brook to Sullivan, the work that they had done to preserve the beautiful Nilgiris is well documented. The locals refer to them affectionately as the Britishers.

John Sullivan established India’s first ever hill station in Ooty, known as the Scotland of the East for its stunning mountainous landscape and cool weather. His story is awe-inspiring for he worked tirelessly to secure land rights and cultural recognition of the Nilgiris’ native tribes. He was punished financially and socially for his efforts by the British Government. As a British civil servant from his native city London, I was proud to find some similarities with such a great man.

It was also easy to see why John Sullivan won a special place in the hearts of locals such as Dr Venugopal, who runs the Nilgiri Documentation Centre. He was instrumental in ‘Save the Nilgiris Campaign’ which began in the eighties. His organisation jointly arranged the ICC Annual Field Camp in the Nilgiris. Standing in front of the memorial, I reflected on the past represented by John Sullivan and the present by Dr Venugopal; their love for the Nilgiris inspired them to conserve it so that others could also appreciate its beauty. Oliver Wendell, an American poet, once said, ‘Historic continuity with the past is not a duty, it is only a necessity’. I was left wondering who will carry on this work going forward – work that needs to be driven by necessity more than anything else. My thoughts about the future were soon interrupted by a party of children from a nearby school. Their youthful vivacity inspired in me hope that one day one of them could carry on this project.

My encounter with these schoolchildren was one of the highlights of my trip. They were intelligent, articulate and very knowledgeable about how climate change is affecting the Nilgiris. Predominantly from the Badaga tribe, they told me about their annual Hetthai festival. They also related to me their first hand experience of the recent landslides. I was captivated by their exuberance and youthful curiosity so much so that I spent my entire time at the memorial talking to them. Ayan, Sohini and Colin joined me in the following discourse, which involved thoughtful questions from the children ranging from climate justice to global warming. Their concern for the Nilgiris and the world at large was evident and I remember coming away confident that the Nilgiris will indeed be in safe hands when these children grow up.