From Madras to Lucknow and back

I was in Lucknow last week and as always enjoyed wandering around the monuments, large and small, that adorn the city of Nawabi. And as always, I learned a few new things, some with the Madras connection. It was news to me that the smooth texture of the walls at Bara Imambara and La Martinere owed a lot to Madras chunam! Our local plaster became famous enough to be shipped in large quantities in the 18th century.^This He came to Lucknow, which was in the excitement of building palaces and places of worship in the 19th century.

La Martinere gives the testimony of French mercenary Claude Martin, who, after serving for a time in his country’s East India Company, saw the British as a better hope and changed his allegiance. He later went into the service of the Nawabs of Oudh and lived in Lucknow, building his extensive residence, Constantia, which also became his tomb and the school that now operates in his name. What is interesting is that Martin took part in the siege of Madras in the 1750s while in the service of the French. Later, while with the Nawab, he assisted the British at Madras in their third war against Mysore in 1792. A master gunner, he fired a special cannon for the war, which he named Lord Cornwallis.

Cawnpore Butcher

My next Madras connection concerns James George Smith Neill, known as the Butcher of Cawnpore. This title was given to him for the great cruelty he inflicted on Native Americans after the First Indian War of Independence in 1857. He was killed in the Lucknow relief campaign in September of the same year, and the British, who viewed him quite differently from us, erected a statue to him on Mount Road. Neill’s statue was a landmark throughout the 19th century^This It was in our city in the century and only at the beginning of the 20th century.^This In the century, a satyagraha for its abolition began in Madras. Kamaraj and his mentor S. Satyamurti played an important role in this, as did the forgotten patriots Angacchi Ammal, Lakshmiah, Loganatha Naidu, Swaminatha Mudaliar of Gudiyatham and Somayajulu of Tirunelveli. The protests continued for more than a decade, and it was only in 1937, when Rajaji became Prime Minister, that the Neill statue was removed and sent to the Madras museum, where it remained recumbent in a cellar.

The spot where Neill fell in Lucknow was near one of the gates of the Quaiserbaugh Palace; This large settlement was completely destroyed after the British conquered the town in 1858. The gate has survived and is even now known as Neill’s Gate. It doubles as a urinal, perhaps a fitting gift for Neill.

In memory of a musicologist

Finally, a remnant of Quaiserbaugh is the building now known as Bhatkhande Sanskriti Viswavidyalaya, in memory of the early 20th century musicologist VN Bhatkhande.^This He traveled to Madras in the 19th century to understand Carnatic Music theory and systematize its Hindustani equivalent in a similar manner. diary published as Meri Dakshin Bharat Ki Sangit YatraIt makes for fascinating reading as it relates to the music of Madras and the hinterlands in the early 20th century.^This century.

Bhatkhande’s research led to a deep interest in Hindustani music theory and helped him establish the Marris College of Music in Lucknow in 1926, named after the then Governor of the United Provinces. This was renamed Bhatkhande Sanskriti Viswavidyalaya in 1966. In 1927, Marris College was inspired to organize a music conference in Madras parallel to the session of the All India Congress. This led to the founding of the Music Academy here and the December Music Season.

(Sriram V. is an author and historian.)