AFVOA Newletters of Year 2004

Page 85 of 153 disorganised and ill equipped locals. 38. The British realized that by training the natives properly they could do even better than the French. In order that they could regain lost ground they started training the natives from all over Southern India as “levies” and their own staff as “officers” in Fort St David under Major Stringer Lawrence, thus marking the start of the “Age of Expansion”. This was the birth of not only the first Coast Battalion (1752) and Carnatic Battalion (1776), which later became the Madras Battalions, but also the Indian Army . The role played by Major Stringer Lawrence who can be termed as “Father of the Indian Army”, (whom many of us do not know), was instrumental in many victorious and courageous battles that were fought by the Coast and Carnatic Battalions. It was at the insistence of Major Stringer Lawrence that Lord Robert Clive who was then a mere clerk in the Company was cajoled, forced and encouraged to be trained as an officer of the British Indian Army. Clive marched with the Madras Army to fight battles against the French and the Dutch and returned victorious. He perhaps achieved greater glory than Major Stringer Lawrence because he was instrumental in the consolidation of the British interests in India. 39. The contribution made by the British Indian Army Officers in the fields of Survey pertaining to Cartography, Zoology and Botany is indeed praiseworthy. In fact their foresight had resulted in the establishment of monumental institutions like the Geological Survey of India, the Zoological Survey of India and the Botanical Survey of India which are our National pride today. Actually the roots of Survey in India took shape in Madras at The School of Survey (now known as the Madras Engineering College and Anna University Campus) . Mainly students from St George’s School joined the School of Survey and most of them after qualifying would go to the Army for duties like military survey, road and bridge construction, construction of trenches and so on. One of the students happened to be Mackenzie who later retired as the first Surveyor General of India . Also the first Railway lines in India were actually laid between Royapuram and their bases in the port area adjoining the Fort St George. The British Indian Army Officers had played stellar roles in foreseeing the requirements of establishing a network of Railways as a means of communication and fast movement of goods to promote their business interests. Accordingly, the development in the fields of Survey, acquisition of land for railways and their incidental interests in the fields of Zoology and Botany enabled them to explore the sub continent from Kanyakumari in South to perhaps Mt Everest in the North. Their interests in various fields of activity brought about a quantitative change in our own countrymen learning various Arts and Sciences and getting trained in them. 40. Shri Muthiah, towards the end of his approximately one and a half hour talk mentioned about the expansion of Fort St George. He said, the Fort, initially called the Factory in 1639 constructed to accommodate the merchants and traders, was taken up for expansion in 1780 to add the moats, the thick walls, the huge gates, the buildings inside bit by bit which was completed around 1910. 41. The talk was enthralling, educative and highly informative. Shri Muthiah did not have even a chit of paper to refer to for his entire talk. We wondered as to how he could remember so many names, dates and events so vividly - photogenic and a phenomenal memory to say the least. History as a subject is considered by many as a mere remembrance of names, dates, kings and battles. Shri Muthiah dispelled such an impression and his lucid narration of the history of the development of Madras was like listening to a thriller with rapt attention. The best part was the audience participation after the talk when a large number of questions were asked for clarification and elucidation. Shri Muthiah very deftly handled each one of them.