Tamil Nadu: Apathy shrouds Bishop Reginald Heber’s glory

TIRUCHY: Finding the commemorative stone plaque erected by the British in 1882 to mark the place of death of Bishop Reginald Heber on the Tiruchy Court premises would be a difficult proposition for the district administration. However, the plaque is very much in existence but is covered by mud and leaves near a water tank opposite the court post office. Heber was an eminent hymn writer and widely-travelled scholar who reached Tiruchy (then Trichinopoly) in 1826. Heber was the Bishop of Calcutta and a fearless personality who criticised the East India Company’s stewardship of its Indian territories and the bullying attitude of British officials towards local officials.

Tiruchy is regarded as an educational hub and a great deal of the reputation is due to Heber’s contributions, such as Bishop Heber College, Bishop Heber Higher Secondary School and other institutions.

According to available records, Heber stayed in one of the bungalows on Tiruchy Court premises (the then British Cantonment area). He died at the age of 42 from drowning in the swimming pool on April 3, 1826. Following Heber’s death, the then governor-general ordered a 42-gun salute and flags were flown at half-mast in Madras and Calcutta. Out of respect to his contributions, the British government in 1882 erected a commemorative plaque near the swimming pool on the court premises.

Ten years ago, the current administration decided to demolish the swimming pool to construct a new court building there. However, things were handled in a lackadaisical manner and the authorities threw out the 136-year old plaque honouring the legacy of a man who made great contributions to the city’s education.

Almost a year ago, city-based historian and Bishop Heber College alumnus Vijayaraghavan Krishnan uploaded a video of the plaque lying on court premises. Many alumni of the college strongly criticised the apathy of the administration and the video went viral. “It is an insult to the man who made Tiruchy an educational hub. We cannot forget the contributions of Heber to the city. Therefore, the authorities should take immediate action on this issue and efforts must be taken for restoration of the plaque,” said Vijayaraghavan.

Jayaraj, a former headmaster of Bishop Heber Higher Secondary School, Puthur and who is also a lawyer, has approached several officials on this issue. “Earlier, Tiruchy Court was in Puthur. The British later decided to relocate it to the Cantonment area. They took great efforts to protect the swimming pool and the commemorative stone plaque. However, our administration decided to demolish the pool as they wanted to construct a new court building. Though I had approached several officials to protect that pool and plaque, they said they had no choice in the matter. It is very unfortunate they simply left a 136-year-old plaque like this,” said Jayaraj.

According to Bishop Heber College sources, college officials also approached court authorities before the demolition of the pool. Sources confirmed court officials assured the plaque would be protected. When Express visited the court premises on Saturday, initially, the plaque proved difficult to trace. After searching for almost two hours at the court, the plaque was found covered with mud next to a water tank. Express contacted the Church of South India, Tiruchy-Thanjavur diocese office and sent photographs of the plaque. Diocese officials were surprised by the information shared and said, “We have communicated the information to the diocese. We would definitely approach court authorities on this issue,” said a diocese official.

When contacted, an eminent historian said this was an unfortunate incident and an example of the country’s carelessness in preserving historic monuments. “After the death of Bishop Heber, efforts were taken to publish his hymns and journal about his north India tour. He was a well respected personality. It is very unfortunate that our officials failed to give the deserved respect to a person who made great contributions to education and literature,” said the historian.