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Back to the hills
S. MUTHIAH
The Trichy Coub House
JANE TURNER was born in the Ootacamund General Hospital, Susan Inman was born in Coonoor and Dennis Boas, in Munnar, in the 1940s. Turner brings groups with roots in the southern plantations quite often here and we have kept in touch over the years. For Susan, who was with Turner at Kodaikanal's Presentation Convent (PCK) for years, and Boas, this was the first trip in years. Turner is also the livewire behind the annual activities in Britain of the former expatriates in South India. Planters from the Western Ghats, boxwallahs, administrators and soldiers from Madras and the moffusil meet every year for a day out in London and try to get a seconds day, later in the year, in the country - Turner's drive ensuring attendance of 50 to 150. Turner also got started a PCK reunion that, after a stuttering start, has these past 10 years, been going strong. This year's reunion at the Bombay Brasserie had the staff and other guests stunned when the 60 "old girls" mainly British, gave a rousing rendition of "Jana Gana Mana" - and an encore. Says Turner, "We had to learn it and sing it everyday in school and we have never forgotten it."
Charming as the story was, I was more interested in Dennis Boas' tales about his father Harry Boas, who worked on the Kanna Devan Estates of James Finlay (now Tata Tea). "Father enjoyed the hunt," said Boas showing me pictures of a rogue elephant Boas had shot after it had killed eight workers on his plantation, and two tigers that had between them killed 13 persons and mauled several others in the high range. When Boas Sr. called it a day in the hills, he moved to James Finlay's in Trichy and then settled there to manage the Trichy Club.
"Safeguarding the original interests of the Trichinopoly Club," that last half a dozen Europeans kept the club so exclusive that even though their members dwindled - "three through suicide", according to Dennis Boas - they made no attempt to bring in an Indian membership.
In 1955, H.C. Boas sought the Madras Club's help in keeping the Trichy Club afloat and the former responded by buying the property and leasing it back at Re. 1 a year. Two years later, when only Boas, Bingham and Burrell were left, Boas was back again in Madras and persuaded the Madras Club to administer the property. By May 1958, the Trichy Club was down to one member and he celebrated the club's 90th anniversary in solitary splendour. The Madras Club's congratulatory telegram propped up on the cruet stand!
The billiards room with the shikar trophies
The affairs of the Trichy Club dragged on, with it having one or two members at the most, till 1970 when the club celebrated its centenary. Two years later, the club ceased to function and the Madras Club took over its assets as well, but them vanishing one by one till it decided to dispose them by sale of gift.
The 20 shikar trophies were gifted to the Officers' Mess of the Army Battalion stationed in Trichy. Eventually, the property was sold in 1985. Dennis Boas when I met him, was off to see what had been done to the property since.
My pictures today are the 1950s and show the club house and the billiards room with the shikar trophies.
The PAT's "Halfway to a Century" commemorating its golden jubilee, and an even more entertaining collection of planters' writing titled "Planting Times" and culled from UPASI's journals, "Planting Opinion" and "The Planters Chronicle" were a surprise gift at the dinner to the three from England who had grown up in the Madras Provinces' plantations country.
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