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Zhayynn James called past period and asked if I could constitute a foreword for his book. I asked if it was astir the Nicholases, and helium said yes. It has been a favourite taxable of his erstwhile helium is not engaged with his assemblage arsenic a scenery architect, and erstwhile helium is not winning awards for photography. You see, helium is the past of the Nicholases.
As to however he, a James, traces his lineage to the Nicholases is thing helium has explained patiently to maine a fewer times, but I ever suffer the thread somewhere. What is important is that helium takes america backmost successful clip to the 1780s successful the past of our city. It was erstwhile Seven Wells successful the George Town country were the main root of h2o proviso to Fort St. George. Initially transported by bullock carts, piped h2o had travel successful the 18th period to the Fort from the country that had by past go Seven Wells, acknowledgment to the inaugural of George Baker, who profited by it and had a thoroughfare named aft himself successful George Town.
In the 1780s, Madras was threatened by Hyder Ali. The maestro strategist had determined that Seven Wells was the chickenhearted cervix to the Fort. Located arsenic it was to the northbound of George Town, it was immoderate region from the Fort and successful an isolated area. If the h2o proviso to the Fort could beryllium chopped off, Madras was arsenic bully arsenic his. But helium had not contended with a Nicholas, “an Irishman of the eighteenth century, and by repute somewhat of a hopeless quality successful his ain country,” to punctuation from J. Chartres Molony’s A Book of South India. This Nicholas, arsenic per Molony, saved the h2o proviso during “the stormy days of Hyder’s raids” and was named Custodian of the Seven Wells. Not conscionable that, the rubric and emoluments that went with it were bestowed connected the household for 125 years.
Molony has it that the saviour of the h2o proviso was Sylvester Nicholas but H.D. Love, our city’s definitive historiographer successful his Vestiges of Old Madras, says the fixed sanction of that archetypal Nicholas is mislaid and 2nd successful enactment was Sylvester. Love, who incidentally does not notation the communicative of the archetypal Nicholas lasting defender implicit the water, gives america the lineage thereafter till 1905. Sylvester, nephew to the archetypal Nicholas, was guardian till decease successful 1858 and was succeeded by his lad Joseph who was custodian till 1871. E.A.S. Nicholas succeeded him and remained successful complaint till 1905.
By the clip Molony came to Madras, the custody was implicit but E.A.S. Nicholas, whose fixed sanction we cognize from Molony to beryllium Evelyn, inactive lived connected the Seven Wells premises. That was 1 of the perks, arsenic was a wage of 10 pagodas a month. In Sylvester’s time, this was ample capable for him to support a horse, a carriage, and a palanquin. But by Evelyn’s clip ostentation had made definite this was a pittance. There are immoderate discrepancies successful the assorted accounts we have. As per Love, the custody expired successful 1905; the Nicholas household records assertion it was from 1800 to 1925. This is astatine likelihood with Molony arsenic well, for helium writes that it was implicit by the clip helium came to Madras, which was betwixt 1914 and 1920.
It was S. Muthiah who archetypal introduced maine to Zhayynn. We invited him to present a speech during 1 Madras Week connected the Nicholases. Which brings maine to the present. Zhayynn has written a fictional enactment based connected information (Muthiah utilized to telephone this the faction genre). The Keeper of the Wells is the title, and it is each acceptable to beryllium launched astatine the Victoria Public Hall (yay!) connected July 11. In it the archetypal of the Nicholas gets a sanction – John. Zhayynn was fixed that portion of accusation by yet different Nicholas, present surviving determination overseas and who had it successful his household archives. Many of the Nicholases are, by the way, enjoying eternal remainder astatine the St. Roque’s cemetery successful Old Washermanpet.
The publication erstwhile released, volition articulation the subset of fictional works based connected Madras. The archetypal I tin deliberation of is In Old Madras by Bithia Mary Croker, published successful 1913. In it, a Captain Mallender comes present to look for an uncle who has agelong vanished. Muthiah made maine work it and I recovered precious small astir the metropolis successful it. In caller years we person had respective more, particularly successful Tamil. The metropolis has travel live successful the writings of Jayakanthan and Ashokamitran, to conscionable sanction two. I spot Zhayynn’s, erstwhile released, volition adhd to the English corpus.
(Sriram V. is simply a writer and historian)
