British Irrigation engineer Arthur Cotton's statue garlanded by Andhra Pradesh minister of irrigation
Saw the photo linked below in a newspaper yesterday (May 16th 2016).
I think Arthur Cotton must be the most revered British figure in Andhra Pradesh state of independent India today. I do not recall such reverence to any British figure in Maharashtra being reported by Bombay/Mumbai based newspapers when I was living in Bombay.
Here's a photograph of Andhra Pradesh irrigation minister garlanding the statue of Arthur Cotton day-before-yesterday, May 15th 2016 (I presume), http://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/politics/160516/we-will-take-legal-action-against-telangana-projects-uma-maheswara-rao.html.
Here's a related article from The Hindu, http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/museum-for-cotton-soon-says-minister/article8605090.ece.
The article quotes the Home Minister of Andhra Pradesh state, Shri N. Chinna Rajappa, as saying, "Even today, people here are honouring Cotton like God". It states that Shri Chinna Rajappa said that the people of East and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh were able to combat drought and turn barren lands into fertile farms due to the technical expertise and hard work of Mr. Arthur Cotton.
Ravi: It is so nice to see a foreign (British) engineer/technologist's contribution to Indian society being remembered and being revered even one and a half centuries after the person left India. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Cotton, Cotton's last mentioned visit to India was in 1863; he died in Surrey, UK, in 1899.]
Here's an extract from his wiki:
Going through the famine and cyclone-ravaged districts of Godavari, Cotton was distressed by the sight of famished people of the Godavari districts. It was then that he put in process his ambitious plans to harness the waters of the mighty Godavari for the betterment of the humanity.
John Henry Morris in Godavari writes about the work of Cotton:
Ravi: I don't think any British figure is revered by any large section of Indians today, like Arthur Cotton is revered by the descendants of the farmers who have benefited for generations from Cotton's irrigation engineering work in parts of Andhra Pradesh.
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A correspondent wrote over email (and was OK with public sharing):
I am from this part of the world Sir. I have seen Anicut and it is a marvel. The canal goes over the river.
---
I (Ravi) responded:
Wonderful to know that, sir. I had not even heard of Mr. Arthur Cotton, as far as I can recall, before I moved to Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh in 2002.
---end comment exchange excerpts ---
Here's the official East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh webpage on Mr. Arthur Cotton, http://eastgodavari.nic.in/eminentpersons/sirarthurcotton.aspx.
Here's a Nov. 29th 2009 Hindu article, Cotton’s great-grandson felicitated, http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/cottons-greatgrandson-felicitated/article151126.ece. The article has a photograph of Mr. Robert Charles Cotton, great-grandson of Mr. Arthur Cotton, and his wife, enjoying the view of one of the barrages over an Andhra Pradesh river. Mr Robert Cotton is quoted in the article as saying, "The felicitations to us are token of remembrance of my great grandfather by the people here. During my visit to some places in the State, I understood that the people revere, love and respect my great grandfather for his vision and service to this nation."
On his being requested by an Andhra Pradesh leader that he should also send his children to Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Robert Cotton is quoted as saying, "I would motivate my children and grand children to visit India and work here to continue the bonds with people here."
From around 1:30 to 4:45 in this video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjFKmSLK2P8, published April 21st 2013, you first can see Mr. Robert (Richard?) Charles Cotton (seems to be the same person as in the photograph of the earlier Hindu article), showing a room of his UK house and portraits in it (of his ancestors perhaps). Around 2:10 you have Mr. Robert Cotton speaking in English, saying that he and his wife wish Telugu community people a very happy time on the occasion of Ugadi (Telugu new year festival). He then talks about continuing the strong links between Britain and Andhra Pradesh started by the work of Mr. Arthur Cotton around 150 years ago, and which links between Britain and Andhra Pradesh are strong today. He was also very encouraging of developing links between the Cotton family (of which he was/is the head) and the Telugu people.
Later parts of the video show the Godavari river and some barrages/dams across it and interviews with locals there reflecting the gratitude and reverence the locals have towards Mr. Arthur Cotton. However the voice-over is in Telugu.
[I thank thehindu.com (very short extract) and Wikipedia and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above extracts from their website on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.]
I think Arthur Cotton must be the most revered British figure in Andhra Pradesh state of independent India today. I do not recall such reverence to any British figure in Maharashtra being reported by Bombay/Mumbai based newspapers when I was living in Bombay.
Here's a photograph of Andhra Pradesh irrigation minister garlanding the statue of Arthur Cotton day-before-yesterday, May 15th 2016 (I presume), http://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/politics/160516/we-will-take-legal-action-against-telangana-projects-uma-maheswara-rao.html.
Here's a related article from The Hindu, http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/museum-for-cotton-soon-says-minister/article8605090.ece.
The article quotes the Home Minister of Andhra Pradesh state, Shri N. Chinna Rajappa, as saying, "Even today, people here are honouring Cotton like God". It states that Shri Chinna Rajappa said that the people of East and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh were able to combat drought and turn barren lands into fertile farms due to the technical expertise and hard work of Mr. Arthur Cotton.
Ravi: It is so nice to see a foreign (British) engineer/technologist's contribution to Indian society being remembered and being revered even one and a half centuries after the person left India. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Cotton, Cotton's last mentioned visit to India was in 1863; he died in Surrey, UK, in 1899.]
Here's an extract from his wiki:
Going through the famine and cyclone-ravaged districts of Godavari, Cotton was distressed by the sight of famished people of the Godavari districts. It was then that he put in process his ambitious plans to harness the waters of the mighty Godavari for the betterment of the humanity.
John Henry Morris in Godavari writes about the work of Cotton:
The Godavari anicut is, perhaps, the noblest feat of engineering skill which has yet been accomplished in British India. It is a gigantic barrier thrown across the river from island to island, in order to arrest the unprofitable progress of its waters to the sea, and to spread them over the surface of the country on either side, thus irrigating copiously land which has hitherto been dependent on tanks or on the fitful supply of water from the river. Large tracts of land, which had hitherto been left arid and desolate and waste, were thus reached and fertilized by innumerable streams and channels.
In 1878, Cotton had to appear before a House of Commons Committee to justify his proposal to build an anicut across the Godavari. A further hearing in the House of Commons followed by his letter to the then Secretary of State for India reveals his ambition to build the anicut across the Godavari. His letter concluded: "My Lord, one day's flow in the Godavari river during high floods is equal to one whole year's flow in the Thames of London". Cotton almost despaired at the British Government's procrastination in taking along this project.--- end wiki extract ---
Ravi: I don't think any British figure is revered by any large section of Indians today, like Arthur Cotton is revered by the descendants of the farmers who have benefited for generations from Cotton's irrigation engineering work in parts of Andhra Pradesh.
============================
A correspondent wrote over email (and was OK with public sharing):
I am from this part of the world Sir. I have seen Anicut and it is a marvel. The canal goes over the river.
---
I (Ravi) responded:
Wonderful to know that, sir. I had not even heard of Mr. Arthur Cotton, as far as I can recall, before I moved to Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh in 2002.
---end comment exchange excerpts ---
Here's a Nov. 29th 2009 Hindu article, Cotton’s great-grandson felicitated, http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/cottons-greatgrandson-felicitated/article151126.ece. The article has a photograph of Mr. Robert Charles Cotton, great-grandson of Mr. Arthur Cotton, and his wife, enjoying the view of one of the barrages over an Andhra Pradesh river. Mr Robert Cotton is quoted in the article as saying, "The felicitations to us are token of remembrance of my great grandfather by the people here. During my visit to some places in the State, I understood that the people revere, love and respect my great grandfather for his vision and service to this nation."
On his being requested by an Andhra Pradesh leader that he should also send his children to Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Robert Cotton is quoted as saying, "I would motivate my children and grand children to visit India and work here to continue the bonds with people here."
From around 1:30 to 4:45 in this video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjFKmSLK2P8, published April 21st 2013, you first can see Mr. Robert (Richard?) Charles Cotton (seems to be the same person as in the photograph of the earlier Hindu article), showing a room of his UK house and portraits in it (of his ancestors perhaps). Around 2:10 you have Mr. Robert Cotton speaking in English, saying that he and his wife wish Telugu community people a very happy time on the occasion of Ugadi (Telugu new year festival). He then talks about continuing the strong links between Britain and Andhra Pradesh started by the work of Mr. Arthur Cotton around 150 years ago, and which links between Britain and Andhra Pradesh are strong today. He was also very encouraging of developing links between the Cotton family (of which he was/is the head) and the Telugu people.
Later parts of the video show the Godavari river and some barrages/dams across it and interviews with locals there reflecting the gratitude and reverence the locals have towards Mr. Arthur Cotton. However the voice-over is in Telugu.
[I thank thehindu.com (very short extract) and Wikipedia and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above extracts from their website on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.]
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