Bannerman letter to Govt

//Major John Bannerman writes to the Madras Government, 17 October, 1799, 

thus: 'it may not be amiss here to observe that the manner and behaviour of the Poligar during the whole time of his being before those who were assembled yesterday at the examination, which took place were undaunted and supercilious. He frequently eyed the Etiapore Poligar (Poligar of Ettayapuram), who had been so active in attempting to secure his person, and the poligar of Shevighergy with an appearance of indignant contempt and when he went out to be executed, he walked with a firm and daring air and cast looks of sullen contempt on the poligars to his right and left as he passed. It was reported to me that in his way to the place of execution he expressed some anxiety for his brother (Kumaraswamy Nayak) alone: and said, when he reached the foot of the Tree on which he was hanged, that he then regretted having left his fort, in the defence of which it would have been better for him to have died'. 

Camp at Kytar:

17 October 1799, 

         

          Signed (Major John Bannerman, 

letter to Madras Government, R. C , Vol 98, pp: 2877-2884"//

//மேஜர் ஜான் பேனர்மேன், 17 அக்டோபர், 1799 அன்று சென்னை அரசுக்கு எழுதுகிறார்.

 இவ்வாறு: 'நடைபெற்ற விசாரணையில் நேற்று கூடியிருந்தவர்களுக்கு முன்பாக, பாளையக்காரர் இருந்த காலம் முழுவதிலும் அவர் நடந்துகொண்ட விதமும், நடத்தையும் தயக்கமின்றியும், அகந்தையாகவும் இருந்ததை இங்கு அவதானிப்பது தவறில்லை.  அவர், தனது நபரைப் பாதுகாக்கும் முயற்சியில் தீவிரமாக ஈடுபட்டிருந்த எட்டயபூர் பாளையக்காரரையும் (எட்டயபுரம் பொலிகர்) கோபமான அவமதிப்புத் தோற்றத்துடன் சிவகிரியின் பாளையக்காரரையும் அடிக்கடி பார்த்தார். அவர் தூக்கிலிட வெளியே சென்றபோது, ​​அவர் உறுதியுடன், தைரியமான காற்று போலவும் நடந்து சென்றார். மற்றும் அவர் கடந்து செல்லும் போது அவரது வலது மற்றும் இடது பக்கம் உள்ள பாளையக்காரர்கள் மீது இழிவான அவமதிப்பு தோற்றத்தை வெளிப்படுத்தினார்.  தூக்கிலிடப்படும் இடத்திற்குச் செல்லும் வழியில் அவர் தனது சகோதரனுக்காக (குமாரசாமி நாயக்கர்) தனியாக ஒரு கவலையை வெளிப்படுத்தியதாக எனக்குத் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டது: மேலும் அவர் தூக்கிலிடப்பட்ட மரத்தின் அடிவாரத்தை அடைந்தபோது, ​​​​அவர் வெளியேறியதற்காக வருத்தப்பட்டதாகக் கூறினார்.  அவரது கோட்டை, பாதுகாப்பின் போதே அவர் இறந்திருந்தால் நன்றாக இருந்திருக்கும் என கருதினார்.

 கய்த்தார் முகாம்:

 17 அக்டோபர் 1799,

 கையெழுத்திட்டார் (மேஜர் ஜான் பேனர்மேன்,

 மெட்ராஸ் அரசுக்கு கடிதம், ஆர்.சி , தொகுதி 98, பக்: 2877-2884"//

From thehindu.com

TAMIL NADU

Kattabomman’s execution record to be digitised

Preserving records: The Veerapandia Kattabomman memorial in Thoothukudi, where the warrior was hanged.

T. Ramakrishnan CHENNAI JANUARY 07, 2021 01:31 IST

UPDATED: JANUARY 08, 2021 03:30 IST

The report of Major John Bannerman, written in cursive style, was prepared the day after the warrior was hanged

Many may consider melodramatic the performance of Sivaji Ganesan in the 1959 classic Tamil feature film, Veerapandia Kattabomman , one of the early fighters against British rule and whose birth anniversary was observed on Sunday (January 3).

But the thespian’s acting in the scene, depicting the hanging of the warrior, is broadly in tune with an account of Major John Bannerman of the East India Company.

Bannerman, who led a force to take on Kattabomman (1760-1799), the poligar (local chieftain) of Panchalankurichi (now in Thoothukudi district), paid encomium to the latter in his eight-page report, written in cursive style and sent to Governor Edward Clive (1754-1839), who held the post during 1798-1803 and who was the son of Robert Clive, the first British administrator of Bengal.

The report, which spelt the name of the warrior as “Cataboma Naigue,” was prepared on October 17, 1799, the day after the execution of Kattabomman. It was received at the Fort St. George, the seat of power of the authorities, on November 8, 1799.

Being preserved at the office of Archives and Historical Research here, this report is among the documents to be digitised soon. At present, a software is being developed for indexing and retrieving scanned documents.

The retrieval software will be installed initially on local intranet and later on the Internet, according to a plan of the department.

Among the benefits of the digitisation project is to do away with physical handling of the records and facilitating easy search and retrieval of the documents. Initially, survey records, most sought-after government orders and records of the East India company and British administration, prior to the 1857 uprising, will be covered, an official said.

Describing the manner and behaviour of Kattabomman at the time of his trial as “undaunted and supercilious,” Bannerman had this to say in his document: “It was reported to me that in his way to the place of execution [in Kayathar of Thoothukudi], he expressed some anxiety for his dumb brother [Oomaithurai] alone, and said when he reached the foot of the tree, on which he was hanged, that he then regretted having left his forts in the defence of which it would have been better for him to have died.”

During the trial, Kattabomman “frequently eyed” the Ettayapuram (also in Thoothukudi) poligar, who “had been so active in attempting to secure his person” and the poligar of Sivagiri (now in Tenkasi district) with “an appearance of indignant scorn”.

When he went out to be executed, he “walked with a firm and daring air, and cast looks of sullen contempt on the poligars to the right and left as he passed”.

However, Bannerman had justified the capital punishment given to Kattabomman as an act which was “in vindication of the injured authority of the company.”