Tributes paid to British governors

Tributes were paid to British Madras Governor Sir Thomas Munro and Coimbatore Collector John Sullivan on the bicentenary of Munro's historic first visit to the Nilgiris. The Nilgiri Documentation Centre (NDC) organized a meeting to commemorate the occasion. NDC's honorary director, Venugopal Dharmalingam, stated that without Munro and Sullivan, there would be no Nilgiri hills as they exist today.

Former Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu, N.Sundaradevan, highlighted Munro's contributions to revenue, police administration, land tenure, and education. Munro, committed to the welfare of the Indian people, was invited by Sullivan to assess the Nilgiris' natural resources. John Sullivan had long advocated for the Nilgiris to become a hill station for British soldiers and officials.

Munro, encouraged by Sullivan, built cottages, roads, and cultivated 'English' vegetables upon his visit. Munro's entourage reached the foot of the Nilgiri hills via the Gajalatti pass on September 24, 1826, and reached Ootacamund or Ooty on September 27, 1826, by horseback. A souvenir titled 'Remembering the Governor of Madras Presidency on his bicentenary memorial' was released at the end of the meeting.