JOIN USBangalore owes a lot of its development to the British who promoted education and provided healthcare facilities. A railway line from Bangalore to Jolarpet was laid in 1859, and the City was soon on the fast track to growth, writes S Srinivas.
The British connection with Bangalore began in 1809 when they established a cantonment here for stationing their troops. Soon Bangalore began to grow and within a century was ranked next to Madras among the cities of South India. In this transition from a small town to a city, the role of the British is conspicuous. The importance attached to Bangalore even in the very early days of British rule is evidenced by the remark of Lord William Bentinck, the then Governor General of British India.
In his secret dispatch dated April 4, 1834, he proposed that Bangalore and the surrounding areas should be ceded to the British government in full sovereignty, because of its central and commanding position and salubrious climate, it was the best place to be the capital of South India. Twenty four years later, in a letter from the Government of India to the Governor of Madras dated December 20, 1858 Bangalore is being alluded to as “that great C&M Station” (Civil and Military Station as Bangalore cantonment was called) from which it is apparent that even in those days Bangalore was something more than an ordinary cantonment. Hence when the British began their rule in Mysore after deposing Krishnaraja Wodeyar III for maladministration, they chose Bangalore as the capital in 1831.
Schools and infrastructure
As a capital city with the Commissioner’s Secretariat working from here, the British developed Bangalore’s infrastructure, promoted education and provided health facilities. Roads were laid connecting Bangalore with all headquartered towns. The laying of a railway line from Bangalore to Jolarpet began in 1859. Later this track was extended up to Madras. Progress in infrastructural development attracted merchants, artisans and labourers.
In 1858, the Bangalore High School was started, which in 1875 became a first grade college and was designated Central College. Earlier, in 1842, the Wesleyan Mission had started an English school; by 1852 there were five such schools in Bangalore. In the cantonment area, the Bishop Cotton School and the St. Joseph’s College were started in 1865 and 1882 respectively. A philanthropist, Rao Bahadur Arcot Narayanaswamy Mudaliar, started a school (the Present RBANM Institutions) in 1873, where Bipin Chandra Pal, the famous Congressman worked as Principal.
In 1880, a number of leading gentlemen of Bangalore town started the Arya Balika Patasala. In January 1891, it was converted into a government girls’ school. The first dispensary was opened in June 1835 in Bangalore fort, and a hospital and dispensary in Bangalore pete in 1839 which in 1846 was extended to accommodate 70 inpatients.
After 1881, when power was transferred to the Maharaja, the capital of the State was shifted to Mysore.
But Bangalore still retained its power status because the British Resident lived here. All British dignitaries who visited Mysore State used to pay a visit to Bangalore to review the imperial troops stationed at the cantonment. There was more population and trade activity in the British-ruled cantonment than Bangalore town. For instance, in 1862, when Municipal Boards were established in both Bangalore pete and cantonment, the population of the former was 36,302 while that of the latter was 57,193. While Bangalore pete occupied an area of 8¼ sq miles, cantonment covered an area of 12½ sq miles.
The annual fund allotted to the municipality of Bangalore pete was Rs 21,681 while a fund of Rs 37,509 was allotted to the municipality of cantonment. Then, there is the question of octroi — the amount of octroi collected indicates the volume of business done. The cantonment municipality used to collect octori both from its limits and also that of the pete limits and credited one third of it to the pete municipality.
This shows that octroi collection was more in cantonment as more business was carried out there when compared to the pete area and hence the cantonment municipality used to retain two-thirds of the amount.
Even after the formation of Basavanagudi and Malleshwaram extensions, the pete area was 9.7 sq miles during 1903-04. Gradually the pete expanded and during 1914, its area was 10.72 sq miles. During 1923, it was extended to 11.82 sq miles. In 1943, it had outgrown the area of cantonment and stood at 14.8 sq miles. Even the population of the pete increased relatively to that of cantonment only from the late 1920s.
Decline in population
The probable reasons for the decline in the population in the cantonment could be due to the fact that the administration there was in the hands of the British and rules and regulations were strictly enforced. This may have inhibited immigrants, especially Indians who were then increasingly exposed to national movements, to relocate to the cantonment. Area-wise, Bangalore cantonment could not be expanded unlike Bangalore town and the ongoing talks between the State government and British authorities over the question of retrocession of C&M Station to Mysore State during 1930s made Europeans wary of migrating to the Cantonment due to the uncertainty over the future status of the said place and their position.
In the early phase of its existence, the municipality of Bangalore pete used to adopt various bye-laws framed by the cantonment municipality. By establishing a cantonment here and developing the City, the British offered an opportunity for enterprising people from elsewhere to migrate to the City in search of a calling. If Bangalore has retained its cosmopolitan flavour, a part of the credit should go to the British.