Soldier to Governor of Madras"...Thomas Munro who captured the hearts of the people..!!

The East India Company was a trading company but had an army of 2.5 lakh soldiers. Where profit from trade was unlikely, the military made it possible. The Company's army occupied most of India for the next fifty years.

Local rulers who provided revenue to the company began to rule those areas. Power rested directly in the hands of local rulers, but most of the state's revenue went to the British treasury. The public was helpless.

In August 1765, the East India Company defeated the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam. The eastern provinces of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa had the 'diwani', i.e. the right to collect revenue and control the people, at an annual rate of Rs. Acquired by Lord Clive for 26 lakhs.

After this, India came under Company rule. "People were taught that the world belonged to God, the country belonged to the king, and the ruling power belonged to the company," says historian Syed Hasan Riaz.

In the eighteenth century, the southern region from Bihar to Bengal suffered from famine from 1769 to 1773. It is said that lakhs of people died due to this famine. A report by Governor General Warren Hastings stated that one-third of the population starved to death.

The rural people suffered not only because of the sky but also because of the heavy taxes imposed by the company.

There were many problems like this for people. In it, an English revolutionary saw the suffering of the people and became sad too. This article is based on how in his life he rose from being a soldier to becoming the governor of Madras and is still a hero to the people.

Major-General Sir Thomas Munro KCB (27 May 1761 – 6 July 1827) was a British soldier and colonial administrator. He served as an East India Company Army officer and statesman, in addition to also being the governor of Madras Presidency.

When crossing Anna Road in Chennai, we must have seen a statue of a majestic figure sitting on a horse with a sword in hand. He was Sir Thomas Munro. He was born on May 27, 1761, in Glasgow, England to Alexander Munro and Margaret Stark.

His family was engaged in the tobacco business. He suffered from measles at an early age and lost his hearing. He graduated from the University of Glasgow.

During the same period, his family business went bankrupt, and fell into debt. He wanted to join the army since his childhood. But he could not join the army due to family burdens and parental stricture. However, due to his perseverance, he joined the British army in 1779 at the age of 18. He landed at Chennai on 15th January 1780 as part of the British Army.

By this time the British government had launched a major war against Hyder Ali. Tipu Sultan was targeted by the British administration after Hyder Ali's death. Sir Thomas Munro, who had participated in both these battles, led the troops and attracted the attention of Governor Conn. Wallis. Determining that he was a fit man to govern India, the governor released Sir Thomas Munro from the army and transferred him to civil service.

The Governor gave him the responsibility of managing the 'Paramahal' area which included Salem, Dharmapuri, Oodhangarai and Tirupattur. After 12 years of fighting on the battlefield, Thomas Munro ditched his military uniform and became an administrative officer. Before taking charge, Thomas Munro began to study the way of life of the people by going from village to village. At that time, the British government had given the zamindars and land wardens the right to collect land tax from the people.

But it was found that they were collecting more taxes from the people than the British administration had fixed. The zamindars used to collect most of the tax collected and give only a part to the British administration. They were taking the land of people who could not pay taxes and making it their own. Observing all this, Munro thought of freeing people from these problems. For that, he ordered that from now on the officials can collect tax money directly from the people. He said that the zamindars had no right to collect taxes.

He also created the administrative post of Collector to collect this tax. The post of Collector which he created is the post that has undergone a little change and is now a center for solving the problems of the people and is in practice to date. This system of tax collection, known as the Kayatwar system, gave some relief to the people. After that Thomas Munro worked in many parts of South India.

In the 17th century, the government had given some land to Sri Raghavendra Temple in Mantralaya, which was in his domain. Munro took it upon himself to recover the lands. Thomas Munro, who visited the Mandiralaya, realized the situation there and the people's faith and gave a report to the British government that all this land should be under the Mandiralaya administration. His order that no tax should be levied on that land is still recorded in the Madras Gazette.

Munro had great respect for the religious sentiments of the people and allotted some villages in the Chittoor area for revenue to the Tirupati Temple Mathinaveda. The Pongal is kept in Tirumala in the big pot that he gifted. The pot is still known as 'Manro Mangalam'. In Andhra Pradesh, where Munro worked, children are still named after him in some parts of Andhra Pradesh.

Unlike other British officers, Munro was close to the people. That is why he learned Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada languages. He provided permanent drinking water facilities to many villages. After serving in India for a total of 28 years, Munro returned to his native Scotland at the age of 46. Returning to Chennai after six years, Sir Thomas Munro was appointed as the chairman of the committee to reform the district administration and finance.

Realizing Sir Thomas Munro's administrative skills, the British government appointed him as the Governor of Chennai in 1820. Munro brought about many reforms in the police and judiciary.

He was one of the main contributors to the development of India's modern education system. It was Monro who conducted the first survey of the educational system in Chennai province in all schools and colleges. He formed the Madras Textbook Institute for teacher training. He also played a major role in ensuring women's education. Thomas Munro was the seed for the development of independent India.

The teacher training school he started later became Madras High School and later became a state college. As for Munro's family life, he was very fond of his romantic wife Will Helmina.

History has it that his romantic wife was behind Munro's reforms. During Munro's tenure as governor, his wife and son became ill. Due to this, he sent both of them from Chennai to England. Desperate to be near his wife, Munro wrote to the British government asking for his release from office.

But the British government did not give him permission. The British government kept delaying the request of Thomas Munro, who wanted to spend his last days in his native country with his wife and children. Distraught by this, Munro embarked on a conversion journey. In July 1827 he traveled to Cuddapah, which he loved so much during his career. Munro was advised not to go there because of the outbreak of cholera.

He traveled to Cuddapah saying that it would not be proper for me as an officer to stand aside and have fun while people were suffering from a deadly disease. He went from village to village and comforted the people. He encouraged the doctors and helped them to treat. While encamping at Buthikunda in Cuddapah, Monro contracted cholera. Sir Thomas Munro's life was taken by the severity of the disease.

Sir Thomas Munro died on July 6, 1827. His body was buried at St. Mary's Church in Fort George, Chennai. The death of Thomas Munro caused great grief to all the people. The death of Sir Thomas Munro, who was born somewhere and crossed the sea and loved this land and its people dearly, gave up his own life, and worked for the people, made India sad.