A trip down memory lane for Australian grandson of Pudukottai’s former Diwan

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Ian Kendall, left, and Helen Kendall at the birth anniversary of Rani Rama Devi Tondaiman, the erstwhile ‘Rajmatha’ of the then Pudukottai Samasthanam. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

A chance query on Facebook brought Australian national Ian Kendall this week to Pudukottai, where his grandfather Sir Alexander Robert Loftus Tottenham served as the erstwhile princely state’s Administrator and Diwan from 1934 until his demise in 1946.

“We were overwhelmed by the friendly manner in which we were received in Pudukottai, and to find out about the work of Sir Alexander. We were not aware that he was so warmly appreciated by the people here,” Mr. Kendall told The Hindu over phone on Friday.

Over the past few days, Mr. Kendall, 73, and his wife Helen, visited Sir Alexander’s grave in Machuvadi and the Collectorate premises in Pudukottai.

The couple attended the birth anniversary programme of Rani Rama Devi Tondaiman, the erstwhile ‘Rajmatha’ of the then Pudukottai Samasthanam, hosted by her son Vijaykumar Tondaiman on October 1.

Among Mr. Kendall’s cherished memories of the Pudukottai visit is being photographed with the portrait of Sir Alexander at the Collector’s Bungalow.

An obituary of Sir Alexander Tottenham published by The Hindu on December 14, 1946, records that he joined the Indian Civil Service (ICS) in Madras Presidency in 1897 and remained there until 1923. He served as a member of the Central Board of Revenue and took an active interest in the archaeology of the Pudukottai state. After retiring from the Indian Civil Service, he became an Administrator of the Pudukottai during the minority of Rajagopala Tondaiman. When the ruler assumed full powers in 1944, he was assigned as the Diwan and continued in administration until 1946.

Paying tribute to Sir Alexander in a press communique, in 1946, the then Pudukottah Durbar said, “But for a spell of 10 months in England during these 13 years, he was always in Pudukottah and he had such love and affection for the people of Pudukottah that he was often saying that he would lay his bones only here.”

He was known for his work to reclaim lands affected by soil erosion, and the maintenance of irrigation systems in Pudukottai. The Tottenham filing system of official correspondence that he introduced is still in use in government offices in India, with an upgraded computerised version.

The Kendalls came to know of Sir Alexander Tottenham while trying to gather details about Mr. Ian’s father Robert, who migrated to Australia in the 1940s, and formalise the family tree.

While official records state that Sir Alexander was a bachelor, other biographical accounts of British administrators in India suggest that he had an Anglo-Indian spouse and two sons, Robert and Ginger.

“Vijaykumar [Tondaiman] replied to my niece Simone’s query about Sir Alexander on Facebook, and sent her a book that had some of his history related to my father and his brother. That’s when we decided to visit Pudukottai. We feel quite humbled that we got so much attention in the short time that we were here,” said Mr. Kendall.

“Alexander Tottenham had left an endowment of ₹10,000 that he had wished to be used for charitable work after his demise. This has been administered by our family over several years. We observe December 13 as ‘Tottenham Day’ in Pudukottai with a special prayer service in his memory and by rendering assistance to people in need,” Mr. Tondaiman added.

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