John Pennycuick (engineer)
John Pennycuick | |
|---|---|
 Pennycuick in 1895 | |
| Born | 15 January 1841 |
| Died | 9 March 1911 (aged 70) London |
Colonel John Pennycuick
Early life
Pennycuick was born on 15 January 1841 at
Career
Pennycuick entered the
Pennycuick was nominated to the
Mullaperiyar Dam
Pennycuick decided to divert the west-flowing
Pennycuick went ahead with the construction of the dam in spite of dangerous diseases and insects, as well as relentless storms. Large number of sand bags kept for the construction of the dam was destroyed due to severe flood. Since he could not get adequate funds from the British government, Pennycuick went to England and sold his family property to mobilise money to fund the project. The dam was completed in 1895.
The dam was inaugurated by Lord Wenlock, the then Governor of the Madras Presidency. It resulted in irrigation of 223,000 acres in Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram districts.
Pennycuick used lime and surkhi paste for construction, taking into consideration the gravitational force: this allows the dam to withstand tremors and remain strong. Pennycuick said: "I am going to be only once in this earthly world, hence I need to do some good deeds here. This deed should not be prorogue nor ignored since I am not going to be here again".[7]
Death
Pennycuick died in Camberley, Surrey, on 9 March 1911. He is buried in the Churchyard of St. Peter's Church in Frimley. The grave has a substantial granite cross and plinth. In 2018 the grave was renovated and a large granite plaque was added in commemoration of his work on the Mullaiperiyar Dam. The plaque is from the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in recognition of the achievement.
Family
Pennycuick married Grace Georgina Chamier in 1879. Their son, Sir John Pennycuick, became an English barrister and High Court judge.
Commemoration
- The Public Works Department Office at Madurai houses a life-size bronze statue of Pennycuick. The PWD complex itself was named after Pennycuick by the state government.
- The PWD has erected four statues of Pennycuick on its premises, including a bust at the Periyar dam. The other busts are seen near the PWD Inspection Bungalow in Thekkadi and on its sub-divisional office premises at Uthamapalayam.[8]
- Farmers of Appantirupathi unveiled a granite portrait and distributed sweets on his birth anniversary.
- A memorial to Pennycuick at the Lower Camp in Theni district was unveiled in January 2013.
- A new
- At Veerapandi (East Street), Balarpatti, Kutchanoor and Kuzhiyanur in Theni district, Pennycuick is remembered during the celebration of the traditional Thai Pongalharvest festival.
- Many children in this area are named after him.
- The people of Palarpatti in Theni district venerate Pennycuick by preparing pongal in front of his statue on his birthday.[10]
- Many of the farmer families of the Theni and Madurai districts still keep portraits of Pennycuick and worship him as a god. Villagers prostrate before his portrait, offer prayers, decorate with garlands and perform aarati to his photos which are usually kept in the hall or in puja room along with images of other gods.[8]
- A white marble bust of Pennycuick was donated to his descendants by A. K. Viswanathan (Commissioner of Police, Greater Chennai Police). This statue was unveiled at St Peter's Church in Frimley on 12 January 2019 by Indian High Commission Minister A. S. Rajan.[11]
- A bust donated from Tamil Nadu will be installed in Camberley in 2022.[12]
Notes
- ^ Vibart, H.M. (1894). Addiscombe, its heroes and men of note. Westminster: Archibald Constable. pp. 298, 701.
- ^ The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884-1942), 12 April 1911, Page 2
- ^ London Gazette, 4 November 1870:4734
- ^ London Gazette, 29 December 1876:7144
- ^ London Gazette, 30 June 1868:3676
- ^ London Gazette, 11 October 1895:5585
- ^ 'Kumudam' Tamil weekly magazine
- ^ a b Sundar, S. (19 January 2012). "For farmers, gratitude to Pennycuick knows no bounds". The Hindu.
- ^ "New Bus Stand in Theni Named After Pennycuick". The New Indian Express. 3 January 2014. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
- New Indian Express. 17 January 2012. Archived from the originalon 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ "Police gift Pennycuick bust to UK". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
- ^ "John Pennycuick: The British-era colonel revered in Tamil Nadu". BBC News. 7 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
References
- Great Britain India Office (1905). The India List and India Office List. London: Harrison and Sons. p. 586.
- Buckland, C. E. (1906). Dictionary of Indian Biography. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co. p. 334.
- [1]
- http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/18888.html
- S. Muthiah (2 June 2003). "Has the penny dropped right?". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 January 2004.
- Booklet in Honour of Man Behind Mullaperiyar Released [2]