Cunningham Road
Student
Name: Pranav Shikarpur
School: Sri
Kumaran Children’s Home CBSE
Road
name: Cunningham Road named after
Road Location: It is
close to many landmarks like Bangalore golf club, National Gallery of Modern
Art, etc. It is close to Sankey road, Palace Road, Millers tank bund road.
Famous
for/ Contributions to society: He served as a military officer at Madras.
Summary:
Francis Cunningham was the son of the poet Allan
Cunningham and the younger brother of Joseph Davey and Alexander Cunningham,
who also spent most of their working lives in India.[1]
The brothers' cadetships were obtained through a friend
of their father's, Sir Walter Scott, who was extremely friendly with Robert
Dundas and others with a Scottish background who had been or were at the Board
of Control. After undergoing training at the Military Seminary of the British
East India Company at Addiscombe, then in Surrey, Francis was gazetted as an
Ensign and posted to the 23rd Madras Native Infantry in 1838.
In his army service he distinguished himself as a Field
Engineer, with Robert Sale at Jalalabad, during the 1st Afghan War. In 1850, he
was posted to the Mysore Commission, headquartered at Bangalore as Secretary to
the Commission and was acting as a deputy to Sir Mark Cubbon, the Chief
Commissioner at Bangalore. Here, apart from playing an active role in
developing the Horticultural Gardens at Lalbagh, he undertook many
constructions including the one he built for Sir Mark Cubbon in the nearby
Nandi Hills and possibly, a large bungalow in Bangalore, known as the
Balabrooie. Unfortunately, documentation on this period of Bangalore's history
is sparse.
When Cubbon retired and left Bangalore in 1861,
Cunningham stayed on in a private capacity, lobbying on behalf of the deposed
Maharaja Krishna Rajendra Wodeyar III, arguing that he should be allowed to
adopt an heir and that the kingdom should be restored to him. As Cunningham was
an extremely effective writer, this caused endless headaches for the next Chief
Commissioner, Lewin Bentham Bowring.
Bowring writes: 'During many years, the secretary of
the Commission was Captain F. Cunningham, a son of the poet Allan Cunningham,
and a brother of the well known archaeologist General A. Cunningham, and of
Major J.D. Cunningham who wrote the 'History of the Sikhs.' He wielded a ready
and incisive pen, his official letters showing great command of language, in
which was often a vein of irony and humour that was unpalatable to the
recipients. He had left the Commission before I joined, but had taken service
with the Raja at Mysore, his principal duty being to compose the despatches
which His Highness sent to the Government about his claims, a task which his
literary qualifications enabled him to perform exceedingly well, although his
presence at the capital and the encouragement given by him to intriguing
parties were a source of some embarrassment to me...' Bowring did not know how
to reply to the letters that Francis posted to him. The language of the letters
was forceful and robust and the arguments logical. Bowring spent sleepless
nights, thinking of a suitable reply.
When Cunningham did go back, he pursued his literary
activity, editing the works of Kit Marlowe in 1870 and Philip Massinger and Ben
Jonson in 1872. Toward the end of his life he was working on a new edition of
his brother Peter Cunningham's Handbook to London. He died on 3 December 1875.
Cunningham Road in Bangalore is named after him. Given
the significant roles that the Cunningham siblings have played in Indian
history, this road might well be considered a tribute to the entire family.
Cunningham Road is, however, not named after Alexander Cunningham (one of the
founders of the Archaeological Society of India) or Joseph Cunningham (whose
criticism of British administration in his History of Sikhs led to his
dismissal from military service).
Detailed
Description:
Francis Cunningham (1820 to 1872) who was an officer in
the Madras Army, member of the Mysore Commission, and a literary editor; this
road used to be a favourite of the British Raj. Francis Cunningham was the son
of poet Allan Cunningham and the younger brother of Joseph Davey and Alexander
Cunningham, who also spent most of their working lives in India. On his death
anniversary, we take a walk down one of the busiest roads of Bangalore to find
out how many know of its glorious past.
“Though I knew that the road was named by the British,
I had no idea that it had such a deep history. I wish such things were made
available for the public. Most of us don’t even know about our own history,”
said Shailaja Sharma, who works at a company on Cunningham Road.
In his Army service, it was reported that Francis
excelled as a field engineer, with Robert Sale at Jalalabad, during the 1st
Afghan War. In 1850, he was posted to the Mysore Commission which had its
headquarters at Bangalore. He also served as a deputy to Sir Mark Cubbon, the
Chief Commissioner at Bangalore. Apart from playing a crucial role in
developing the Lalbagh gardens, he also took active interest in building a
bungalow called Balabrooie for Sir Mark Cubbon in Nandi Hills. However, with no
documentation available, it is quite difficult to trace the actual history.
“This is a huge issue. We have no knowledge of our
history whatsoever. How do you expect the public to know more about its own
city, without any archival system? I have been in Bangalore for more than 35
years and, I can tell you with absolute certainty that Cunningham Road has
become unrecognisable today. Back then, we had beautiful villas and lovely
driveways that have now been replaced by commercial buildings and apartments.
The younger generation don’t really know about the history of Cunningham Road
or who it was named after. Such a shame,” said Linda Rao who takes care of a
150-year-old building on the road. Apparently, post retirement, when Cubbon
left Bangalore in 1861, Cunningham continued to stay and lobbied on behalf of
Maharaja Krishna Rajendra Wodeyar III. He strongly felt that the Maharaj should
be allowed to adopt an heir and that the kingdom should be restored to him.
Being an effective writer, he succeeded in causing trouble for Lewin Bentham
Bowring, the Chief Commissioner after Cubbon. “It is sad to note the lack of
education and growing ignorance of our history. I don’t think anyone remembers
Cunningham anymore,” said Malini Gupta, a student.
References:
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