TREASURE TROVE OF HISTORY
Nandhivarman
A foreigner in a coffee house chat says” The National Archives at
Pondicherry contains invaluable information, mostly in French, about the slave
trade that flourished during the French colonial rule and it is highly pathetic
that, in spite of the fact that most Tamil scholars here know French as
fluently as Tamil, they don’t consult the Archives nor write about the dark
pages of Pondicherry’s history.”
When this was told to Tamil scholars they asked, where is the National
Archives?” This surprised reaction is quite understandable because the National
Archives Record Centre for South Zone, the only one of its kind for all
southern states, remains inaccessible with bad, narrow roads and in a remote,
unknown locality.
The Pondicherry Government had, in the past, been vigilant enough to get
projects for the Union Territory. The National Archives of India Record Centre
came into existence because of an agreement between the Pondicherry Government
and the Centre from July 1, 1979. The collections here are of immense value to
historians.
The French had a system called’ Archives Sous Verres.’ This literally
means ‘Archives between the Glasses.’ Many records pertaining to the period
1701-1860, are placed in between glasses with the edges sealed with band, and
such records have earned the name as ‘Archives between the Glasses.’ “These
documents are stray letters in French, Tamil, Telugu and Hindustani, which are
correspondences between Ananda Ranga Pillai and Sambhudas Sankaradoss, a merchant
from Madras,” says Anandaraj, assistant director of the Archives. “Ananda Ranga
Pillai’s Diaries have become the prime source of information of history. Even
his letters are a source of information of historical facts.”
Ananda Ranga Pillai was entrusted
with the task of procuring the essential commodities for French India. For this
he corresponded with many native rulers. These letters throw light on the
system of banking during the 18th century. It reveals that Govardan Das, Kasi
Das Bukhanji and Vallabha Sundar were carrying out banking operations in
Pondicherry.
The reach of the Marwari entrepreneurship could be traced. The southern
equals to the Marwari money-leaders were the Chettiars.The modus operandi of
three money leaders. Meluguri Chetty, RayaTayyan and Guntur Balli Chetty were
available in these letters, pointing to study of Pondicherry’s economy in the
18th century.
Sambudas Sankaradas, apart from acting as a trader for procuring various
commodities for Ananda Ranga Pillai, also spied on the British to help the
French .He secretly reported the passage of English ships from Basra at Madras
Port and of the movement of Maratha armies in Decan. Such espionage activities
come to light through these letters.
Another valuable treasure that remains in the national archives is the
Etat Civil, which was the Civil Registry from 1676 to 1885. The missionaries
introduced the registering of births in 1676. Marriages were also registered
from 1687. But the Dutch occupation of Pondicherry left an interregnum from
1693 to 1699 when work was suspended. The register only covered the French, the
topas who are progenies of a mixed race and the converted Hindus. The ordinance
of January 31, 1824, ordered registers to be opened for births, deaths and
marriages of natives at Pondicherry, Villianur, Bahour, Mahe, and Yenam. This
arrangement continued till 1855, on April 24, 1880 the registration was made
applicable to natives. All such records of this period are of immense help to
many who would like to trace there ancestral roots.
The records of a unique legal system practiced by the French between
1703 and 1889, called Tribunal de la Chaudrie, are of great interest to
researchers of law. Tribunal de la Chaudrie, otherwise called Choultry Court
introduced in 1724 was meant for the deliverance of justice to the native
population, according to their own laws and customs.
From the archival records a legal history for nearly 86 years available.
Severe penalties were imposed by these choultry courts, like the mutilation of
ears, slavery in the islands of Bourbon (Island of Reunion) and Isle de France
(Mauritius), fines, confiscations, whipping and banishment from the territory.
Even now, the places where these Choultry Courts functioned bear the suffix
Chavadi, like Pillaichavadi, Mudaliarchavadi.
Many valuable palm manuscripts are also preserved at the National
Archives, including the Naadi sastra of Tirumoolar. THE Grammar Yaperungalam,
Thathuva Kattalai, Pattinathar Madal, Vaithya Sastram, Agasthiar Nooru and
Nadantha Saram are some of the rare manuscripts preserved here.
JBP More, a social scientist from France who recently visited the
National Archives, said the old records must be digitalized and brought out in
CD form. It should be made available online for downloads to researchers from
abroad. Digitalization and CD ROMs will go a long way in bringing to light such
invaluable historical information.
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