Return to the Raj, courtesy Yercaud cuppa

Sahana Steve Mathai, ED, INDeco Leisure Hotels, says “Annually, we have someone travelling from the UK to Yercaud alone, in search of their roots. Many such visitors are 60 to 70-year-old women, whose ancestors were in Yercaud either running an estate or involved in farming or estate-allied activities.”

Along with her husband Aditya Mathai, she manages the 75-room eco-friendly Lake Forest resort, which had Henreitta Charolotte Rosario as the last British owner of the property. “We have seen many of the historic handwritten letters of a gentleman whose great grand daughter was a guest at our resort, last November. Her ancestor, who was in Yercaud for about 15 years, had recorded many interesting experiences such as landing in Madras and having been transported by locals safely. With Rs 600, he bought a few acres, where he started planting potatoes and coffee,” she says. 

The unnamed guest had many records about her great grandfather’s life in Yercaud. She plans to put up a show in the UK. She has his original letters, which she intends to donate to a museum there. The letters have been written by her great grand father to his sister and parents, Sahana says.