G.U.Pope (1820-1908) spent 40 years in Tamil Nadu and in 1858 translated Thirukkural and Thiruvasagam into English.
He lived in Ooty for some years. On Thursday, Carol E.W. Burrows, his great-granddaughter, her sons Derek and Makolm Burrows and her daughter Gwen Burrows visited the hill station to visit the areas where he lived and worked.
G.U. Pope taught at a Grammar School in Udhagamandalam where the Government Arts College stands today.
The Burrows visited the Arts College where they were received by the Principal Mallika. They saw the chair that was used by Pope.
They recalled the great love he had for the Tamil people and their language. Whenever, he lectured at Oxford University after his return from India, he always spoke highly about his experience in Tamil Nadu.
Derek Burrows is in the process of documenting the days of G.U. Pope in Udhagamandalam and his work as a teacher of English grammar and his love for Tamil Language.
Assistant Professor of Tamil in Government Arts College in Udhagamandalam P. Manivannan said that G.U. Pope spent many years in Udhagamandalam and spent 40 years in all in Tamil Nadu. He was an honorary professor of Tamil in various institutions. And his significant contribution was the translation of Thirukkural, Thiruvasagam, Naladiyar and Pura Naanooru . Thanks to those translations, many people of this generation have access to the great texts, he added.
