This popular hill station has several fascinating stories associated with it and has been home to many famous people from the world over ,some of whom have become an integral part of its almost two hundred year old history. Among these names if that of John lang, Australian writer and lawyer. December is the month he was born in, as long as two hundred years ago!
In his book, “Mussoorie Medley:Tales of Yesteryears”, Mussoorie –based author Ganesh Saili says that lang was “a gifted person who was forced out of Australia for his anti-establishment views. Arriving in India, he defended the Rani of Jhansi in her litigation with the John Company” just before the 1857 war of independence.lang was born on December 19 ,1816 in Sydney.
lang’s grave was discovered here by renowned writer Ruskin Bond about a hundred years after lang died in Mussoorie on August 20, 1864 at the age of 48.The grave is located on the “C” terrace of the Camel’s Back Cemetry .
lang lived here for five years , wrote about many places including Mussoorie and was also reporting from here for Charles Dickens’ weekly journal “Household Words”. In “Wanderings in India”,his travelogue, lang has given vivid descriptions of the natural splendour Mussoorie was endowed with.
“He talks of small white houses in the hill station which he says had weather like that of Southern France,” says Bhardwaj. He has written a long article on the famous “Himalaya Club” which was then the centre of all social activity and is now a hotel, located in the landour area of Mussoorie.Balls, carnivals,gambling and music marked the social life of which this club was the centre.
lang describes how “God Save the Queen” was sung on the Mall Road and the Marchpast conducted to the accompaniment of a band. This article appeared in the issue of “Household Words” dated March 21, 1857. Wrote lang,” This is the first time that the Himalaya mountains have listened to the joyous sound of music .We have danced to music within doors ,but never ,until this day, have we heard a band in the open air in the Himalaya mountains .How wonderful is the effect!From valley to valley echo carries the sound”.
During his stay in the hill town, lang married a spinster of Mussoorie called Margaret Wetter and a record of the marriage can be seen in the record book of the landour Church ..This was his second marriage. lang died of bronchitis. Says Ruskin Bond , “When he died , he left everything to his second wife ,whom he married in Mussoorie in 1861;but what happened to her after his death remains a mystery.”
Saili says that the novels written by lang about his Indian period were “Too Clever By Half” and “Too Much Alike” and were published in london in 1853 and 1854 respectively. “They painted a satirical picture of the British period in India ,which did not go well with the die-hards of the British Raj.”
lang went to Sydney College and became one of its most outstanding scholars, publishing in 1835 a translation of Horace’s First Satire. In March 1837 lang went to England and next matriculated to Trinity College, Cambridge. He then read law at the Middle Temple and was called to the Bar in May 1841. He returned to New South Wales in October 1841 and was admitted a barrister to the Supreme Court. He came to Calcutta in 1842.
From Calcutta, he went to Meerut where he founded “The Mofussilite”, becoming sole proprietor and editor in 1849. Under his guidance, it became one of the most important newspapers in India. He also continued his legal practice and appeared for the army contractor Ajoodia Pershad and the Rani of Jhansi, in both cases receiving large fees and rich presents.
lang visited England in 1852-53 and 1854-59. He devoted his time to literary work, traveled widely in Europe and had many friends in london theatrical and literary circles. His contributions to periodicals included Charles Dickens’” Household Words” and”All the Year Round”, and to Fraser’s Magazine and Globe. He published nine novels, a volume of short stories and a travel book,” Wanderings in India” (london, 1859).
He met many people and visited many places in India during his travels in the country. In Delhi, he met Mirza Fateh Ali Shah, the son of Bahadur Shah Zafar, Peshwa Hindoo Rao and James Skinner. He was also called by Rani of Jhansi at Jhansi for his advice on her State’s affairs. He had also met Nana Sahib Peshwa and Tantia Tope before the first war of independence happened.