Arthur Crawford
Encyclopedia
Arthur Crawford was first Municipal Commissioner
and collector
of Mumbai
(formerly known as Bombay). Crawford is famous as an able administrator as well as his underhand financial dealings.
Crawford acquired the Agri-Horticulture Society's gardens at Sewri
for the purpose of building the European cemetery in 1865. Crawford Market
in South Mumbai
is named after him. When he took over as Commissioner the water supply was scanty, garbage was piling up and the mortality rate was a high 40 per 1,000. Crawford cleaned the streets, fixed the drains and managed to lower the mortality rate by half from 35,000 to 18,000 over the next two years. However his plans greatly overshot the civic budget and was accused of financial mismanagement after he refused to heed to warnings that the deficit was ever widening. Later it was learned that Crawford accepted bribes from mamlatdars (executive heads of a taluka). This prompted a fierce public debate led by Lokmanya Tilak and Gopal Krishna Gokhale
. He was defended by lawyer Pherozeshah Mehta
. The subsequent inquiry found Crawford, (then the Commissioner of Bombay Presidency
's Central Division) guilty and was asked to return to London
. Perhaps because of this his wife left him.
According to Govid Talwalkar's author of Gopal Krishna Gokhale: His Life and Times, a June 1890 Westminster Review
article mentioned that Crawford's illegal funds were transferred to Europe
through a French
bank. Then, as a decoy he wrote two letters to his brother based in Mumbai that he would commit suicide at Pune
's Holkar Bridge. Dressed as a tramp, he boarded a Bombay-bound train, boarding the third class compartment. While in a hotel near the docks, the police got wind of his presence and arrested him.
Back in London, he penned his memoirs on his life in India, titled Our Troubles in Poona and the Deccan which was published in 1897. He described many communities in the Bombay region along with their sketches. He meted out special harsh criticism on Brahmins. His fluency in Marathi
ironically however led contemporary writer NC Kelkar to comment that Crawford could have passed off as a Chitpawan Brahmin had he donned a dhoti
.
Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai
The Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai is the chief of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Though the Mayor is the head of the house, his role is largely ceremonial and almost all powers are vested in the Commissioner...
and collector
District collector
The District Collector is the district head of administration of the bureaucracy in a state of India. Though he/she is appointed and is under general supervision of the state government, he/she has to be a member of the elite IAS recruited by the Central Government...
of Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
(formerly known as Bombay). Crawford is famous as an able administrator as well as his underhand financial dealings.
Crawford acquired the Agri-Horticulture Society's gardens at Sewri
Sewri
Sewri is a suburb of Mumbai. It is also the name of a railway station on the Mumbai suburban railway.Neighbouring stations: Cotton Green, Wadala Road....
for the purpose of building the European cemetery in 1865. Crawford Market
Crawford Market
Crawford Market is one of South Mumbai's most famous markets. It is named after Arthur Crawford, the first Municipal Commissioner of the city. The Market was later named after Mahatma Jotirao Phule after a long struggle by the President of Mahatma Phule Smarak Samiti, Mukundraoji Bhujbal Patil...
in South Mumbai
South Mumbai
South Mumbai , sometimes incorrectly referred to by English Media as "SoBo" , the southern-most precinct of the city of Mumbai, India, comprises the city's main business localities and its adjoining areas...
is named after him. When he took over as Commissioner the water supply was scanty, garbage was piling up and the mortality rate was a high 40 per 1,000. Crawford cleaned the streets, fixed the drains and managed to lower the mortality rate by half from 35,000 to 18,000 over the next two years. However his plans greatly overshot the civic budget and was accused of financial mismanagement after he refused to heed to warnings that the deficit was ever widening. Later it was learned that Crawford accepted bribes from mamlatdars (executive heads of a taluka). This prompted a fierce public debate led by Lokmanya Tilak and Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Gopal Krishna Gokhale
Gopal Krishna Gokhale, CIE was one of the founding social and political leaders during the Indian Independence Movement against the British Empire in India. Gokhale was a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and founder of the Servants of India Society...
. He was defended by lawyer Pherozeshah Mehta
Pherozeshah Mehta
Sir Pherozeshah Mehta, KCIE was an Parsi Indian political leader, activist, and a leading lawyer, who was knighted by then British Government in India for his service to the law...
. The subsequent inquiry found Crawford, (then the Commissioner of Bombay Presidency
Bombay Presidency
The Bombay Presidency was a province of British India. It was established in the 17th century as a trading post for the English East India Company, but later grew to encompass much of western and central India, as well as parts of post-partition Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula.At its greatest...
's Central Division) guilty and was asked to return to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Perhaps because of this his wife left him.
According to Govid Talwalkar's author of Gopal Krishna Gokhale: His Life and Times, a June 1890 Westminster Review
Westminster Review
The Westminster Review was a quarterly British publication. Established in 1823 as the official organ of the Philosophical Radicals, it was published from 1824 to 1914. James Mill was one of the driving forces behind the liberal journal until 1828....
article mentioned that Crawford's illegal funds were transferred to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
through a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
bank. Then, as a decoy he wrote two letters to his brother based in Mumbai that he would commit suicide at Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
's Holkar Bridge. Dressed as a tramp, he boarded a Bombay-bound train, boarding the third class compartment. While in a hotel near the docks, the police got wind of his presence and arrested him.
Back in London, he penned his memoirs on his life in India, titled Our Troubles in Poona and the Deccan which was published in 1897. He described many communities in the Bombay region along with their sketches. He meted out special harsh criticism on Brahmins. His fluency in Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
ironically however led contemporary writer NC Kelkar to comment that Crawford could have passed off as a Chitpawan Brahmin had he donned a dhoti
Dhoti
The dhoti or pancha is the traditional men's garment in the in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. A similar garment is worn in some rural areas of Punjab province in Pakistan, but the use is fast declining...
.