Bareback rider

It is quite likely that his fellow countrymen in the East India Company were apprehensive of how Major General Sir Thomas Munro would play his cards in furthering the interests of the British in India. Sir Thomas was more inclined to meritocracy than to nepotism and had appointed many Indians to important positions in his administration. He had also gone so far as to say that British rule of India was alien and that the natives must be prepared to "frame and maintain a worthy government for themselves".

His story speaks more of the care and concern he had for his family, the sense of fairness with which he governed and his reluctance to use force unless absolutely necessary - certainly not common themes in the history of the British in India of the late 18th century. It is believed he contributed immensely in shaping the code of conduct for a civil servant by his work and his behaviour - thereby justifying the high elevation his statue is placed at.

The statue is just outside the Army Area Headquarters on Mount Road and shows Sir Thomas riding bareback - no saddle, no stirrups. It is claimed that it was no oversight on the part of the sculptor, Sir Francis Legatt Chantrey, but a tribute to Sir Thomas' horsemanship. While that may be true, I'd like to believe that it was just Sir Francis' style - his other famous equestrian statute, that of the Duke of Wellington in London, is also bereft of saddle and stirrups!