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{{short description|Interpreter in the service of the British East India Company, of Telugu origin}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
'''Avadhanum''' (or '''Avadhanam''') '''Paupiah''' was a ''dubash'', or interpreter in the service of the [[British East India Company]]. He was of [[Telugu people|Telugu]] origin.

Avadhanum Paupiah joined the service of the British East India Company factory at Madras as a [[clerk (position)|clerk]] and rose to become ''dubash'' to the Holland brothers, who served as [[Governor of Madras|Governors of Madras]].

Paupiah and the Hollands were guilty of trying to "dispose" David Haliburton, an important official and rival of the Hollands. While the Hollands managed to escape to the United Kingdom, Paupiah was convicted and fined. The trial was the subject of a book and the Scottish writer [[Sir Walter Scott]], a relative of Haliburton, makes a reference to the episode in his book ''[[Chronicles of the Canongate|The Surgeon's Daughter]]''.

== Early life ==
Avadhanam Paupiah was born in a family from [[Nellore]], which was then in the [[Nawab of Carnatic|princely state of Carnatic]].<ref name="inspiration_thehindu">{{cite news|title=Inspiration from Madras|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=15 June 2003|first=Randor|last=Guy|authorlink=Randor Guy|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2003/06/15/stories/2003061500340500.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031116055918/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2003/06/15/stories/2003061500340500.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 November 2003}}</ref> Paupiah had little formal education; however, he was well-versed in his native [[Telugu language|Telugu]].<ref name="inspiration_thehindu" /> Apart from this, he could also converse in [[Persian language|Persian]], which was the court language of the princely state and learnt English.<ref name="inspiration_thehindu" />

== Service with the British East India Company and rise to power ==
Paupiah joined the service of the [[British East India Company]] at an early age. He worked as a "writer" (clerk who writes or copies documents and papers) in the Sea Customs Department of the British East India Company factory at Madras for sometime and was in charge of keeping the accounts of the Company.<ref name="inspiration_thehindu" />

== ''Dubash'' to the Holland brothers ==
Soon, Paupiah became the chief ''dubash'' to the Holland brothers, [[John Holland (politician)|John Holland]] and [[Edward J. Holland]].<ref name="inspiration_thehindu" /><ref name="carnatic_nawabs">{{cite book|title=Political History of Carnatic Under the Nawabs|pages=413|first=N. S.|last=Ramaswami|publisher=Abhinav Publications|year=1984|id={{ISBN|0836412621}}, {{ISBN|978-0-8364-1262-8}}}}</ref> The Holland brothers were powerful and influential officers in the Madras establishment.<ref name="inspiration_thehindu" /> As ''dubash'', Paupiah exerted as much influence over the Holland brothers.<ref name="inspiration_thehindu" />

The Holland brothers were extremely corrupt and when both of them were elected to the assembly, Paupiah assisted them in the unlawful ways by which they made money.<ref name="inspiration_thehindu" /> John Holland reached the pinnacle of his career in 1789 when he was appointed [[Governor of Madras]].<ref name="inspiration_thehindu" />

John served as governor from 7 February 1789 to 13 February 1790 and was succeeded by his brother Edward who served just one week. The two brothers amassed a lot of wealth during their terms as governor.<ref name="inspiration_thehindu" /> During this time, Paupiah became the most influential Indian in the Presidency{{Citation needed|date=February 2009}}; even the [[Nawab of Arcot]] had to pass through him to approach the governor.<ref name="inspiration_thehindu" />

== The Haliburton affair ==
Edward and John Holland found their [[wikt:nemesis|nemesis]] in David Haliburton, a member of the Board of Revenue who wished to expose their corrupt practices.<ref name="inspiration_thehindu" /><ref name="carnatic_nawabs" /> Soon, the Hollands grew wary of him and his persistent campaign against them and desired to get rid of him through Paupiah.<ref name="inspiration_thehindu" /><ref name="christianity_in_indiap199">{{cite book|title=Christianity in India: From Beginnings to the Present|last=Frykenberg|first=Robert Eric|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2008|pages=199|id={{ISBN|0198263775}}, {{ISBN|978-0-19-826377-7}}}}</ref> Paupiah forged evidence against Haliburton<ref name="carnatic_nawabs" /> and thus brought an end to his period of service in India.<ref name="inspiration_thehindu" /><ref name="christianity_in_indiap199" />

However, the scheme was exposed by [[Lord Cornwallis]], the [[Governor-General of India]] who unravelled the corrupt practices of the Hollands.<ref name="inspiration_thehindu" /> The Hollands managed to escape and sail to England,<ref name="inspiration_thehindu" /><ref name="carnatic_nawabs" /> but Paupiah was convicted along with three other Indians.<ref name="inspiration_thehindu" /><ref name="carnatic_nawabs" />

Paupiah was tried between 11 and 13 July 1792 for conspiracy against David Haliburton<ref name="inspiration_thehindu" /> in the Court of Quarter Sessions presided over by [[Charles Medows]].<ref name="carnatic_nawabs" /> He was pronounced guilty and sentenced to three years imprisonment and to pay a fine of 2,000 pagodas<ref name="inspiration_thehindu" /> or one thousand rupees.<ref name="carnatic_nawabs" /> Avadhanum Paupiah's trial was one of the most famous criminal prosecutions of the time.{{Citation needed|date=February 2009}}

Paupiah's trial was the subject of a 1793 book of the same name by David Haliburton, which was co-written by the Scottish writer [[Sir Walter Scott]], who was a close relative of Haliburton.<ref name="inspiration_thehindu" /> Scott also makes allusions to Avadhanum Paupiah in his novel ''The Surgeon's Daughter'':

{{quotation|The artful Hindu, master counsellor of dark projects, an Oriental Machiavelli, whose premature wrinkles were the result of many intrigues, without scruples, to attain political or private advantage<ref name="inspiration_thehindu" /><ref name="carnatic_nawabs" />}}

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|2}}

[[Category:People of British India]]
[[Category:British East India Company civil servants]]
[[Category:18th-century Indian people]]

Avadhanum Paupiah - Revision history

>GreenC bot at 16:50, 20 April 2021