People Archives - Page 3 of 7 - Storytrails

People

Armenians have been known to travel far and wide in pursuit of trading opportunities for centuries. And India happens to be one of the places that they share a special connection with. Coja Petrus Uscan was one of the prominent members of the Armenian community of Madras in colonial times. A rather remarkable personality, he was known for his fierce loyalty to the British in India. Read on to find out just what made him so extraordinary.
How did a German missionary preach to the locals who spoke neither Danish nor German in the Danish colony of Tranquebar? He learnt Tamil, of course. And he became so proficient at it that he translated the Bible into Tamil. This is the story of Bartholomaus Ziegenbalg, the man who published the first ever translation of the Bible in an Indian language.
Elihu Yale was a British merchant and a Governor of Fort St. George during the British colonial rule in India. He amassed a huge amount of wealth through illegal private trading, and he supported a horrific practice that was prevalent in those times. So why is Yale University, a premier institution, named after him?