Echoes of History - Travancore’s Legacy

By Sunitha Srinivasan

Echoes of History is a historical narrative that brings to life the former princely states of Travancore and Cochin. The author has revealed the history of the region through word pictures based on the accounts of people who were directly a part of the events she writes about. Beautiful old pictures support the narration. The book is both interesting and educative. History and fascinating facts are intertwined with anecdotes and legends.

 

The book captures an era that the world will never see again. An age when graciousness and courtesy reigned supreme.  This makes it a stimulating read for all age groups and people from every walk of life. The chapters of the book feature lesser-known facets of Kerala's history – for instance, how one man made Kerala a global tourist destination, or the humble beginnings of India's space research programme. The story of how the Jains came to Kerala and contributed to its high literacy rate makes for fascinating reading, as do the legends surrounding the famous boat races.

 

The book covers diverse topics ranging from banking to a wonderful football academy and even a delightful sailing club that is now housed on what is possibly India's most expensive piece of real estate!

 

The book's objective is to chronicle events and achievements that have largely been forgotten, which in a sense is both an injustice to the people concerned, as well as a gap in our recorded history. It is written with gentle humour from a perspective of deep affection and delight in the land and its people. It also serves as a well-researched historical narrative.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sunitha Srinivasan
• Release date: Mar 11, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224928743

Book preview

Foreword

Princess Gouri Parvathi Bayi

Kaudiar Palace

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, S. India

Mrs. Sunitha Srinivasan has done it again! Another charming series of stories have emerged from her prolific pen. They are set against the backdrop of my own land and some of my forefathers feature in it. Sunitha has interviewed many people both formally and informally, meticulously storing away even the smallest details to colour and create interest in her tales. It is difficult to bring to life characters and events from the past, especially to a generation which is leaning away from books. Hopefully, Mrs Srinivasan has managed to work that miracle. My sense of belonging to this book is strong. My family members are in it and I who grew up being loved and nurtured by them, see so much beyond what is written in this book.

Many of the stories are familiar to me since I grew up hearing them from the 'players' themselves. For those who enjoy knowing about a bygone era and a different way of life, this book will be a treat. My hope is that it will inspire the younger generation also to pick it up and gain some insight into the past which is their heritage. There is no present without the past and there is no future without both past and present. My best wishes to Mrs. Sunitha Srinivasan for the success of this book and to her readers for hours of enjoyable reading. May their tribe increase!

Princess Gouri Parvathi Bayi

Preface

I

grew up on a tea estate in the Idukki district of Kerala, and the halcyon days of childhood that I spent there being pampered by the household staff and running wild in the garden with my animal companions has left me with a deep and abiding love for the state and its people.

As I grew into adulthood, this innocent love for Kerala developed into a deep respect for its people, and just how far they are on the scale of human development. These are people who do not shy away from ambitiously reaching for the sky. They are adventurous and willing to leave their comfort zone with alacrity to advance themselves, which accounts for their large representation in the diaspora. Kerala has always been a melting pot of people from different cultures and religions, probably because it developed into a trading hub relatively early in its history due to its long coastline.

In addition, the Maharajas of Travancore and Cochin were always welcoming to people from different lands. For this reason, the state has a culture of deep religious tolerance. Actually, tolerance is rather a mild way of putting it, because the people of this state always regard each other as Malayalees first. Religion comes a distinct second. The traditions of the various faiths are gloriously intertwined and come together to form a harmonious whole that is quintessentially Kerala.

To an outsider, Kerala is associated with incredible natural beauty, football games and boat races. However, it took a lot of effort to put Kerala on the international map and for the world at large to appreciate it. One man almost single-handedly put Kerala on the global tourism map. This book is dedicated to him.

There are also so many precious nuggets of information about this state that are in danger of being forgotten-the myths, legends and most importantly the state’s unsung heroes who have contributed so much to its development. This is a small attempt at recording their achievements. Most importantly, it strives to celebrate an intelligent, creative and talented group of people with a marvelous sense of fun……because as a wonderful Scottish planter put it, the people of Kerala are mischievous but never malicious.

Sunitha Srinivasan

2024

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Now You See Him…Now You Don’t…

The Heart of Kerala

Not Coming Home for Christmas…

The Guest is God…

Pure Joy

Breaking the Bank

Of Gods and Golden Legacies

Hues of Green and Blue…

The Throne of Heaven…

With a View to the Open Sea…

Acknowledgements

Interviews

References

Now You See Him…Now You Don’t…

T

here has always been something magical about Kerala. With its lush green landscape and feisty people, the state is an incredibly charming part of India. The princely states of Cochin and Travancore, which are now Kerala, are home to a host of rich traditions mired in folklore. None more so than the various boat races and pageants that take place across the region through the latter part of the year. Some of these boat races coincide with Onam - Kerala’s main festival, but not all of them.

It would perhaps be more accurate to say that the season of the aquatic festivals is closely linked with the onset of the monsoon when the waterways are filled and afford free passage to the boats. More importantly, they need to be aligned with the completion of puncha – the rice cultivation season, that typically extends from October to April every year. Once the rice has been harvested, the farmers are in the mood for fun and sport – they have little work in the fields and the granaries are full!

The word boat race is used rather loosely in the context of the water sports of Kerala. Actually, the vallamkalli as it is called is far more than a series of races. It would perhaps be more accurate to call them festivals - gatherings of a socio-religious nature that bring the people of the region together and allow them to bond with each other and the Gods that watch over them in a way that is full of fun, camaraderie and colour - quintessential Kerala!

The tradition of snake boat racing originated in Kerala over four hundred years ago when the rulers of neighbouring fiefdoms - Chempakacherry and Kayamkulam took to the water to battle each other. Their carpenters had to come up with boats that were extremely swift and manoeuvrable, despite carrying a relatively large number of warriors. The resultant craft with its unique shape came to be known as a snake boat or chundan. Chundans were ergonomically designed to resemble a cobra with its hood raised. They have always been higher on the ‘hood’ side, with a tendency to dip down on the other.

The first chundan is believed to have been built in Chempakacherry by the master carpenter Koilmukk Narayanan Achary, who was later kidnapped by the people of Kayamkulam and forced to make chundans for them. The invention of the chundan coincided with the time when local armies began to use guns. These boats needed to be rather tall to protect the gunners and their ammunition. The extra height made them heavier, and thus they necessarily had to be wider and longer to compensate for the added weight. Once HH Marthanda Varma assimilated both the fractious little kingdoms into Travancore, the warlike shape of the snake boats lost its relevance, and it became the streamlined racing vessel of today. Interestingly, the chundan was not the first war boat of Kerala. That honour goes to the odi and the vepp. Odis are slim and use every bit of available space to accommodate oarsmen. They are faster than the chundan. Vepp is a boat used for carrying provisions. The name has evolved from vaypp for cooking.

Each Kara (hamlet) along the backwaters of the Kuttanad area – very roughly from Kumarakom to Alleppey, in a radius of about fifteen miles, owns one or more boats. The vallamkalli country is demarcated by an imaginary line drawn between Kumarakom and Alleppey that marks the northern periphery, and one from Aranmula to Kayamkulam that indicates the southern boundary. Incidentally, it is not only snake boats that take part in the various races and cavalcades. Several types of boats both large and small are a part of the nautical traditions of this state.

The famous Nehru Trophy race is probably the only one that is a pure-play contest. Several of the other events span two or three days, and the actual boat races are only one part of the festival. Ceremonial processions are equally important - some of them are religious and others are fun, community bonding events. The entire festival is a much looked-forward-to occasion and the accompanying ceremonies are carried out with great fervour and devotion. There is of course some deviation from the way these rituals have been performed over the years. Nonetheless, they are a wonderful salute to the history of the region and its gracious past. The boat races invoke the passion and warrior-like spirit of the participants, which in a unique way seamlessly blends with ancient traditions and a spirit of community, bringing whole villages together as one. The boats are revered like deities and the entire community is invested in their upkeep. In the past, the captain of the boat was generally the head of the hamlet. Today, a boat may have two captains. One of them heads the club, village or association that fields the squad. He may not be a part of the rowing team.

The other – the actual captain who stands in the middle of the boat during every race, is the one who leads the team to victory or defeat. He has to be an expert in Vanchippatt (the traditional poem of the boats that is believed to have been created by Ramapurathu Warrier, in the 18th century) as well as other folk songs, and be able to sing them loudly in differing rhythms and tempos, for relatively long periods. During the race the team rows to the tempo he sets and follows his dictates perfectly. The result is a crew moving in complete synchrony – a beautiful water ballet performed at breathtaking speeds. At the start and end of the race in the true spirit of sportsmanship, all the oarsmen shout out a salutation to the rival teams and the spectators. An experienced captain uses a combination of well-thought-out strategy and knowledge of the other teams, and the waters in which they are competing to disrupt the rhythm of the other boats while keeping his boat on a perfectly even keel. Men like Champakulam Baby are believed to have mastered the skill of captaining a race boat and carried it to