THE BANISHMENT OF SIR RAMUNNI MENON

An excommunication 8 years before Thatri,in 1897

Three important questions:1.Who introduced Music as a subject in Madras University?2.Who proposed a monthly allowance to Mathematical genius,Ramanujan's wife,Janaki Ammal?3.Who stayed in M S Subbulakshmi's home before her?Please take your time to answer,while I tell you the story of Ramunni Menon.

In 1892,the 20 year old Kankoth Ramunni Menon(1872-1949) from Villadam,Thrissur,traveled down to Tripunithura to meet the King,Chingamasathil Theepetta Thampuran(The King who died in the month of Chingam),Kerala Varma V(1888-1895).Menon had studied in Maharaja's College ,Ernakulam and Presidency College,Madras,passed BA Zoology,and was planning to go to England for higher studies.After meeting the King,he met the heir apparent,Rama Varma,who wielded great influence over the King.

King Kerala Varma

Rama Varma,who later came to be known as His Abdicated Highness,after his abdication in 1914, casually asked Menon,whether the question of his social position after his return from Engaland had been considered and a definite understanding on it arrived at-it was the practice among higher castes then to excommunicate the person who crossed the sea.Rama Varma told him the precaution was highly necessary as the majority of the people of the State was still very orthodox in social and religious matters, and might object to his re admission into society.Menon said,if he could have Rama Varma's sympathy and support,there would be no trouble.

Rama Varma replied that his sympathy,or for that matter,the sympathy of the King,would be of no avail in such matters,so long as society was not ready to accept a drastic change.Menon then told Rama Varma,that the King has given him,permission.Rama Varma,by his on version,was surprised,and asked him,whether there was any discussion as to his position,on his return."No",Menon said.

Ramunni Menon

Rama Varma,met the King the very next day,and asked him,why he consented to Menon's request.The King said,the man was determined to go,and if the request was declined,he might approach the Resident,and other influential persons and through them bring pressure,and it would be difficult to with stand.Rama Varma asked,whether the King had at all thought about Menon's position,after his return from England.The angry King barked:"That is an event to come after two or three years.Who is going to live till that time?'".
King Kerala Varma(1845-1895)was the son of Manku Thampuran and younger brother of King Rama Varma(1864-1888),who died in Mithunam.He was well versed in English,and went on a pilgrimage to Kasi,Gaya and Calcutta in 1893 and died in September,1895.

Menon went to England,did his MA in Zoology at Christ's College,Cambridge,and had first class in both parts of the Natural Sciences Tripos.On his return from England in 1896,he wrote to Rama Varma,who had ascended the throne,in 1895.In the letter Menon said that,his first duty on his return from England was to pay the King his respects,but that he was obliged to put it off for fear of social difficulties.The King replied that,his precaution was wise,in the sense that the King should not misunderstand him.Menon reached Tripunithura after some time,and did not attempt to mingle with his people,didn't enter temples,or touch the public wells,or tanks.

Rama Varma

Rama Varma told him that the objection of the orthodox section of the people to his readmission to caste privileges and rights was still very strong,and if the question was hastily brought to the front,the chance was that it would have to be decided against the reformers.Rama Varma asked him to wait for few years.

Rama Varma,one day in 1897, received the news that Menon was going to marry from one of the influential Kuruppam houses.Varma warned a branch of that house in Tripunithura,against the alliance,and they sent a telegram.By that time, the Sambandham has already taken place,and the bride continued to enter temples,and enjoyed all the caste privileges.The orthodox people protested,and apprehending grave consequences,Varma called the Dewan P Rajagopalachari(1896-1901 in Cochin;1906-1914 in Travancore.Father of former Minister,S Varadarajan Nair) and explained the situation.Both felt sorry for Menon,who didn't heed the advice to wait.Varma told the Dewan to take immediate action to preclude the couple from enjoying caste privileges.It was resolved to issue a temporary order prohibiting Menon and wife from entering temples and enjoying caste privileges,pending an enquiry,at an early date to arrive at a final decision.The issue of the order created a huge sensation.

Iyengar

The leading Nairs were taken into confidence,and were requested to give their views.In the Thrissur Palace,a two day conference of the Vaidikas was arranged,and on King's request,Sir V Bhashyam Iyengar,attended.Legal Luminary Sir V C Desikachar,the Dewan and district Judge Ramachandra Iyer also attended.The scholars were unanimous in their view that Menon had forfeited his caste and could not be re admitted even after prayaschitham.The papers were given to Iyengar for his views.Iyengar advised the King was the final authority,but he would recommend readmission of the accused after necessary explanatory rituals.He also suggested taking Menon's explanation on the polluting acts brought against him,and that if he admitted them,his wife also must be asked whether she and Menon were not living as man and wife.What action was decided upon should apply equally to both.The couple replied to the questions sent to them,admitting allegations.Final order was issued confirming the initial order.

Rajagopalachari

Some time later,Dewan met Menon accidentally and asked him why he acted so hastily in marrying the Thrissur girl without giving a chance to offer the Darbar's advise,and if he was in a hurry to marry,why he could not select a lady from British Malabar,where these things didn't matter much.According to Rajagoplachari,Menon said,he acted on the advice of certain enemies in the garb of friends.Rama Varma kept a big file on Menon,even after abdication.

The decision of Rama Varma may conform with the edicts in the Manusmrithi,but his final decision was neither democratic,nor secular.He ignored the sane advise by the expert,Bhashyam Iyengar,who asked the King to readmit Menon after purifying rituals;he ignored an individual's right to study,wherever he want.The King's own family proved him wrong in later years by Lalan Thampuran marrying the sister of V K Krishna Menon,who studied in England.Oh!Krishna Menon belonged to British Malabar!Nonsense.
Rajagopalacahri,who presided over the decision to banish the young Ramunni Menon,became the Dewan of Travancore in 1906,at 44,had a sambandham with a Nair woman,Ambujam,and S Varadarajan Nair,Former KPCC President and Minister was born.There is a road in the city,in his consort's name,Ambuja Vilasam Road,where she stayed. 

Christ's College,Cambridge

Madras University

Ramunni Menon went to orthodox Madras where scholarship was valued,much better than in Cochin,joined the Madras Education Department in 1898 and became the Zoology Professor at Presidency College,his alma mater,in 1910.Students held him in high esteem;his classes were known for lucidity of expression.He,for several years studied certain forms of Coelenterates,and was conscious to a degree,with the result that he was not able to produce the amount of research work,that one must have expected.

When he retired in 1927,he was made Vice Chancellor of Madras University,and he planned out three University Labs for Zoology,Botany and Biochemistry during his tenure,till 1934.He was honorary Director of the Department of Zoology of the University,which he built up.Zoology in South India,owes a lot to him,which I didn't know,as a student of Zoology,in his former Maharaja's College.

Indira Menon

He completed new University buildings,was life member of the Senate,and was elected to the Madras Legislative Council,twice.He represented the University at the Congress of Universities at Edinburgh in 1931;he was Chairman of Inter University Board during 1932-'33,and was Member of the Council of States of India,till it was dissolved in 1934.

He was not one of those who wanted to be in the lime light,and to the solace of Rama Varma,he was too, conservative,concentrating on Music and Sanskrit in final years.

He was knighted on the new year day of 1933,invested with Knighthood on 3 March by the Viceroy Earl of Willingdon at Newdelhi,and thus became Dewan Bahadur Sir Ramunni Menon.

He proposed  to G H Hardy,in a letter dated 28 July 1920,a monthly annuity of Rs 20 per month to Ramanujan's wife,Janaki Ammal,for handing over her husband's documents.He introduced Music as a subject in the University and in 1944 presided over the Madras Music Academy's annual celebrations,and he was one of the founding fathers of the Tamil Isai Sangham.He was maternal grand father of Musicologist Indira Menon,and her sisters,singer Kalyani Menon and Historian Narayani Gupta.Menon wanted the best tutelage for his grand daughters,and so T Brinda was brought in as Guru.Indira's father VRK Menon was in the ICS; nephew,Ramu Damodaran,of  the IFS,became a famous news caster.

Indira was born in 1935 in the house that M S Subbulakshmi made famous as Kalki Gardens.It was the residence of Ramunni Menon for a short while,during which time,Indira was delivered.Many years later,Indira went to Kalki Gardens with her mother,and was pointed out the room were she was born.M S told her that it was her boudoir!

Reference:

1.Reminiscences/Rama Varma

2.Ramanujan:Letters and Commentaries/Srinivasa Ramanuja Aiyangar

3.A Life Well Lived/Indira Menon

See my Post,HIS ABDICATED HIGHNESS:THE COMPLETE STORY

TWO TUSKS: A FIGHT BETWEEN THE KING AND RESIDENT

An Elephant died and they fought over Tusks

Early in 1904, the Cochin Police arrested some persons at the Mattancherry market, trying to sell two elephant tusks. They could not explain how they got it. They were charged before the Sub Magistrate of Cochin for possession of Government property, and the Cochin Forest officers put in a claim before the Magistrate for the tusks, since an elephant had been found dead in the Cochin Forests.

The Travancore Forest officers put forth a claim before the Magistrate for the tusks, because, an elephant had died in the Travancore forests too. The accused pleaded that the tusks were those of the Travancore elephant.

We don't know the original elephant, but while the case was proceeding, the Resident of Travancore and Cochin, Gordon Thomson Mackenzie at the instance of the Travancore King, Sri Mulam Thirunal, wrote to the Cochin Dewan, N Pattabhi Rama Rao, that he should look into the matter. The Cochin King, Rama Varma XV, His Abdicated Highness, was furious.

Mackenzie, second from left, with Sri Moolam Thirunal

On which side are you? Travancore or Cochin?One tusk for Travancore, and one for Cochin?

Gordon Thomson Mackenzie was a Resident from 1899 July to November 1904. He is famous in the Church as the person who wrote the classic, Christianity in Travancore in 1901, as a chapter in the Travancore State Manual of V Nagam Aiya. In the preface, written on October 23,1901, Mackenzie thanked Dr E Thurston of Madras for providing information, meaning Thurston is the real father of the work. Edgar Thurston was the author of the monumental work in 7 volumes, Caste and Tribes in Southern India. Thurston (1855-1935), educated in Medicine, lectured Anatomy at Madras Medical College while holding the position of Superintendent, at Madras Museum. His earlier interests were Numismatics and Geology, researching Anthropology and Ethnography when Mackenzie sought his help.
Since Mackenzie had a missionary zeal, two warring Christian groups, Anjuttikkar and Ezhunnuttikkar sent Memorials to him, and according to Nagam Aiya, the Anjuttikkar took the further step of writing to him, not to give "undue importance" to their rival group," in an official document like the State Manual of Travancore".Nagam Aiya, who was assigned to write the first State Manual, was the Settlement Peshkar, in Travancore.

Mackenzie had succeeded F A Nicholson, and here is the assessment of Mackenzie, by Rama Varma, from his Reminiscences:

He was a good-hearted, conscientious, straightforward man with many more good qualities of heart. He was also firm to some extent. But inability and commonsense he was very deficient. He was very fond of making speeches and thought himself a speaker. His speeches were generally irrelevant. He had a low opinion of the education of the people of the place and made very offensive remarks about them, and within a very short time of his taking charge of his exalted office, he became very unpopular with the local public. He had had a very good education, and his brother's officers had given him the name of "educated fool".It was rumoured at the time that he was shunted to the Resident's post because he had no chance of promotion in the regular line. We found him very sympathetic.He supported us in every possible way.As we did not attach much value to the soundness of his advice or opinion, we did not trouble him often for either.

That Mackenzie supported the Cochin Darbar, seems to be an understatement by Rama Varma.

Rajarshi Rama Varma

After an extended tour of Northern India, Rama Varma reached Tripunithura, from Tirupathi, on 22 January 1903. The new Dewan N Pattabhi Rama Rao had taken charge, in his absence in September. The King had a huge liability over the newly opened Ernakulam-Shornur railway line, and steps had to be taken to raise a loan of Rs 10 lakhs. Having secured assurance from the Government of Madras, a formal application was made to Resident Mackenzie, in June 1902. In November, while the King was in Benares, he received a telegram. When he got it, his throat was touched by Dr Subba Rao, since he was feeling rather hoarse, and not expecting it to be from an official,  handed over the telegram to the first prince, to open and read. It was from Mackenzie, on the loan. It said, Lord Curzon's Government refused to sanction the loan but promised to lend a lakh of rupees for expenses in connection with the King's Delhi tour. The tour was expected to cost two lakhs, and Mackenzie, in his telegram, said, two lakhs was excessive. The King records:

 This was more than what I had bargained for. I did not mind the refusal to lend the money as I had more or less anticipated it. But the curt remark of two lakhs being excessive for the Delhi tour implied a charge of my being lavish in spending public funds on my account and it hurt me very much.

As the contents of the telegram became known to others, the King became perplexed. On reaching Delhi, the King discussed the matter with James Thompson, a former Resident, who had been there as a member of the Madras Governor's Council. It was agreed that the King should write to the Dewan asking him to report to the Resident that the original estimate of two lakhs was fair and that the Government of India should not have passed the criticism before calling for details.

On his return, the King wrote to  Dewan Rao, gave detailed particulars of the tour expenses and compared them, with those incurred by his predecessor for his tour to Benares. Rao forwarded a copy to the King, and a long one of his own, to the Resident. The Resident didn't report it to his Government, but wrote to Rao, to advise the King not to press the matter, as he apprehended further trouble if the King persisted. Though Rao agreed with the Resident, the King persisted, his letter was sent by the Resident to Madras, and in June 1903, Mackenzie wrote that the tour expenses were moderate.

Pattabhi Rama Rao

So, in the Tusks case, Mackenzie was informed that it was within the jurisdiction of a judicial tribunal, where Travancore was also represented and that the Executive could not interfere. The Travancore Darbar withdrew from the proceedings before the Magistrate. The Magistrate, after recording evidence, held the tusks confiscated, according to rules.

Mackenzie again repeated his demand that the Dewan should examine the Travancore claim himself. It was again pointed out to him, that it was not a political question, but for the Court to decide. An angry Mackenzie rated Rao severely and wrote to Rama Varma, insinuating that the prestige of Cochin is at stake, because of the grabbing spirit. The King protested at the wild charge recklessly made by Mackenzie, and the Resident wrote to Madras. After some time, the Resident informed the Dewan that he had instructions from Madras, to ask the Dewan to look into the merits of the Travancore claim. Rama Varma wrote to James Thompson, acting Governor of Madras, on how Mackenzie traduced the Darbar. The Madras Government held that Mackenzie's interference was wrong, but the tusks were forwarded to the Travancore Darbar.

Rama Varma writes: I had the satisfaction of having gained an important constitutional point. Mr Mackenzie retired from service soon after.

The King is free to believe he proved a point. He would have been right in his actions if the Magistrate had found the tusks belonged to Cochin. The tusks were forwarded to Travancore because the Magistrate of Cochin found the Travancore claim true. Then what point, Your abdicated Highness, you did prove?

It is easy to guess what the Magistrate found: The culprits poached an elephant in Travancore, removed the tusks, and tried to sell them in Cochin. So, the claim of Cochin that a wild elephant had died in Cochin at that time, was baseless. If the foundation of a case is untrue, where is the constitutional case?

It is evident that the king was waiting for the elephantine rebuff he got the previous year from Mackenzie.

And spending two lakhs on a Delhi tour, in 1902-I leave it to the public imagination.

Dewan Pattabhi Rama Rao was a business partner of the master builder of Madras, Thatikonda Namberumal Chetty, who built the Merry Lodge Palace(now Kerala Varma College) for Rama Varma, at Thrissur, in 1914. The bricks to build the Ripon Building which houses the Madras Corporation, came from kilns owned by Chetty and Rao at Choolaimedu. Nemali Pattabhi Rama Rao Pantalu(born 1862) was born in Cuddapah, joined Madras Revenue Settlement Department in 1882, and was Asst Commissioner during 1895-1902, before becoming Dewan.

Reference:

The Reminiscences and Continuation of the Events till 1915/Rama Varma.

© Ramachandran

See my Post,HIS ABDICATED HIGHNESS:THE COMPLETE STORY