THE TIGER THAT ROARED LIKE A LION

He was drinking toddy and singing Thodi

For Tiger Varadachari,the music maestro, it was a journey from one Kutcheri to another Kutcheri.He was,at 23, a clerk in the survey department at Calicut Mananchira Huzur Kutcheri.
Tiger had come from Madras to Calicut because of financial constraints and worked in the office at a salary of Rs 12/- a month.Out of office,he began to sing in marriage and other ceremonies.His name spread and an invitation came from Mysore Palace to sing in Dussehra celebrations.Maybe,Mysore Varadachar,his close friend interfered on his behalf.It changed his life.He became Tiger there.

Tiger Varadachari

Tiger Varadachari(1876-1950) was born in Kolathur, Chengalpet.He was the son of Tamil,Telugu and Sanskrit scholar Sriman Kandadai Ramanujachari.He had two younger brothers.Veena Krishnamachari and Musicologist K V Srinivasa Iyengar.But Tiger has said he learnt much from his sister.All the three who were musically mad were disciples of Patnam Subramanya Iyer(1845-1902).Iyer was resident of Tiruvaiyar when they began studies and moved with him to Madras.Tiger was with Iyer for three years from age 14.They learnt from Thatchur Singaracharya Brothers too.In Madras they stayed in Kaladipet and were called Three Musketeers of Kaladipet.Tiger drew inspiration from street dramas,bhajans and stray contacts like Fiddle Ramachandrayyar.Photo Masilamani and Pedda Singaracharyalu encouraged Tiger in musical pursuits.Krishnamachari was taught veena by Kalahasthayya.
At Patnam Subramanya Iyer's house,Mysore Vasudevachar was also a disciple.When the invitation came from Mysore King Krishna Raja Wodeyar to sing on Mahanavami day,Tiger took leave from the Calicut office for the whole week,reached a day early and stayed with Vasudevachar.He composed an intricate pallavi in praise of the King in Raga Poornachandrika.On the morning,he found his throat  filled with phlegm and drank boiled water.His voice became trim and he sang the pallavi for four hours,was conferred the title,Tiger.He was invited to the Court of Mysore; he resigned his job in Calicut.
He had gone a day early to Mysore to know what to wear at the durbar. He was seen always wearing a monkey cap after that.He used to admire himself wearing it,in front of the mirror,greeting himself,Anjaneya Namaha.His obsession with the cap made him a laughing stock and his friends requested Vasudevachar to interfere.One day when he went to Vasudevachar's house,he was singing Kamboji.He suddenly paused but resumed at Tiger's request.After two hours of singing,Tiger offered whatever he has.Vasudevachar asked for the monkey cap!

Tiger playing Kabaddi

Not the cap alone;Tiger was seen with the caste mark on forehead,a coat and upper cloth,an umbrella in hand and betel case made of coconut leaves.Vasudevachar in his memoirs,Na kanda Kalavidharu has called Tiger an unparallelled genius.Tiger left for Madras after a decade.There he became Principal of the Teachers College of Music started by the Madras Music Academy.After five years,he became Head,Department of Music,Madras University;Principal,Music College,Annamalai University and finally Principal,Music section,Kalakshetra.It was there MDR became his disciple.Tiger used to drink-MDR once commented it was not liquor,it was his Raga,Toddy!

Tiger

Of course,he was fond of Raga,Todi.Endless talks had bored people in Ranade Hall in Mylapore during Shyama Sastri's anniversary conducted by Music Academy.Tiger,when his turn came contemplated a moment on whether to talk.Then he began singing:kannatalli gada biddayani kanikaramintaina Ieada,Amba?".Anupallavi of Keerthanam in Todi,Ninne Namminanu...
Tiger was in Mylapore during his teaching days.It was a practice to have concerts on friday evenings at Tiger's place or Veena Dhanammal's place.On a Friday at 7PM,Flutist Virinjamuri Sreenivasachari went to Tiger's house and Tiger sent him back saying he is not in a mood.Virinjamuri went back to his sister's home which was close by.He began sleeping in the yard in front of the house since it was a summer night.At around 10 PM,Tiger came,woke him up and asked whether he was ready to listen to him.At his home,he sang one keerthanam for eight hours,till 6.30 AM,when his wife came around with coffee and asked him to stop.
His voice was gruff.If he had trouble with his voice,he used to become more animated with exaggerated actions and gestures.
And he used to snore.Raga Begada was his forte. He sang Begada in Tiruvaiyar Thyagaraja festival in 1940 when he was in Chidambaram,Annamalai University.He stayed in Kalyana Mahal.There was no electric power.So he slept at night on the pathway between two rooms.Restless by Tiger's loud snoring,a Parsi engineer asked:"Is this fellow a tiger?he is making all sorts of funny noises!".
"Yes,yes",Tiger replied,"this fellow is Tiger,he is set to make  wider varieties of sounds shortly".It was the first time the engineer was encountering a bhagavatar speaking in English.Tiger sat up and began to sang Begada once again.

Tiger with class of 1935;Parur Sundaram Iyer,left

He had sung Begada at a concert in 1937 during a marriage ceremony in Veena Dhanammal's house.She was a harsh critic known for her knowledge and intolerance of mediocrity.Though he had to catch up a train to reach Chidambaram,he went on at the encouragement of Dhanammal who was in the audience.Not only that,a solid foundation for ragaprasthara had been laid after ragam,thanam and niraval.After the kutcheri he told Dhanammal:"Dhanamma! I have been singing myself hoarse.Did you really have to ask me to sing before you?".Dhanammal presented him a silver trophy filled with sugar candy.
Tiger knew his sore points.He had replaced another vocalist who could not make it on time for a radio programme.Accompanists were Chowdiah and Palakkad Mani Iyer.The Tambura player asked Tiger for Shruthi."My Shruthi"?,Tiger told him,"it is low,very low,reaching almost the bottom of the well".
Like his voice,he had a rough exterior.He was benign inside.

MDR by R K Laxman

According to S Y Krishna Swamy,Tiger felt it is "pure music which is important  in a Pallavi,it depended very little on words".T K Sethuraman remembers a Kamboji in the village of Seerkazhi.After a concert in which he elaborated a Pallavi in Kamboji,Tiger returned to his resting place with Sabesayyar, Inchimudi Varadaraja Iyengar,Mysore Varadacharar and MDR.A challenge was put before Tiger to recite a Pallavi not heard sofar.Suddenly a street vegetable vendor,a woman, shouted:kathirikkai,kathirikkai(Brinjal for sale).Tiger began the Pallavi:Kathirikka Vangavayendi,adi Thozhi(come with me to buy brinjal,lass!).Another Pallavi of him was:Uppuma Kindadi Penne,nanna(Hey lass,stir the uppuma well).He composed the keerthanam,Eediname Sudinamu when Sir C Rajagoplachari as Governor General visited Kalakshetra.
Tiger is responsible for the position Raga Kharaharapriya adorns in concerts today.Before him,it was treated only a minor Raga.The devadasi nautch was renamed Bharatanatyam after he presented a resolution in 1935,in the midst of a clamour to ban it.
Once Tiger sang in a Music Academy festival in a ground close to the Madras Zoo.Veena Seshanna said the Tiger became a lion!

Patnam

MDR,in honor of his guru,adopted Varadadasa as signature in his compositions.They were very close.Once when Tiger shook his left hand several times and showed unfamiliar gestures with it to exhibit his new wrist watch, MDR publicly told him in the class:"you are not only a guru,a watchman too!".
MDR was by Tiger's side when he breathed his last;MDR was asked to sing,Entharane of Tyagaraja during those last moments.He did it with tears in his eyes,in a choked voice. 
You may have heard MDR singing Entharo Mahanubhavulu.He repeats mahanubhavulu several times before he enters the Pallavi.It is MDR's pranams to his guru.Hence rasikas said,Tiger was a Janaka Raga;MDR was its Janya Raga.
Reference:
1.Isai Maethigal/T Sankaran/VOC Noolagam,2004
2.Kedaram/Krishna Murthy/Current Books,2006
See my posts,VIOLIN COMES TO CHENNAI,A SPRING IN MEMORY

THE LADY BEHIND THE COCHIN PORT

A FREEMAN WHO WAS A SLAVE

When Robert Bristow,the harbour engineer, met Marie Adelaide Brassey in Madras in 1920,he found a mysterious glow in her eyes.Her eyes 'massaged' him from top to bottom.The special bonding that began from the very first sight resulted in making Cochin a big port.She supported him in every crisis.She was Lady Willingdon,wife of Governor Thomas Freeman Willingdon. Bristow,the architect and builder of the port has recorded this much;it is not known whether it developed into a full blown relationship.It is known that the 'pushy' Lady Willingdon dominated the Governor.

Lady Willingdon

She was the daughter of Willingdon's one time boss,Lord Brassey who was Governor of Victoria,Australia.
Marie(1875-1960)was the youngest daughter of him by his first marriage.Much popular as a political hostess, at 15,she began helping her father to receive guests in Park Lane,before the arrival of her stepmother.She married Thomas Freeman,who was aide-De-camp to her father on July 20,1892.She was 17.

Lord and Lady Willingdon

Major Thomas Freeman,later Lord Willingdon(1866-1941)was the son of Frederick Freeman Thomas by Mabel Brand,daughter of the First Viscount of Hampden.He had his education in Eton and Cambridge.He was in Sussex Artillery for 15 years,after which he became aide-De- camp to Lord Thomas Brassey,First Earl of Brassey in 1895.He accompanied Lord Brassey to Australia.In 1900 he was elected to the House of Commons as a Liberal Party candidate.
He was raised to peerage.He became Baron Willingdon of Ratton,thereafter Viscount,Earl and finally the first Marquess of Willingdon.Marie became Marchioness.He was Junior Lord of Treasury during 1905-1912.He began as Lord-in waiting to King GeorgeV,in 1913.From then on he was in
the Raj service for 23 years.He became Governor of Bombay,Madras,Governor General of Canada and finally Viceroy of India.It was a rise unequaled.He would have remained a parliamentary backbencher,had it not been for two things: tennis partner to the King and his wife,Marie.
The Willingdons' tenure in Bombay was marred by Marie's tiff with Muhammad Ali Jinnah.At 41,Jinnah had married the 18 year old Parsi girl,Ruttie,daughter of textile magnet,Sir Dinshaw Manockjee Petit Bart,against the wishes of her parents.Jinnah had accompanied Dinshaw who was his close friend and his family in the summer of 1916 to Darjeeling on a two month holiday.Jinnah was smitten by the vivacious Ruttie who was 16 then. When Jinnah made the proposal,Dinshaw was furious.Ruttie left her home and married Jinnah on April 19,1918.It was his second marriage.

Ruttie Jinnah

Both Jinnah and Ruttie were invited by Lord Willingdon for supper.Ruttie wore a low-cut evening gown for the occasion.Seeing it,Marie asked an ADC to bring Ruttie a wrap.The angry Jinnah retorted that if Ruttie needed a wrap,she would ask for it;he instantly walked out of the Government House with Ruttie.Later when Marie was accorded a civic farewell to Madras,Jinnah agitated against it;the happy citizens built the Jinnah Memorial Hall in the Congress compound in honor of him.
The Willingdons arrived in Madras in 1918.Marie befriended the influential people and two among them,Sir C P Ramaswamy Iyer and Raja Annamalai Chettiar became her favorites.Bristow came in 1920 at the orders of her husband to Madras service and was sent to build the Cochin port.
Willingdon is known in Kerala for the deft handling of the situation after the Moplah rebellion of 1921 and the Wagon Tragedy of 19,November 1921.About a hundred Moplahs convicted for rebellion were put in a goods train from Tirur to Coimbatore.46 died of asphyxiation when the train reached Podannur;Six died when they were taken out and two died in hospital.The incident sent a shudder of horror.Willingdon formed a committee and it submitted the enquiry report on 30 August,1922.Based on it he took stern action.He  became popular in England for getting Gandhi for the Second Round Table conference.He became unpopular in Cochin after he tried to remove the King Rama Varma(1914-1932)saying he was mentally unstable.
Marie presided over the opening of the Catherine Booth Hospital for Women in Vadassery in Nagercoil in October,1921. She helped the Ladies Recreation Club in Chennai to acquire 150 grounds in Egmore;it was named Willingdon Estate.She supported Sister Subbulakshmi's efforts to rehabilitate widows; Lady Willingdon School and Lady Willingdon Institute of Advanced Study in Education came up.Marie formed the South Indian Nursing Association in 1920;it merged with the Lady Ampthill Nursing Service to become Lady Willingdon Nursing Home.Started in Mount Road, it shifted in 1951 to Pyncrofts Garden Road which Sankara Netralaya bought in 1998 and demolished.When they returned to London,they left behind other memorials too:Lady Willingdon Higher Secondary School,Triplicane,Lady Willingdon College,Chennai,Lady Willingdon Hospitals in Manali and Lahore,Willingdon Island in Cochin,Willingdon Club and Lady Willingdon Hostel,YWCA,Mumbai,Lady Willingdon Hall in Ludhiana,Willingdon Crescent ,Willingdon Airfield,Lady Wllingdon Park in Delhi,They renamed Lodhi Gardens in Delhi, Willingdon Gardens and Bristow was asked even to name the newly built dredger,Willingdon!

Marie had an obsession for mauve color.From her husband's Coaches to toilet papers,everything was mauve.The Khaki cows she maintained in her farm and the Khaki dogs she bred in England were of a sombre brown hue.
She harassed her aide-De-camps;we don't know whether it was because she met her husband as one!When an aide-De -camp complained,Lord Willingdon pacified him saying he suffered her all these years,why can't the aid for at least 5 years!

Lady Willingdon:Early years

Marie used to ask for any object she desired as gift-the Baroda royal family buried state jewels at the time of her visit.Her aids used to carry a bag with a wide mouth wherever she went.The bag used to be filled with pearl necklaces.She asked for even Mahogany toilet seats.An incident comes to memory:Saraswathi Giri,wife of former President V V Giri had this habit;she asked the employees of the Ernakulam Guest House once to pack the carpet she saw on the floor!The Willingdons had furnished Rideau Hall,official residence in Canada with rare carpets,screens and objects of art they had collected from India and China.
Willingdon,though Viceroy was denied entry to the Royal Bombay Yacht Club since he was accompanied by Indian friends.So he formed the Willingdon Sports Club.I had recounted a story of the formation of the Lotus Club of Cochin by Gertrude Bristow when she was denied entry to the elite Cochin Club,in my post,Three English Madmen.

Willingdons with staff,employees and contractors

The Willingdons had two sons:Lieutenant Gerard Frederick Freeman Thomas(1893-1914)died in First World War.Inigo Thomas(1899-1979) suceeded Lord Willingdon as Marquess.The Willingdons left India in 1936.They had a delightful Bungalow of Elizabethan period at Ratton,Willingdon,Sussex.Marie was a wonderful gardener there.He suffered her till 1941,when he died.Like all hen pecked husbands he used say:"my wife had been a constant inspiration and encouragement".She died only in 1960.
Reference:
1.Ruttie Jinnah:The Story Told and Untold/Khwaja Razi Haidar/Oxford,2010
2.Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1920-1947,Vol 3,G S Chhabra/Lotus Press,1971

See my Post,THREE ENGLISH MADMEN

THREE ENGLISH MADMEN

Harrison sees the ghost and shoots the horse

 I have no idea how engineering is related to madness.While reading History,I have noted that two great engineers who worked in India became mad towards the end of their life.Another one,a police officer became mad while in action.Policemen tend to be mad at times,but here it was complete madness,he was mentally ill.All the three were British.
Most of the readers will be surprised when they hear the names because they are well known.Sir Robert Bristow,architect of Cochin Port,Sir Gordon Risley Hearn,architect of Khyber Pass Railway and Superintendent of Malabar Special Police(MSP) Harrison.

Bristow

Robert Charles Bristow(1880-1966) stepped out of the train into Ernakulam railway Terminus on the morning in April 13,1920. He was a British harbour engineer who joined the Civil Engineering Service in 1903 after studies in the London Technical Institute.He was the son of Alfred Bristow and Laura Web.He worked for 16 years in various harbors and was involved in the maintenance of Suez Canal.He was absorbed into the Madras service while he was 39.He reached Cochin as directed by Lord Willingdon,Governor of Madras.
Bristow had a mission.The trade at Cochin port had increased.The port was with the British since 1795, but nothing was done to develop it.Ships were still anchored  in deep sea for offloading cargo.Willingdon asked Bristow to construct an approach channel for the ships to enter the inner harbor.This would help the ships from being exposed to the violent sea.

Gertrude

The challenge for Bristow was the obstruction created  by a rock like sand bar that guarded the mouth of the port.He studied the situation and gave a report to Willingdon.We get much of the information on the great flood that hit Kerala and created  the Cochin port in 1341 from a paper presented by Bristow at the Maharaja's College.He reclaimed land by dredging to build the Willingdon Island.The steam ship,Padma from Mumbai entered the new harbor on 26 May 1928.He spent 21 years constructing the port and made it one of the safest harbors in the Peninsula.He had developed a special relationship with Willingdon's wife,Marie Adelaide Brassey.According to his own account,he had seen a glow in her eyes in his first meeting itself.Bristow used to tell his friend,Chief Justice  M S Menon:"I love the reply of the French Minister to a Queen long ago:Madame,if it is only difficult,it is already done;if it is impossible,it shall be done".
His wife Gertrude was denied entry in the elite Cochin Club because she was not English born.So she was instrumental in forming the Lotus Club,the first non-English Club in Kerala which became elite later.She was President of the Club for 10 years from 1931.
Bristow returned to England on 13 April 1941.He served at Manchester University before madness conquered him.He wrote  Cochin saga before that.Bristow didn't have children.His nephew,Timothy John Bristow(Bristow's brother Robert Anthony's son) visited Cochin on April 21,2014.

Gordon Hearn

Sir Gordon Risley Hearn(1871-1953) was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Great Western Railway in the rank of Colonel.He had 30 years of experience constructing railway lines.He was a veteran of Tirah Campaign,Second Afghan war and First World War.He was mentioned four times in dispatches sent by Winston Churchill.
After the third Afghan war  in 1919,the British feared a Russian invasion of India from Khyber.It is a 23 mile pass in the Northwest of Pakistan beginning near the village Qadam tread by Buddha,stretching to Torkham,35 miles Northwest of Peshawar.It is a narrow treacherous cleft in the Sulemea Range of Hindukush Mountains.It is an ancient caravan route.
The British thought that the Russians could be blocked if a railway line was in place in the Khyber Pass.The assignment thus for Hearn was to connect the Pass to Indian railway network or to extend the line from Peshawar-Jamrud to Afghan border at Torkham.The Pass already had a road suitable for motor transport and an aerial rope way was constructed using surplus parts from World War I.Hearn suggested a broadguage line.Victor Bayley,Senior engineer was in charge of the actual construction.The construction of the first phase was completed in record time and opened on November 2,1925.It was the line from Jamrud to Landikotal.The total length of the line would have been 42 Kilometers till the Afghan frontier.But considering the objection of Afghanistan,the section to Landikhana was closed on December 15,1932.So the line didn't cross the Afghan border. 

There are four stations in the line,Jamrud,Shagai,Landikotal and Landikhana.34 tunnels, 92 bridges and culverts.Total length of the tunnels is three kilometers.The cost was 60 lakhs.Ultimately the line didn't boost trade or traffic.The Pakistan Railways ran a free weekly passenger service till 1982 to prove to the fierce tribesmen that they are the bosses.After that it made way to Khyber Steam Safari.
For Hearn,it was a dream not realized.He went back to England to encounter madness.He had written two books:The Seven Cities of Delhi(1906) and Railway Engineer's Field Book with A G Watson.Maybe the second book is useful for E Sreedharan!

Hearn's Book

The Golden Rock railway workshop was the biggest of its kind in South India,five kilometres away from Tiruchirapally.Six workers were suspended without notice in July 1946.The South Indian Railway Labour Union began a fast on 23 July.After a month the Railway declared a lock out.The workers started picketing.
K.Anandan Nambiar(1918-1991)was the General secretary of the Union.After finishing studies in Malabar Christian College,he had joined the Workshop  as a fuel clerk in 1938.Within three years,at 24,he became General Secretary.He was elected to the Madras Legislative Assembly from the railway constituency in 1946,defeating the Congress candidate by 20,000 votes.

Bristow's book

On September 5,1946,the Union branch President Ismail Khan and Secretary Parameswaran Nair were arrested by the Malabar Special Police(MSP),while they were reaching the office premises for a public meeting.The MSP was led by SP Harrison.The workers pelted stones when the leaders were arrested.Police attacked the office. R Krishna Murthy who blocked the Force fell down dead in the police firing.The Police raided the quarters of Anandan Nambiar,which was close to the Railway grounds.They attacked the six month old child of Nambiar.Nambiar's mother,who tried to block it was beaten up.Not finding Nambiar in his quarters,the Police returned to the Office.Nambiar was there protected by the workers.
"It is me,Nambiar",Nambiar came out.
The Police pushed him.He fell down.Harrison touched him with the bayonet."Shoot",Harrison screamed.
"Sir",Sergeant Raman Nair intervened,"he is dead sir,we should not fire at a dead body."
Nambiar survived.Police fired at the crowd.Four workers,M Raju,R Ramachandran,M Thyagarajan and C Thankavelu were killed.
Harrison became mad after the firing.Hysterical,he saw the ghost of Nambiar on several nights. On one night he saw a moving shadow outside the home.He fired at the shadow,screaming,"Nambiar,Nambiar!".His white horse fell down dead.
I do not know what happened to Harrison afterwards.His had been a haunting story from my childhood.I am yet to see a picture of him.
The story of Nambiar is well known.He was the first communist MLA in Madras.He defeated the Railway Minister Santhanam in 1952 Parliament elections in Mayiladuthurai.He was elected to the Loksabha again in 1962 and 1967 from Tiruchirapally.He attended the May day celebrations in Beijing in 1952.He became Treasurer of AITUC in 1954.He had been in the Party Central Committee from 1953.He stepped down as DREU President in 1990.

Pak locomotive at Shagai

It is known that the dividing line between genius and madness is wafer thin. In my case,that I am mad at times doesn't mean that I am a genius!Bristow and Hearn went beyond the regular demands of their profession to use their skills for the well being of the entire humanity,often at great personal risk.A mental aberration,so,possible.Dr D Babu Paul,who was Cochin Port Trust Chairman later,has written in his service story,Katha Ithu Vare(The Story Sofar),that he has seen the ghost of former Chairman,K W P Marar ICS in his bath room in a three piece suite.Marar,it is said, was poisoned to death while he was Chairman.Marar was an Assam cadre ICS officer,Superintendent of 1941 census operations there and later Joint Secretary,Agricultural Ministry,Delhi.The Port Trust office which we see on the Island now was his home.Marar's son and cricketer M P Govind was Babu Paul's classmate in the Engineering College,Thiruvananthapuram.
Babu Paul had invited Mrs Leela Marar on a republic day to the Port.I spoke to Babu Paul now-Marar  used to raise from the sea riding a black horse on new moon Fridays after his death and beat the security person with a cane if he was asleep in the old building.Leela had told Babu Paul that Marar was fond of horse race and he wished to buy a black horse.I asked Babu Paul whether it was a hallucination.He was confused.
But Harrison?He was afraid of ghosts.We don't know whether Nambiar believed in ghosts.His gurus,Karl Marx and Engels did,because they had begun The Communist Manifesto thus:A Spectre is haunting Europe;the Spectre of Communism.Two ghosts in a single sentence!
Reference:
1.Communism in India/ Gene D Overstreet &Marshall Windmiller/University of California Press,1959
2.Permanent way Through the Khyber/Victor Bayley/Beacon Library,1939
3.Nothing But:The Long Road to Freedom/Brigadier Samir Bhattacharya
4.Nakshatravum Chuttikayum/Ramachandran
5.Cochin Saga/Bristow/Cassel,1959
6.Katha Ithu Vare/D Babu Paul/DC Books,2008

PARUKUTTY NETHYARAMMA RULED AND LOOTED COCHIN

There was heavy looting in the palace

Travancore had Attingal,Kunnummel Ranis and the Umayamma Rani.In modern times,it was ruled by three women:Gowri Lakshmi Bayi(1810-1815),Gowri Parvathi Bayi (1815-1829) and Sethu Lakshmi Bayi (1924-1931).Among them only one,Ayilyam Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bayi reigned in her own right for three years, 1810-1813,before becoming Regent during 1813-1815.The Other two were only Regents.It was the adoption of 1788 that brought Gowri Lakshmi and Gowri Parvathi to Travancore.Sethu Lakshmi and Sethu Parvathi,grand daughters of Raja Ravi Varma were adopted from Mavelikara in 1900.

Parukutty

Cochin,people think,never had a Queen.Wrong.It had a very scheming Queen in her 90s who reshaped the State's destiny within two years-Gangadhara Lakshmi(1656-1658). It had a brainy Nair lady ruler Parukutty Nethyaramma who took over the reins during the reign of an absent minded King and an absent Penvazhi Thampuran or Valiamma Thampuran,the Senior Lady of the Royal family.

It is known that when Sonia Gandhi took over as AICC President,the constitution of the Congress Parliamentary Party was amended to incorporate a significant clause:The Congress President will have the right to appoint or disappoint the Prime Minister.It was tradition in Cochin-the senior most female member,Valiamma Thampuran as Head of the royal family will have the authority to appoint or dismiss the King.

So,during the last days of the Portuguese in Cochin,the senior most female member,Gangadhara Lakshmi decided that she will appoint herself.She was 93.Her real name is not known.

It was 1656 . King Rama Varma (1650-1656) died and she found it difficult to find a successor because of disputes in the family.He was adopted from Chazhur.Under Portuguese command,she had adopted five princes from Aroor and Vettath.Both the Mootha thavazhi ,senior branch and Elaya thavazhi,junior branch claimed the throne.The Zamorin,the invading Dutch and small principalities supported the Mootha thavazhi.The Portuguese who supported the rival faction asked Gangadhara Lakshmi to invoke tradition and assume throne.She was Queen for two years during 1656-1658.She raised the Cochin Army of 3500 strong Infantry,120 cannons ,55 Artillery Units and three Naval ships.The Elayathavazhi got monopoly in succession, as princes from Moothathavazhi were arrested and imprisoned.Several princes from Moothathavazhi escaped from the capital of Mattancherry to Ceylon.They met the Dutch in Colombo and the Dutch prepared themselves for the siege of Cochin.

R M Palat

Though Gangadhara Lakshmi made her adopted son Rama Varma the King (1658),she ran the administration.The Dutch built their first Fort Orange in Paravur.Gangadhara Lakshmi discreetly sent Rama Varma to Paravur and worked out a pact with the Dutch.The Dutch Governor Hendrik Van Rheede double crossed and the Dutch in 1660 killed two princes of Moothathavazhi ,who met them in Colombo and brought them to Cochin.At the same time the Queen allied with the Portuguese too.

The Dutch invaded Fort Cochin in 1661 and they fought the great war with the Portuguese in the beach.The Portuguese counted on the Cochin army to pound the Dutch ships at Vypin Fort.The Queen ordered her army to fire balls without gun powder.Fort Cochin fell and King Rama Varma was killed by the Moothathavazhi in the prevailing anarchy.They forged a letter of appointment by Gangadhara Lakshmi and crowned Goda Varma.The Queen was made a hostage in the Calvetty Palace.
The Dutch Governor Van Rheede realized the foul play only when the Cochin Army began to attack the Dutch at the Calvetty Palace.Since it was violation of the friendship treaty,the Dutch soldiers stormed the Palace, arrested the Queen and kept her in custody at Malabar House.She reaffirmed loyalty to the Dutch and blamed Goda Varma for the foul play.At 98,she was again crowned by the Dutch for just two days.Goda Varma arrested and her brother Vira Kerala Varma succeeded her,ending the decade long crisis in 1663.The Palace which was damaged was rebuilt by the Dutch and it became Dutch Palace.

Van Rheede in his autobiography has paid rich tributes to her brilliance,double play and tactics.

Parukutty Nethyaramma was known for her administrative capabilities,but full of intrigues. She was Lady Rama Varma,a product of circumstances.

She was the consort of King Rama Varma(1914-1932) who is popularly known as Madirasiyil Theepetta Thampuran (the king who died in Madras).She was born in Thrissur in1874 to Kurur Nambudiripad.Her mother was from Padinjare Shrambi house of Vadakke Kurupath family. Ramavarma(born 1858) was 16 years elder to her.When they got married in 1888,Rama Varma was a prince and the chance for him to become the king was remote.But Rajarshi Rama Varma(1895-1914) abdicated the throne after a tussle with the British.He had used the Germans to build the Parambikulam Tramway and entertained the German Consul Bueler at Hill palace. The sale of 14 caparisons of the Poornathrayeesa Temple to build the Ernakulam-Shornur railway line and withdrawal of privy purse to the family members had precipitated a crisis in the Royal family;the line was opened in 1902.With all this,the British tried to poison the mind of his wife.Life became hell for him.He stepped out of Hill Palace with just a personal trunk of clothes.Following his abdication,the Valiyamma Thampuran too abdicated after appointing Rama Varma as King.His wife Parukutty filled the gap,took over and virtually became the authority.The majority of the orders during 1914-1932 were signed by Parukutty.

Ramavarma

 A set of palace scholars argue that Rama Varma was an able administrator who attempted reforms based on the Study of Sociology by Herbert Spencer and Political Economy of John Stewart Mill, which doesn't seem to be true.He had other interests:he used to cure snake bites,he tried to comprehend the language of the lizards using Gawlisastra.

According to Sir T. Vijayaraghavachari, the Dewan, “His Highness conveys his commands in a Socratic method. You have to watch his words carefully not to miss the meaning. …..His Highness is a student of Spencer. At times, he would make me suspect he was an agnostic at heart. The act of worshipping in the temple, once H.H remarked to me”- ‘has a tonic effect. The spectacular side of the temples here has to be developed so as to leave a marked impression on those who go to the temples.’

T.K. Krishna Menon recorded this Raja’s period in his book, The Days that were,thus: "The next ruler was a great constitutional Monarch. His generous nature and lofty patriotism and desire to take the country through reasoned progress to the front place among the Indian States were visible in every act of his. He had ‘a dislike for all pomp and ostentatious display’. His knowledge of the Ayurvedic system of medicine and his special aptitude in the treatment of cases of poisoning were always at the disposal of the public. He evinced a parental solicitude in the elevation of the depressed and backward classes. The very first thing that engaged his attention was the financial position of the State……The result was remarkable. The annual income rose from 46 lakhs of rupees in 1914-8-15 to 86 lakhs in 1927-7-28 and a surplus from 12 to about 70 lakhs."

Parukutty handled financial matters.Middle men were driven away from the Palace owned agricultural lands ,collection of taxes was improved; Valiya Thampuran Kovilakam Trust was formed to administer the Palace estate.A stroke made Ramavarma paralytic and he suffered dementia.Rama Varma was in Ollur or Shornur most of the time undergoing Ayurvedic treatment.With improved finance,Parukutty upgraded Maharajas College.Ramavarma was the Chief Guest at the golden jubilee celebrations of the Ernakulam College in 1925 and it was renamed Maharajas college in honour of him.Parukutty improved Trichur zoo,developed the road which later became the M G Road,and renovated the Durbar Hall.She gave 1000 acres from her property  to build the new Central Prison at Viyyur.She was instrumental in opening the royal city gates of Tripunithura to commoners.For her works,King George V honoured her with Kaiser -i-Hind, in 1919,the only Nethyaramma (Nair consort) to get such a recognition.The tradition was that Nethyarammas were untouchables during the day and immensely touchable during the night.Parukutty rewrote the rules and revamped the system.The revenue of the state won a 17 gun salute from the British.When a picture of any Nair consort of the King is not available,we have a rare picture of her supervising a work.

Parukutty Nethyaramma

Her cousin Kurur Neelakantan Nambudiripad was a prominent Congress leader.She met Gandhi in Trichur in 1925 and became an ardent follower.Gandhi was made a state guest and her son V K Aravindaksha Menon was deputed to assist Gandhi.The letters section of The Collected Works of Gandhi has the correspondence between him and Parukutty's daughter V K Vilasini Amma.Her second daughter Ratnamma was married to R M (Ramunni Menon)Palat,son of Sir C Sankaran Nair,who was AICC President.Palat became Minister for Public Health in Madras later.Her son Aravindakshan had married Malathy,daughter of V K Narayana Menon,contractor in Trichur.It was in his house Pandyala, Nehru,Kamala and Indira had taken rest en route to Ceylon.Parukutty began to wear Khadi and started units around Hill palace for Khadi products,to the displeasure of the British.This action of her forced the British to remove the King from his seat,but the attempt failed.The Viceroy Lord Willingdon tried to prove the King insane.

Junior Rani

A bizarre incident full of drama, took place in 1930.When the British were delaying the coronation of Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma in Travancore,the Junior Maharani Sethuparvathi Bayi,his mother, met Parukutty Nethyaramma.The Junior Rani was in rivalry with the Senior Rani,Sethulakshmi Bayi,who was the Regent.He was supposed to be crowned in 1930,when he attains the age,18.But the British believed that Chithira Thirunal was mentally unstable and refused to anoint him.They asked the Junior Rani to wait till he is 19 and half.The Junior Rani recounted this to Parukutty and became indignant.All of a sudden, the Rani brandished a revolver and threatened to shoot herself.We are not told how Parukutty saved the situation.The Resident ANL Cater's fortnightly report after this incident speaks of the Junior Maharani's "fondness for intrigue".

There were two disasters during the reign of Ramavarma, when T Raghavachari was the Dewan:plague in Mattancheri and a communal riot at Trichur,Parukutty's native place.The communal riot was in February-March,1921,four months before the Moplah rebellion in Malabar.The Christians in Trichur,loyal to the British,attacked a non co-0peration meet and set fire to the shops and houses of the Hindus,during a loyalty procession.The King wrote to the British Resident and the Dewan was removed.Dr A R Menon was the leader of the Congress,and the Congress leadership invited the Mappilas of Malabar for the protection of the Hindus.The Mappilas arrived in thousands and held a procession.Thereafter,the Resident H H Burkitt and the Dewan called both the parties for a discussion and the issue was settled after a week.

Dewan Vijayaraghavachari replaced Bhore and was at the helm during the events of outbreak of Plague in Mattanchery, scarcity of rice in the State and riots in Trichur. To tackle the rice problem, he fixed maximum selling prices of local paddy and rice, opened a circar depot for sale to the poor and tried to procure Burma rice from Madras. In addition, he opened relief works to give labour to the unemployed and at Trichur opened a trial poor house to give kanji. Dewan’s preemptory order to put down the rioters in Trichur did not win approval of the Highness. As regards to Cochin Harbour, hydroelectric scheme, and paper pulp industry Dewan was non-conclusive for the time being. He co-operated with the start of boy-scouting in a quasi-Governmental mode. He favoured progressivity of the legislative council. In spite of the laudable services of the Dewan there was a falling off and Dewan Narayana Menon replaced Vijayaraghavachari.

The three year tenure of Narayana Menon as Dewan was largely uneventful except for the heated activities in the legislative Council as regards to the Cochin Harbour scheme. Extract from Dewan Narayana Menon’s letter dated November 1924 refers to Parukutty: “Keeping me on for another year does not commend itself to the consort and she wants to let me go at the end of my term and put in Narayana Iyer instead.”…… On account of the condition of H.H’s health the administrative machinery has I fear gone out of order.”

On 6 December 1924, C.W.E. Cotton, the Resident wrote to Ramavarma: “Having regard to the state of your Highness’s health, you may perhaps wish to avail yourself for further term of Mr. Narayana Menon’s experience and the fact that he is so doughty a champion of the Durbar’s interest in the problems connected with the Cochin harbour scheme will make him difficult to replace until they are settled.”

A confidential letter from Hill Palace, Tripunithura, dated 14 December 24 to Mr. Cotton ,said: “I propose to appoint Rao Bahadur Mr. T.S. Narayana Iyer, my present Chief Judge to succeed Mr. Narayana Menon. I am glad to say that I am rapidly improving in my general health and there is less difficulty in walking.”

On 5 February 1925, Resident Cotton wrote to Patterson the officiating Secretary of the Government of India, Political Department: “Mr. Narayana Iyer is not a flyer and has no recent administrative experience. But his reputation is good, and if the selection is restricted to the officials in State Service, he is certainly the best man available. Narayana Menon was too steadfast a guardian of the State finances ‘to be no longer acceptable to the Maharaja’s consort who is the defacto ruler of the State. It is to be presumed that she has hopes that Mr. Narayana Iyer will prove more accommodating. The Maharaja is too old and too feeble to take any real active interest in the administration and the Dewan has to be constantly on his guard to prevent undue interference on the part of the consort whose ruling passion is the acquisition of wealth for her already wealthy family.”

T.K.Krishna Menon adds, “But, as for Narayana Iyer, he had no hint of any extraordinary gifts. His conspicuous gift was negative. It was his silence. Events always played the trump card for him. His luck was a legend, and he was loyal to the last breath of his life.”

Narayana Iyer’s tenure as Dewan continued to be troublesome. Discontentment among the junior male Thampurans progressed to such an extent that a memorandum of no confidence against the administration was submitted to the Resident and the Secretary to the Madras Government. The Dewan had to defend the Raja who was for all purposes seemed to be out of the loop. British also was confronted with the vexing problem of how to deal with a mentally disabled ruler of a feudatory State.

The Junior Thampurans of the Ruling Family, Cochin wrote a letter to Lt, Col. C.G. Crosthwaite, Agent to Governor General, Madras State on 10 October 1928,in which they requested an interview to discuss several troubling issues informally. Such an interview did take place and Dewan Narayana Iyer who was also present tried to rebut all the issues vigorously. Several letters were written by the Dewan, Crosthwaite and Kerala Varma, the leader of the Junior Thampurans.

Ramavarma,Baroda Gaekwad,Wife and Parukutty

Narayana Iyer’s term was to end and frantic effort was made to replace him with the son-in-law of the consort/Raja. A few letters are available to substantiate this.However, at this point the British authorities decided to bring in C.G. Herbert I.C.S. as Dewan.

Lt. Colonel H.R.N. Pritchard  followed Crosthwaite as Agent to the Governor General, Madras State Agency. The interchange of letters that took place between Herbert and Pritchard certainly give a perspective of what happened between 1924 and 1932.

Herbert’s letter to Pritchard dated 24 December 1931 can be summarized as follows:

 1. A note is enclosed in the letter to explain the difficulties experienced in the State of Cochin.

2. Intervention in the administration, might take two forms, one consisting of the transfer of the Sarvadhikariakar through whom the consort is effecting her influence and the second consisting of the appointment of Elaya Raja as Regent. The third possibility is to do nothing until the Raja dies or situation becomes so bad that the Government of India can take over.

The note written by Herbert has been so informal that liberal amount of paraphrasing has been resorted to: “It has been evident to me since I became Dewan rather more than a year ago that His Highness, owing to his age and ill-health, is incapable of taking any personal part in the administration. Under the constitution however many of the affairs of the State can only be transacted under the orders of the Maharaja or with his concurrence, and in spite of the present Maharaja’s incapacity orders continue to issue in his name. Obviously therefore, in fact, these orders are passed on His Highness’s behalf by others who have taken His Highness’s place in the administration.”

Herbert expands on the various courses he could take in such a dicey situation:“A change seemed very desirable, if not absolutely necessary, in the interest of the Thampurans – the members of the Ruling Family – for reasons which will be stated later.”

“For these reasons I discarded the idea of waiting till the situation reached a crisis before taking steps to improve it, and decided to adopt the alternative course of replacing the present Sarvadhikariakar by a man in whose integrity confidence may be reposed.” 

Herbert wanted to appoint the Sarvadhikariakar  Narayana Pisharodi as the Commissioner of Devaswoms with the same pay grade and bring in Subramania Aiyer as the new Sarvadhikariakar. Herbert’s recommendations were questioned or rejected.

One of the principal complaints of the Thampurans was about the large sums of expenditure from the Palliyara Muthalpidi for the benefit of the consort and her children after the Maharaja became ill. One of the Thampurans had information obtained surreptitiously from the Palace Accountant. A copy of the same was included with the note. Irregularities in the management of the Ammaraja’s estate and Sarvadhikariakar managing the same instead the Raja infuriated the Thampurans. They were demanding a thorough audit of the accounts of the Palliyara Muthalpidi for the last few years.

C G Herbert

Herbert continued:" have endeavored in this note to describe the situation created in the State by the present condition of His Highness’s health and the difficulties that arise as a consequence in the transaction of State affairs. I do not think those difficulties are likely to diminish as time goes on: on the contrary as interference from the Palace are increasing there seems every reason to apprehend that administration in future become more and more difficult. Two methods of dealing with this situation now appear to exist. The first is to allow the administration to be carried on, as it was carried on in the past, under the influence of the consort and the Sarvadhikariakar. In that event there is, in my opinion, no possible advantage to be gained by a Dewan appointed from British India at the head of the administration: for his proposals can always be vetoed by the consort and the Sarvadhikariakar, it is evident that his opportunities for improving the administration will be exceedingly limited. The balance of advantage in these circumstances seems to me definitely to lie in the appointment of an indigenous Dewan. For the chances of friction arising on administrative questions between the consort and the Sarvadhikariakar on the one hand and the Dewan on the other would be minimized by such an appointment while the administration itself could in the circumstances lose nothing by it.

"The alternative course would be to check the influence of the consort and the Sarvadhikariakar. It was with this aim in view that I suggested the transfer of the
Sarvadhikariakar from his present post. Whether that would in fact have solved the problem it is of course now impossible to say: there was at least the chance of its doing so. But it is doubtful whether, matters having reached the stage which they have now done, it will be worthwhile to go to the trouble of securing the Sarvadhikariakar’s transfer merely for the sake of making the experiment. Assuming that it is desirable to interfere in the matter at all the better course would be definitely to end the part which His Highness’s consort and the Sarvadhikariakar now take in the administration.

"One thing is thus clear. The time has now come when a definite decision has to be taken whether on the one hand to allow the consort and the Sarvadhikariakar to continue their interference in the affairs of the State: or, on the other to limit if not to terminate that interference altogether. In the former alternative the balance of advantage is against having a Dewan from outside the State at the head of the administration: for this can only result in friction in administrative matters without any corresponding gain."

Ramavarma in his final Years

On 3 January 1932, Col Pritchard wrote to Sir Charles Watson, Political Secretary to the Government of India, New Delhi,on the senile behaviour of the King.I quote just a few lines from the letter:"In order to give a further illustration of His Highness’s condition I will describe briefly his behavior at the Durbar which was held in connexion with the presentation of Kharitas from Lord Irvin and the Viceroy. As I shook hands he broke into a guffaw of inane laughter which I must confess was somewhat disconcerting. I tried to enter into the usual brief conversation, but His Highness remained completely dumb until I asked whether he found the climate cooler in Tripunithurai than in Ernakulam. I must mention that we were then sitting in his Palace in Tripunithurai. His Highness turned to me and said “Where is Tripunithurai?”. During the firing of the Vice regal salute His Highness created some embarrassment by repeatedly calling out “What is the firing for?” and much more when he turned to the heir apparent and asked him whether his wife was present! He didn’t know what to do with my garland and finally his hands had to be raised over my head by the Dewan. When my wife received hers His Highness again emitted a peal of laughter saying in a loud voice “Lady Sahiba'. It was altogether an extremely undignified Darbar.”

He stated further:“In a letter addressed to Cater in December 1929 the Thampurans wrote that, however since their respect and reverence for His Highness’s person was, they felt compelled to complain as they knew that things which were done in His Highness’s name were done by others and that, so far as they knew the Maharaja had practically ceased to function, and that his powers and authority were being usurped by others. Finally they prayed to be freed from a rule by people other than the legitimate Ruler. The Thampurans are undoubtedly convinced ( and so is Herbert) that the Consort and Sarvadhikariakar are looting the Palliyara Muthalpidi properties, and, as they are precluded from filing a suit against the Karanavan or manager because he is the Ruler, they very naturally claim that if Government consider it expedient to permit a mentally defective Ruler to retain his powers then it is for the Government to devise some way of protecting them from being robbed."

Several interesting facets of information regarding the looting by Parukutty Nethyaramma,could be noted after reviewing the communications between Herbert and Pritchard:

1. Palace accounts indicated every year, from 1918 onwards 25,000 to 35,000 rupees withdrawn from the Palliyara Muthalpidi until 1929 for various reasons.

2. Vellikulangara and Mattathur of forest lands was given to the Palliyara Muthalpidi from the Government during the X-Raja’s time. These lands were leased to the Consort for RS 200/- and cutting the trees fetched Rs 17,000, but nothing was put back in the Muthalpidi.

3. Maharaja’s own Palace when he was first Prince was gifted to the Consort. But she sold it to the Palliyara Muthalpidi for Rs 13,000/- but was assigned as pattom tenure for Rs 200/-

4. Few irregularities in dealing with Ammaraja’s estate also has been listed.

5. There was a plan to move the Maharaja’s College from Ernakulam to Ramavarmapuram near Thrissur.

After receiving the letter sent by Pritchard a telegram from Polindia arrived on 29/1/1932: “ H.E. the Viceroy directs that you should arrange to have H.H. the Maharaja of Cochin examined at once by a European mental expert with a view to ascertaining his mental condition and capacity to rule. Agrees that Doctor Somervell should if possible be associated with the mental expert in this examination.”

Dr Somervell agreed to be of help. Major A.C.A. Smith, Superintendent of the mental hospital of Yeravada, Bombay was to examine the Highness in Madras. But on 25 March 1932, Sir Sri Rama Varma, Maharaja of Cochin died at 7.45 A.M. at Cochin House, Madras.

After the death of the King,Parukutty initially shifted to the Ratna Vilas Palace she built near her home in Trichur.Then she went on an extended tour abroad with her grandson Sankaran Palat who was admitted to Le Rosey in Switzerland and later the Charter House,England.She returned to India and divided her time between Coonoor and Trichur.She had tea estates and a tea factory in Conoor.

About her activities,a fortnightly Intelligence Report at the National Archives,Newdelhi states:"The hill palace here is the center of nationalist activity and charkhas have been introduced to assist the weaving of the Khadi."

I doubt whether any Gandhian now knows the story of Parukutty.

C G Herbert was reversed foreign service in Cochin to Madras,and Sir Shanmukham Chetty was appointed Dewan,in 1935.Chetty became the first finance minster of independent India.He was an economist and was chosen by Gandhi against the wishes of Nehru.He resigned in 1949,due to conflict of views with Nehru.

See  my Posts,KRISHNA MENON AS HEADLOAD WORKER,PRINCE RAMAVARMA

V K KRISHNA MENON AS A HEADLOAD WORKER

Menon's sister was married to Raja of Cochin

Lalan Thampuran of  Cochin Royal family had married from the famous Vengalil Nair family of Calicut.He had not finished his school finals.Maybe the Vengalil family members thought a relationship with the Royal family was what mattered,more than anything else.The family was already related to the Kadathanad Raja.

Lalan's wife Kochunarayanikutty Amma was none other than the sister of V K Krishna Menon.She was seven years younger than Menon;Lalan was 16 years elder to her!
My brother who lived in Mumbai for 40 years and who saw Menon contesting a Loksabha election there is an ardent fan of Menon.Whenever I meet him,he comes up with stories about Menon.To provoke him,once I quoted an infamous line from Khushwant Singh,arch rival of Menon,which Singh attributed to a General:Menon was a bachelor,the same as his father!
My brother was truly amazed when I told him the following story which was shared by my former colleague R T Ravi Varma,who was writing under the pseudonym,Seeri, on agricultural matters.Seeri is Balaraman of the puranas,the man with the plough.Here we go:
Menon who was a Barrister in London and an active worker in the freedom movement,reached Calicut on vacation.He sent a telegram to his sister and Lalan who were living in a Tripunithura palace:I am reaching Ernakulam by the night train.Please send the vehicle.The telegram didn't reach them.

Menon,June 1964/Photo:James Burke/Life

Menon reached the Railway station around 10 PM.None was there to receive him.Menon who had never been to Tripunithura,was approached by a stranger with a big bundle.He asked the bewildered Menon what bothered him.Menon said he is from Kozhikode and wanted to see his sister.The stranger,a Nambudiri, assured  that he will take him to the palace.They started walking.Since I am from Tripunithura,I know the distance is 10 kilometres.
Nambudiri told Menon that he is from Chendamangalam and is married to a lady of the famous Paliath family.The bundle is full of handloom clothes.Since Chendamangalam hand loom is much in demand  in Tripunithura,he sells it there.Nambudiri found Menon  stout and healthy and asked him whether he can carry the load of cloth bundle.Menon agreed without hesitation.

Lalan Thampuran

They reached Tripunithura;Nambudiri showed Menon Lalan's palace and left him there.The family was wonder struck by the unexpected visitor and perplexed to hear what the Nambudiri had done to him.The Nambudiri was summoned to the palace.He apologized.Menon gave him a small gift.
Menon used to see Lalan and sister in Tripunithura or Trichur whenever he was in Kerala.It was Menon who sent his sister's daughter Ammalukutty Amma(born 1922) to Stella Marie's College in Madras.
Lalan and Narayani were married in 1919.She was 16 and he,32.Compared to Lalan,Kochunarayanikutty Amma was more knowledgeable.She was well mannered and knew Sanskrit.Lalan's mother who knew Sanskrit was a solace to her.She was born in 1903 to Advocate Krishna Kurup Komath and Lakshmikutty Amma Vengalil.She had two sisters,Janaki and Padmavathi.Krishna Kurup was the son of Kadathanad Raja Udaya Varma and Komath Sreedevi Kettilamma of Komath family,Vatakara.Kochu Narayanikutty's mother Lakshmikutty Amma was the grand daughter of Raman Menon,Dewan of Travancore(1815-1817).Raman Menon,a Judge of the Huzur Court was appointed Dewan at the suggestion of the Resident Col Munro,by  Gowri Parvati Bayi,Regent during Swati Thirunal.Vengalil family originated from Narayana Menon and wife Narayani Amma. It was customary for the princes and their nethyarammas(nair wives) to visit the Poornathrayeesa Temple at Tripunithura.The ladies were not allowed to wear blouses;instead,they were asked to use an upper cloth.Kochunarayanikutty Amma (Narayani Amma in records)rebelled and refused to go to the Temple.The King relented and lifted the ban on blouses.It is said that the men were dejected and the women became more coercive.

Lalan's real name was Ramavarma(1887-1975) Kunjikidavu Thampuran,belonging to the Padinjare Kovilakath Thavazhi.He was nicknamed Lalan because he was always seen with flowing saliva in childhood.In later years it was red saliva because of his addiction to chewing betel leaf.He walked with both the hands on his back with the betel leaf box in one hand.He had bouts of depression.He was seen in the palace for six months;he was out for another.He skipped classes while he was a student.When once he skipped and ran away,he was caught by the Director for Education,Davis,who was from Scotland.
"Where are you going in a hurry?",Davis asked.
"Rome was not built in a day",Lalan replied and ran away.
It didn't make any sense to Davis.So he asked Lalan the hidden meaning of the tricky sentence when he met him next."Nothing",Lalan said,"I just wanted to escape,that's all!".
Lalan was liked by all;he conqured people by cracking jokes. He was successor to King Parikshith Thampuran,and could be termed Ramavarma XIX.But the King Parikshit  had lost the kingdom in 1949 after the merger of Travancore and Cochin.Lalan became Valiyathampuran or Chief of the Royal family after the death of Parikshit in 1964.He died in 1975.He stayed in Krishna Vilasom Palace near Siva Temple,Ernakulam till 1970;later shifted to daughter's residence on Warriam Road.He had a son too-Raman Menon(born 1920),who was Superintendent in Madras Secretariat(1945-1964).
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru wrote this letter from Calicut to his private secretary on December 27,1955:"When I arrived in Calicut and reached Krisha Menon's house,I found that there was much consternation at the prospect of my having to be provided with plenty of meat after the European style.The house is vegetarian and they were unhappy about this.Worse still,the District Magistrate sent four chickens to be slaughtered and cooked.The lady of the house was completely upset about this idea.Fortunately I came in time to prevent this outrage on her sentiment and I asked specially for a Malayali vegetarian meal.A very good  dinner was given to me which I enjoyed".Prodded by Padmaja Naidu,Sarojini Naidu's daughter whom Nehru loved,his secretary had sent a non vegetarian menu to all states!

Now let us meet Mappilakuttan.Mappila means a Christian.

Rama Varma XVI

The Poornathrayeesa Temple was damaged in a severe fire in 1921.The fire was first seen  in the Sreekovil(sanctum sanctrorum) around 3 AM.Within minutes the entire Temple was engulfed by fire.There were no fire engines then.The bell in the mani malika close to the temple was set in motion.A prince by the name Kuttan Thampuran went to the Puthen Church outside the Fort and asked the Jacobite Christians to ring the Church bell.All the Christians around the town entered the Temple,cut the Anakottil(shelter for elephants) and prevented the fire from spreading to other parts.The Christians were led by DSP Kandaramparampil Chacko(You have a story on Chacko in muralirvarama.blogspot.in,told to him by Parayil Abraham Tharakan.).That Christians entered the Temple became a big controversy and Chacko was summoned by the King Rama Varma XVI,Madrasil Theepetta Thampuran (the King who died in Madras)to Hill Palace.In police uniform,he saluted the King.
"Chacko!did u enter the Temple?",the King questioned.
"Yes,your Highness".
"Chacko,are you not aware that Christians are not allowed in temples?"
"Yes your Highness",Chacko said,"but I didn't enter the Temple as a Christian;I entered as Your DSP to lead the rescue operations".
King was extremely happy by the reason Chacko provided;he gave Chacko Onappudava.The conservatives who were flustered by the action of the King turned against Kuttan Thampuran and began to call him Mappilakuttan;Christian Kuttan!
In a poem by Vayalar Rama Varma,a Pariah became a Christian taking the name Ithapiri to escape from the cruel practice of untouchability.From then on people called him,Parayan Ithapiri!

See my blog,PRINCE RAMA VARMA BECOMES JACOB RAMAVARMA

WITH JASWANT SINGH IN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

Jaswant Singh avoided controversial sites

The cry of a lakh children still reverberates in my soul.An everlasting memory.Only Israel can give  such a silencing cry.

Yad Vashem is located on the western slope of Mount Herzel or the Mountain of Remembrance in Jerusalem. It is the official memorial to the Jewish victims of Holocaust.It is a 44.5 acre complex 2638 feet above sea level,containing the Holocaust History Museum,Children's Memorial and Hall of remembrance.I was not at all prepared for the cry amidst darkness and among stars when I was leaving the Children's Memorial.An immaculate conception.

Yad Vashem

Yad Vashem is a Hebrew word meaning A Place and a Name.It comes in the Book of Isaiah,56:5:"Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and daughters:I will give them an everlasting name,that shall not be cut off."

Thus the name,Yad Vashem conveys the idea that it is a national depository for the names of Jewish victims who will not be remembered otherwise.It will never be cut off.It rips apart  the very foundations of Nazism.As a memorabilia,I bought a VCD of the Eichmann trial.Adolf Eichmann,a Nazi Lieutenant Colonel,one the main organizers of Holocaust,underwent trial in Jerusalem.

Hall of Names

I was in Israel to report the first ever visit by an Indian Foreign Minister-Jaswant Singh.Jaswant was to land in Bengurion air port from Russia.We traveled from Newdelhi to Dubai;from there to Abudhabi where Ambassador K C Singh was our host.From there to Amman,capital of Jordan and then by road to Jerusalem.It was a four day visit of Jaswant starting July 1,2000.We reached Jerusalem on the Sabbath day,June 30.We traveled by the King Hussein Bridge or Allenby Bridge,past three border crossings.The Allenby Bridge that connects Jordan with West Bank and crosses the Jordan river,comes after 70 kilometers to the west of Amman,after the first crossing on the Jordanian side.You can't walk the bridge which is 0.24 kilometers.A bus travel is mandatory after paying the $ 29 toll.The bridge is named after British  General Edmund Allenby who replaced an old Ottoman bridge in 1918 after capturing Jerusalem in 1917.He entered Jerusalem on 17,December on foot through the Jaffa Gate instead of using horses or vehicles to show respect for the old city.He was the first Christian to control Jerusalem after many centuries.

Allenby entering Jerusalem on foot

This is the only way for the Palestinians to cross.Others can use the Northern crossing of Bet She'an,which is devoid of the long queue of Allenby.There are direct buses from Amman to Nazareth in the Old City.

Since it was a Sabbath day,the lift in the King David Hotel was stopping on every floor.Jews are not supposed to touch anything,even the switches on the lift,Yehonathan Tommer,the Israeli journalist friend who met me later,enlightened me.We went to the Old City in the night.I bought a couple of paintings.Lovers were having a good time after Sabbath.

The Old City is in East Jerusalem which was captured by Israel in the six day war in 1967.In the morning I went to the Wailing Wall,overlooking the Temple Mount,the site of the ancient temple with only the Western Wall at its foot remaining,now with the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque.Three religions from the same root in proximity.The Palestinians,it is said, have their Parliament built underground.Jaswant  went to the Wailing Wall built by King Solomon,and prayed.It is a place where Jews pray.

I went to Bethlehem which fall under  Palestinian Administration.I prayed in the Church of Nativity,bought a Hebrew Bible with Olive covering,an Olive engraving of Jesus and a candle holder.

A foreign minister from the BJP cabinet visiting a Jewish state was a bold initiative.Palestine too was in his itinerary.It was a postponed trip;Egypt was in the first list.Home Minister L K Advani had been to Israel in June.Camp David was behind;Egypt,the prominent Arab country had accepted Israel a reality.King Hussein of Jordan and King Hassan of Morocco were maintaining good relations with Israel.King Hassan's Principal Adviser,Andre Azouley was a practicing Jew.The Hotel was full of Americans.The boss of both Israel and Saudi Arabia were the same-Americans.

President of Israel,Ezer Weizman had visited Newdelhi in 1997.

When we were there Jyoti Basu was also there.The visits by several Indian Chief Ministers had resulted in more than 180 joint ventures.Lot of them in agriculture.While visiting a diary farm near Tel Aviv,I met a few Cochin Jews who migrated.One Woman told me she lived near the Market Road in Ernakulam.

Prime Minister Ehud Barak had called  the relationship between India and Israel "intuitive".Jaswant referred to this expression in his dinner lecture,'Foreign Policy Planning in an Uncertain World', the next day.He said:"We were thrown out of the loop of West Asia,particularly in the Post Gulf war scenario.We have been now drawn into the process of peace here.It is a beginning".He again used the word intuition  when he summed up his impressions at the port city of Haifa to us.The flight to Haifa,to see the War Memorial,was a trip down the memory lane for Jaswant.The Jodhpur Lancers led by his ancestors had helped liberate Haifa from the Turkish-German Forces during World War 1.The two Indian Cavalry Regiments of the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade under the command of Gen.Allenby had fought the Battle of Haifa on September 20,1918.Haifa Historical Society documents reveal that 900 Indian soldiers laid down their lives in the battle,for the Allied Forces.Major Dalpat Singh  who got the Military Cross is known as the Hero of Haifa.Captain Aman Singh Bahadur ,Dafedar Jor Singh got the Indian Order of Merit.Captain Anop Singh and Second Lieutenant Sagat Singh were awarded Military Cross.

Haifa War Memorial

Apart from Barak,Jaswant met President Weizman,Foreign Minister David Levy,Minister of Regional Development Shimon Peres and Opposition Leader Ariel Sharon.

As we crossed the border to Gaza,the difference was visible.Palestine had not recovered from the terrible destiny it had at the hands of Israel.Jaswant skirted the sensitive sites just paying a visit to the library of the Al-Azhar University in Gaza City that was funded by India.He met Palestinian leaders including Yasser Arafat and Palestinian Minister for International Co Operation,Dr Nabil Sha'ath.He termed his visit to Gaza a pilgrimage because it was the first substantive visit by an Indian leader after the Nasser-Nehru dialogue at Gaza in 1960.

Jaswant avoided the controversial sites and people.He didn't see Faisal Husseini,Palestinian Authority Minister for Jerusalem Affairs and unofficial Palestinian Foreign  Minister at Orient House in East Jerusalem.Jaswant avoided him so as not to anger Israel by giving an implied recognition to Palestinian claims to East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian State.He also didn't visit the Temple Mount, where the Palestinians have 'illegally' built an underground mosque in Solomon's Stables.

I felt we have one Ayodhya;some have a hundred.For the first time in my life,I heard gun shots just behind me,in Palestine.

Reference:My article with Yehonathan Tommer/The Pilgrim's Progress/The Week,July 16,2000
See my blog,WITH K R NARAYANAN IN CHINA