The 200th anniversary celebrations of CMS College begin on March 17 as new-found records prove that the oldest existing college in India was started in 1815, two years earlier than previously thought.
The early years of the college came to light after a study of documents in the Bangalore United Theological College Museum and the Missionary Register in the CMS College library as well as the Church Missionary Proceedings.
Dr Babu Cherian, the head of the college’s Malayalam department, stumbled on the piece of history during the research for his book, ‘Towards Modernity: The Story of the First College of India’. The college management has approved the change in the birth date.
The bicentennial celebration is also aimed at modernising all the departments of the college and raising the quality of education, principal Dr Roy Sam Daniel said.
The college, then called The College, Cotym, was started by Colonel John Munro, a British statesman who was a political resident and later Diwan of the princely state of Travancore. He started the college on 16 acres at Chungam near Kottayam.
The recently discovered records show that construction of the building was started as early as 1813 and classes were started with 25 students in 1815. Colonel Munro received the support of Rani Gowri Lakshmi Bayi, the Regent of Travancore.
Munro entrusted the management of the college to Pulikkottil Ittoop Ramban (Joseph Mar Divannasios) of the Malankara Church.
Munro wrote to the Church Mission Society (CMS) headquarters in Britain in 1813 asking for two missionaries to teach in the new college, the records collected by Dr Cherian shows. The letter was received in Britain after six months.
Thomas Norton, a missionary from Britain, came to Kottayam in May 1816 to take charge of the college. He stayed in Alappuzha, then a bigger and busier town than Kottayam.
Munro’s insistence on a resident head for the college led to the arrival of the legendary Benjamin Bailey in 1817, which was traditionally known as the founding year of CMS College. CMS College calendar recorded 1815 as the year the college was started.
The college’s phenomenal growth started with Bailey, who laid the foundation for English education in Kerala.
The original building where classes were started in March 1815 was later turned into a seminary when the college was shifted to its present location on a hillock in 1837.
source: http://www.english.manoramaonline.com / OnManorama / Home> News> Kerala / by Manorama Correspondent / Saturday – March 07th, 2015
Theatre House inside the New Theatre complex. Photo: Nita Sathyendran / The Hindu
Theatre House in Thampanoor, which is over 80 years old, retains much of its original features
Those who have been to New Theatre would, perhaps, be familiar with the quaint old house, tucked away in a corner of the expansive compound, to the right of the iconic building. Known simply as ‘Theatre House’, this one-storied building in traditional Kerala style architecture with Tamil influences, was once home to the late P. Subramoniam, pioneering director and producer of the Malayalam film industry. By virtue of Subramonian’s and his Merryland studios’ association with the industry, Theatre House could well have played a role in the story of Malayalam cinema itself.
“If I remember correctly, the house was built in 1935-36, around about the time the theatre itself came up,” recalls octogenarian Leela S. Pillai, only daughter of Subramoniam. “I was barely two or three years old, when we moved from my grandmother’s home in Chala to Theatre House. My youngest brother was born after we set up home here. It was actually great fun to grow up here given that the theatre is just across the yard. I remember how we children used to hop across to watch the action on screen, particularly whenever the songs came on. Of course, we had to surreptitiously crouch inside the door, in case father caught us at it!” she says with a laugh.
Leela, her parents and brothers lived at Theatre House for almost a decade, before moving home once again and she says that it has been in continuous occupation since then. “It was for a while occupied by my eldest brother and his family and then given on rent for a few years. At one point of time, the artistes who acted in Merryland Studio productions were also put up here,” says Leela, who has been living in Theatre House with her family, on and off, since the mid 1970s. Presently, her daughter Krishna and grandson Vignesh stay with her in the well-kept house.
Lord Krishna carved on one of the gables of the house. Photo: Nita Sathyendran / The Hindu
As it was then, a beautiful statue of Lord Krishna made of clay – said to be as old as the house itself –welcomes visitors to Theatre House. Inlaid front of the statue and behind it are Chettinad tiles, arranged in the pattern of kolams. Although weathered by rain and shine and the many footsteps that have traipsed over it over the decades, the tiles, still retain the signature red hue of the clay found in the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu.
A kolam made of Chettinad tiles. Photo: Nita Sathyendran / The Hindu
The front façade too hasn’t changed much since the house was built 80 years ago. The tiled roof still has two gables on each side, inside which figurines of Lord Krishna and Lord Murugan have been carved on wood; the carving of Murugan on the right side of the building is obscured by the branches of the stately, old jackfruit tree that grows in the garden. “The gables had carved wooden borders too but they have since fallen off,” explains Leela.
Up the unpolished granite steps to the veranda and you’ll immediately feel like you are in an island of calm amid all the hullaballoo outside. The mosaic flooring (that was laid over the original cement flooring sometime in the 60s) and the timber ceiling polished with age offers an immediate respite from the heat outside. The family has also kept the original wooden windows and doors intact; each window frame, inside and outside, has glass panels painted with a flower and leaf pattern.
The living room with it high wooden ceiling is the centre of attraction of the house and is neatly arranged with a mix of original and colonial art deco furniture. Gracing the walls are several paintings of religious iconography such as a Tanjore painting of Lord Murugan [“embossed in Germany”] and a pencil and charcoal drawing of Lord Krishna, both of which Leela believes have been hanging in the same place since the beginning. There are also a couple of portraits on the walls, including a large one of a young Leela with her parents.
The living room leads off to bedrooms on either side, the prayer room and the dining room, which are more or less its miniature versions, high ceilings, mosaic floors, wooden widow frames et al.
It seems that the only part of the house that has been renovated is the kitchen and dining area and that too only a couple of years ago. “It had a beautiful sloping jali made of wood. We had to tear it down because the slats were infested with mice and were a haven for marapatti [Asian palm civet],” explains Leela. “The dining table came much later. Initially, the entire family used to take our meals sitting on the cement floor,” she recalls, as we make our way back to the small garden in front.
“There used to be a deep rivulet which ran in front of the garden. My father was afraid that we kids would fall into it, so he had it diverted to the back of the property,” says Leela.
(A fortnightly column on houses in and around the city that are more than 50 years old.)
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Nita Sathyendran / Thiruvananthapuram – February 20th, 2015
The launch of the first public road transport service on February 20, 1938, in the erstwhile Travancore will be recreated after 77 years on Friday, from East Fort to Kowdiar Square and back in a double-decker bus.
The bus will be flagged off by Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) CMD Antony Chacko at 11 a.m. as part of the ‘Bus Day’ celebrations by the Kerala State Road Transport Employees’ Association (KSRTEA) with the theme ‘healthy public transport for public health.’
Sree Chithira Tirunal, the then ruler of Travancore, inaugurated the service 77 years ago. He, along with Col. Goda Varma Raja and other members of the ruling family, were among the passengers. E.G. Salter, Assistant Operating Superintendent of London Passenger Board, drove the bus.
A fleet of 33 buses and a huge crowd joined the celebrations as the bus moved on. The first bus was operated from Thiruvanantapuram to Kanyakumari on February 21, 1938.
From England
Initially, the department imported Comet chassis for 60 buses from England and they were fitted with Frank Perkins-made diesel engines under the direct supervision of Salter. The experimental design of the body created by Salter became the standard design of the rest of the buses, say archival reports.
The early buses were like saloons with 23 soft leather seats. There were 10 First Class seats in the front. The schedules, fares and bus stops were fixed and published. A parcel service was also started. The services were extended to Kochi in 1949 and to Malabar, in 1956. The KSRTC came into existence in March 1965.
People’s representatives, top officials of the corporation, socio-cultural activists, and trade union leaders will be on the bus. The KSRTEA is trying to rope in the members of the ruling family of the erstwhile Travancore for the trip.
Bus Day is being observed as part of the second phase of the “Save KSRTC” campaign. KSRTEA general secretary C.K. Harikrishnan urged the public to shun private vehicles and to travel on KSRTC buses on Friday.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities. Thiruvananthapuram / by S. Anil RadhaKrishnan / Thiruvananthapuram – February 18th, 2015
Group photograph showing the students and the faculty members of the Certificate Course, 1941-42 Batch. Photo: Sharat Sunder Rajeev / The Hindu
Many village artisans sought education and transformed themselves into government employees
Chittatinkara, a village on the banks of Killi River, was once the abode of ancient craft guilds closely associated with the construction of many famed buildings in Thiruvananthapuram. These guilds boast several talented ivory artisans and skilled artistes, who once shone brightly in the artistic realm of the capital city. A mapping of the history of these guilds reveal that the craftsmen, during the late 19th century, gradually shifted from their position as ‘village artisans’ to the role of ‘government employees’, mostly employed at the Survey Department, Public Works Department and the School of Arts.
P. Vasudevan Achari. / The Hindu
“The transition from village artisans to government employees was not easy, for education played a key role in the process,” says 98-year-old Vasudevan Achari, a member of the Chittatinkara guild. “Then, there were few members from our guild who had the privilege of getting formal schooling, and in most cases the patriarchs were not willing to ‘spoil’ their children with Western education,” Achari adds. Vasudevan was amongst the fortunate few, for he successfully completed his schooling from the government English medium school at Killipalam. “My uncle used to call me ‘Sayippu’, for I was the first from my clan to learn the language of the British.” After completing his schooling in 1941, Vasudevan Achari and his relative Ramayyan Achari enrolled for the Certificate Course at the College of Engineering, Trivandrum, established in 1939. “In those days the college was housed in the former office and bungalow of the chief engineer (the present PMG Office). T.H. Mathewman, a Britisher, was the Principal,” Achari recounts.
The PMG Building where the College of Engineering, Trivandrum was first housed. Photo: Sharat Sunder Rajeev / The Hindu
Vasudevan still recalls his first meeting with Mathewman. “I got a letter from the College, asking me to appear before the Principal.” As soon as Vasudevan entered the room, Mathewman offered him a cigar. “I was stunned for a moment, and did not know what to do. Finally I gathered courage and told him: ‘Sir, I am a non-smoker, so is my father’. I saw a smile on Mathewman’s face. Next, he asked me whether I would be able to complete the course. I answered that I would complete the course successfully. The next question was whether I was married. I told him that I was a bachelor. That was my interview!”remembers Achari. Soon, Vasudevan got a memo, asking him to join the college. Mathewman, a soft-spoken man, was popular with the students. He visited the classrooms every day and when informed of the students’ progress, every time he would smile and say “Very Good.” Soon the students gave Mathewman the nickname ‘Very Good Sir’. J.C. Alexander, Chellayya, and D.L. Deshpandae who taught machine drawing were the other teachers.
“After the course, we were sent to the PWD for a one-year apprenticeship and in 1942 I was employed under the War Technical Trainee Scheme,” recalls Achari. Later, Achari worked at the ITI and retired in 1972 as group instructor. “Looking back, I consider myself lucky, for though I turned my back on the profession of my forefathers, Western education did aid me in leading a better life,” says Vasudevan Achari.
(This write-up is based on an interview with P. Vasudevan Achari).
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Sharat Sunder Rajeev / January 30th, 2015
If I say the idli was brought to southern India by Arab settlers, it could raise hackles, especially among South Indians. But the truth cannot be suppressed. References to the modern way of making the idli appear in Indian works only after 1250 CE.
K.T. Acharya, the food historian, speculates that the modern idli might have originated in the region that is now Indonesia, which has had a long tradition of fermented food. According to him, cooks employed by the Hindu kings of the local kingdom may have invented the steamed idli there, and brought the recipe to India during the period 800-1200 CE. But this theory is being questioned by modern food historians such as Lizzie Collingham, Kristen Gremillion, Raymond Grew, Makhdoom Al-Salaqi (Syria), Zahiruddin Afiyaab (Lebanon). References available at the Al-Azhar University Library in Cairo also suggest that Arab traders in the southern belt brought in the idli when they married and settled down in those parts. Now the question is: how did that happen? It is known that Arab traders used to come to the southern coast for trade, and that pre-dated even the advent of Islam. The first mosque outside the Arab peninsula was erected by Arab settlers who came here as traders.
The Arab settlers were strict in their dietary preferences; many of them came here when Mohammed was still alive and they were neo-converts to Islam from Paganism. They insisted on halaal food, and Indian food was quite alien to their palate. To avoid all such confusion regarding what is halaal orharaam in food, they began to make rice balls as it was easy to make and was the safest option available. After making the rice balls, they would slightly flatten them and eat with bland coconut paste (Encyclopaedia of Food History, edited by Collingham and Gordon Ramsay of Britain, Oxford University Press, and Seed to Civilisation, The Story of Food, by Heiser Charles B, Harvard University Press, 1990). Later it was improved upon, and from the 8th century onwards, the idli in its modernavatar came into existence.
sumitmaclean@hotmail.com
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Opinion> Open Page / by Sumit Paul / February 01st, 2015
A motley collection of brilliant and rare maps from the 16th to the 19th century is on display at Heritage Arts in Mattancherry as part of ‘Cosmology to Cartography’, an exhibition—the first of its kind in India—jointly organised by the Hyderabad-based Kalakriti Archives and the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
It showcases as many as 47 maps straddling four centuries and under ‘Jain Cosmic’, ‘Pilgrimage’ and ‘Cartographic’ categories. On display are the early cartograms produced with vegetable dye on cotton and the ones in woodcuts, copper engravings with colour or watercolour and ink on paper.
A pilgrimage map to Nathdwara temple are among the exhibits at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
Kalakriti founder Prashant Lahoti collected the unusual treasure of India maps. The brightly-coloured maps present the world in many fashions: some in sync with Jain philosophy where the earth is divided into regions of the Gods, mortals and the cursed; the pilgrimage maps, on the other hand, chart out panoramic routes to Badrinath in the Himalayas or Shatrunjaya in Gujarat.
“The exhibition displays move from the symbolic to the political, and there is a dichotomy in the first, the middle and the last few,” said executive curator Vivek Nanda, who is a town planner and whose current projects include the Mumbai-Delhi corridor. “The early part of the exhibition represents a world of meaning, while the political ones are a world of order. They depict coastal towns and sea ports, which were important trading indicators.” Also on show are the first Dutch map of the subcontinent and the Middle East, and the first map of India as a single entity, made in 1822, for the directors of the English East India Company.
The first Dutch map of the subcontinent and the Middle East done in 1596.
Arts and Medicine
The famed biennale programme, in its 43rd episode on the General Hospital premises on Wednesday, saw Kochiite Charles Antony crooning songs in at least 10 languages, including Italian, English, African, Sinhala and Japanese, as he played the guitar and the mouth organ. Mr. Antony had sung a Spanish song alongside Diego Maradona during his visit to Kerala in 2012. His 80-minute performance began with Jim Reeves’ ‘Welcome to my World’. Mehboob Memorial Orchestra provided accompaniment.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / Kochi – December 18th, 2014
Various organisations, including Citizens for Sustainable Alternatives, Tree Walk and the Attakulangara School Samrakshana Samiti, have demanded that the Attakulangara school and Chala market be declared as Unesco heritage sites.
“The Attakulangara school was started more than 134 years ago and it has a long traditional relevance in history. It has trained many eminent personalities,” said veteran journalist B.R.P. Bhaskar, addressing a press conference here on Monday.
Though the Centre had declared similar initiatives for several schools of repute, there was no positive response from the State government even after filing many petitions on behalf of the Attakulangara school.
As for the Chala market, the Trivandrum Development Authority (TRIDA) had announced plans to transform the area into a shopping mall. This conversion of Chala would not benefit the traders in any manner, who were asking for a proper drainage system, waste disposal, fire safety measures, good bus stops and parking spaces, the organisations said.
Minister, VS petitioned
A petition containing 3,000 signatures had been handed over to Cultural Affairs Minister K.C Joseph and Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan earlier this month, they said, adding that the Director of Archaeology had been requested to study the entire Fort area along with the Arts and Heritage Commission so as to declare it as a heritage zone.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by A Correspondent / Thiruvananthapuram – December 06th, 2014
Remains of the old fort at Manjaly near Kochi / The Hindu
You might not spot it between a cluster of newly constructed houses and thick, wild shrubbery. Only a part of what was once a strategic fort now remains visible. There are no protection measures or notifications. The craggy ruins, the last of a historic fort, stands set to irreparable damage.
Manjaly on the Athani-North Paravur road, on the banks of the Periyar, was once a flourishing trade centre. Till recently, till the bridge that connected it to the mainland was constructed, Manjaly remained largely cut off. The main road forks away at Manjaly junction. A narrow, tarred road bends and climbs up a gentle steep. This was the path that once led to the famous Manjaly market and now the one that leads to the Latin Catholic Church and the mosque. It is on this road, on the top of the steep, that the remains of the fort stand.
“The first time I came across this fort was in 2001. Then it was not all this bad. The whole structure could be seen, there were no houses around, and one could climb up and see the place. It resembled the Palippuram Fort, built in typical Portuguese architectural style. There was a big room and two ante-rooms. What stood out was a tall tower, this must have also served as a flagstaff. The walls had holes where canons must have been placed. Three years later, when I visited this site, the dilapidation had begun. A couple of houses had sprouted near by, the walls were damaged, plants and roots had come up. I tried bringing it to the attention of people concerned but nothing seems to have happened,” informs Varghese Angamaly, a retired bank manager and local historian.
Research reveals that this fort must be the one mentioned in V. Nagam Aiya’s Travancore State Manual(TSM) Volume I. In the chapter on Archaeology where a list of forts in Travancore are recorded there is a mention of Parasuraman Kotta (fort). TSM states in detail that this fort was located in Alangad Taluk, as property of the Aiyrur Swarupam, on the banks of the Periyar. The manual gives measurements and architectural specifications that match the ruined one at Manjaly. “TSM records that the fort was built of laterite stone and chunnambu (limestone) and divided into two parts one 53×14 and the other 27×22 feet in width and nine feet in height and built on a hillock. The walls were built with a thickness of five feet. The Manjaly fort fits these specifications to a T,” avers Varghese.
Some of the elders at Manjaly recall how this fort was visible from the banks of the river, a tributary of Periyar, that flows close by. In fact, they say that this was a landmark, though no one really thought of protecting it. The woodwork, the rafters are all gone, and the fort has now turned into a sort of compound wall for some of the newly built houses. They also talk of a tunnel from the fort that led to the ferry where huge laterite blocks in the water shut, what they believe, the opening of one end of the tunnel.
The fort was used as a storage place for essential commodities, firearms and gun powder. “Trade, as we know, was what brought all the foreign powers to our State. Conflicts and war were a natural outcome. Being placed ideally along the important water route, Manjaly was a very important trade centre. Sometime in the 1700s Travancore annexed Alangad Taluk, of which Manjaly formed a part, from Cochin, because of its importance in trade, especially pepper, tobacco, and salt. In 1801 Velu Thampi Dalawa established a market here. He did this to end the Thachil Mathu Tharakan’s monopoly over trade. Dalawa must also have used this fort. The market extended to the ferry, almost a kilometre long. Later, communal clashes forced the shifting of this market to Paravur.”
This shifting of the market dealt a death knell to the importance of Manjaly. “There are many historical records that show that Manjaly soon became a den of anti-socials, there were regular conflicts, sometime flaring up into communal clashes. For long Manjaly bore this reputation. This fort, a structure that dates back to 1503, the same time as some of the other forts in and around Kochi, was left to rot.”
Today, the ruins stand as a metaphor of what Manjaly once was. The remains are a reminder of history of this place where every power wanted to stake a claim. There is so much more to glean from a thorough exploration of the fort, which has perhaps never been done. Close to the Muziris project, the archaeological department can at least make a preliminary survey of this fort and preserve what remains of it before it goes to seed.
And who knows what historical treasures lie wrapped inside the layers of mud piled up in the fort.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features > MetroPlus> Society / by K. Pradeep / December 12th, 2014
On the occasion of observing 93rd anniversary of Wagon Tragedy, the darkest chapter of Malabar rebellion during British period on Thursday, a village near Tirur commemorates 40 people hailing from the village, who were killed in the tragedy.
A total of 70 among the 90 odd Mappila rebels who were taken in an air-tight goods wagon from Tirur to Podanur were killed on November 20, 1921. The prisoners were taken into custody when the rebellion was in peak and almost 80 detained rebels were despatched in freight wagon from Tirur to Podanur in Tamilnadu. During the journey about 60 of the rebels suffocated to death in wagon.
It is believed that among the 41 persons from Kuruvambalam who were victims of the tragedy, majority were bachelors who left behind no progeny. “Even the historians and local people were not much aware of the role of the Kruvambalam people in the incident till couple of years ago. According to the elders in the village the youngsters here had played a major role in the struggle against the British during the rebellion and more studies have to be conducted to shed light on the contribution of tragedy victims”, said Salim Kuruvambalam, Malappuram district panachayat member, who took initiative for setting up a memorial for the Wagon Tragedy victims at Kuruvamabalam. The district panchayat president Zuhara Mampad will inaugurate the comemmoration programmes in the village.Historians will also attend the programme.
Talking about role of Kuruvambalam persons in the tragedy, the historian KKN Kurupp said that government should conduct a comprehensive study on the victims of Wagon tragedy and other related incidents of Malabar rebellion. ” As there was no such study held so far the state government should initiate action to start a detailed historical and cultural study on the various incidents during the rebellion period. We are going to observe 100th anniversaty of the rebellion in 2021. But still we have no clear data or official document regarding the incidents and the details of the persons who were killed in Wagon tragedy”, he pointed out.
The historian and scholar M Gangadharan has recently opined that the Wagon tragedy was not a cruellest act of the British oppression during the Malabar rebellion, as about 200 Mappila youngsters pulled out of their house and they were killed infront of their family in October of the same year.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kochi / by T. P. Nijeesh, TNN / November 20th, 2014
“Patre nosso que estais Ceus, santificado seja ta nome; venha a nos o ta reino, seja feita a ta vontade…” (Our father in heaven, holy be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done …). The voices of elderly members of Nossa Senhora de Esperanca (Our Lady of Hope) ring aloud as the procession comes out from the church. The youngsters, dressed in their fashionable best, walk beside them, struggling to pronounce the Portuguese prayer.
For generations, the Anglo-Indian community has kept alive the traditions of their Portuguese forefathers. They faithfully adhere to the rituals of ‘thocha’ (the carrying of ornamental long silver candle sticks) and ‘cyrial’ (ornamental silver cross) wearing the ‘opa’ and ‘moosha’ (a long white cloak like garment and a brightly coloured collar or bib worn over it) while taking out the procession reciting the rosary in Portuguese.
These are one of the many dying rituals practiced solely at the church by 52 families who are members of the Anglo-Indian community in Vypeen. The dependents of Europeans are planning to record these prayers and hymns in Portuguese and Latin used in the church for posterity, led by the Anglo-Indian Association of Vypeen.
“Even if the young generation does not follow these rituals, these records will help to keep them aware of their cultural heritage,” said Lester Concesso, president of the association. “I have two little girls. It is important that they know what we’ve been practicing for centuries. We will explain the rituals, their relevance and how to practice them. We are the custodians of our culture and it is our responsibility for the future generations,” he added.
The community elders are not sure whether the new generation would practice these rituals and traditions. “I am the last survivor of my generation. These rituals were passed down by our forefathers. We cannot merely rely on an oral narrative as a means of passing on our traditions. So, we have decided to document hymns and prayers in Portuguese and Latin used in the church,” said 93-year-old Winnie D’Souza, a patriarch of the community.
The migration of community members and their assimilation into mainstream society are the main reasons why the younger generation have moved away from traditions. Anglo-Indians of Vypeen are no longer in the majority in the parish, leading the curtailment of their English services and festival masses. A festival which went on for a whole week is now limited to just three days.
Eric Hendricks, a youth familiar with the Portuguese traditions, says that each ritual and rite are intricate. “Many youngsters do not know rituals as simple as genuflecting (kneeling and bowing at the same time) at the altar before carrying the ‘thocha’ or that the bell has to be rung thrice while they pray the ‘devata’ (a ritual practiced during lent),” he says.
The lack of clergy, who are aware of these rituals and practices, has also hit the community hard. According to Anglo-Indian MP Charles Dias, unlike the Jews of Kochi, whose culture has been well documented by scholars, there have been hardly any initiative to document or preserve the practices and rites of Anglo-Indians.
“The Indo-Portuguese Cultural Centre and the Bishop’s House in Fort Kochi have taken initiative to teach Portuguese to those interested,” he said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kochi / TNN / November 18th, 2014
