Category Archives: Historical Links, Pre-Independence

When a duo punched above their weight

The match between Sita Bai of Tanjore and Kamala Bai of Malabar saw enthusiastic crowds but also led to controversy. / The Hindu Archives
The match between Sita Bai of Tanjore and Kamala Bai of Malabar saw enthusiastic crowds but also led to controversy. / The Hindu Archives

The 1st all-woman boxing bout lasted only 3 rounds but ignited a fiery debate

Sunday was a fine day for Indian women’s boxing at the 17th Asian Games in Incheon. Olympic bronze-medallist M. C. Mary Kom, L. Sarita Devi and Pooja Rani entered the semi-finals, assuring medals for the nation. However, it was right here, in Madras city, that the first punches in women’s boxing in the country were thrown.

It was Saturday, the 15th of March, 1931, when two Indian women stepped into the ring for a bout of professional boxing at the famous White City Carnival held in the city. Looking fierce in knee-length shorts, sleeveless jerseys and gloved fists, the women appeared every bit combat-ready. Kamala Bai of Malabar and Sita Bai of Tanjore were trained boxers, touted to be in good form. Singapore’s English daily The Straits Times reported that this was arguably a first for India.

Visibly excited, The Hindu published an article five days prior to the event urging its readers to brace themselves to witness for the first time two ‘Indian ladies’ meeting in the boxing arena — until now the most exclusive preserve of men.

Large crowds, including a number of Europeans, assembled to watch history in the making. While the first two rounds saw the boxers on the defensive, the third round saw them packing a punch, exchanging double jabs, hard rights, hooks, and uppercuts. Disappointingly, by round three, the session drew to a close with referee V.E.J Brackstone of Messrs. Parry and Company declaring it a draw.

Despite their underwhelming performance, both Kamala Bai and Sita Bai stayed in the news — even making international headlines for days to come.

‘Shocked and pained’

The fact that two Hindu women dared to ‘invade’ the boxing ring also left many Indian men and women ‘shocked and pained’. Florida’s The Evening Independent published a report on March 16, 1931 titled ‘Women Boxers arouse India’. The story stated that ‘feminine India was up in arms’ with the female boxers facing ‘social ostracism and disgrace,’ having engaged in a boxing match in Madras.

For a country that had for centuries relegated their women to rigid domesticity, ‘ladies boxing’ became particularly hard to digest.

Mahatma Gandhi for instance found this to be especially problematic. He was quoted in Pennsylvania’sReading Eagle as saying women boxing was ‘degrading, disreputable and totally unbecoming of the finer instincts of Indian womanhood.’

Today, as the country celebrates the laurels of our women boxers, it seems only appropriate to pause and acknowledge the spirit of Kamala Bai and Sita Bai. For if not for them, we as a nation may have not dared to imagine the likes Mary Kom, L Sarita Devi and Pooja Rani fighting the good fight.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Nitya Menon / Chennai – September 30th, 2014

British guilty of many acts worse than Wagon Tragedy: historian

The British resorted to many crueller acts during the Malabar Rebellion of 1921 than the Wagon Tragedy and it was because of the martial law clamped in Malabar that the world did not know about them, historian M. Gangadharan has said.

Delivering the keynote address at a seminar on Wagon Tragedy at Tirur on Tuesday, Dr. Gangadharan said the tragedy was not the cruellest act of British oppression during the Malabar Rebellion.

“We used to believe that the Wagon Tragedy, in which 67 of the 90-odd Mapilas packed in a goods wagon from Tirur to Podanur suffocated to death, was the worst and cruellest incident of the Malabar Rebellion. But it was not,” Dr. Gangadharan told a packed audience.

He argued that the world learned about the Wagon Tragedy as there was no martial law in Podanur and, therefore, the incident was reported by major newspapers of the world.

“The dastardly act of the British came to light when the goods wagon was opened at Podanur. Had it occurred anywhere in Malabar, where the martial law prevented publishing of sensitive information, it would have gone unreported,” he said.

Dr. Gangadharan said that as many as 215 Mapila youngsters were pulled out of their homes and massacred in front of their families. “It happened on October 25, 1921. The Wagon Tragedy wasn’t as cruel as the killing of those adult Mapilas in front of their family,” Dr. Gangadharan said.

MES Central School, Tirur, organised the seminar as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of the Muslim Educational Society.

source:  http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Kerala / by Staff Reporter / Mallapuram  – October 01st, 2014

House Donated by Freedom Fighter Left in Lurch

Palakkad :

While cleaning programmes mark the observance of the Gandhi Jayanthi across the country, the house and property donated by Gandhiji’s fellow freedom fighter Raghava Poduval in Paruthipra near Shoranur to Sarvodya Sangham stand in utter neglect.The house is located in the three acres of land on the banks of the Nila. The property was donated by Shoranur Parathipra Mahadevamangalam Neduvilpat Raghava Poduval alias Raghavji to the Sarvodaya Sangham before his death in December 1992.

Raghavji was one among the 78 persons  participated in the Dandi Yathra led by Mahathma Gandhi. “When we were children, we used to purchase gingelly oil from the mill set up here. Soap, honey and khadi clothes were also made at Raghavji’s house. Weaving classes were alsoconducted here,” said social activist Prasad Shoranur.  “After India attained Independence, Gandhiji exhorted all freedom fighters to return to their villages and continue their work. And Raghavji returned to Parathipra near Shoranur and continued his selfless service here,” he said.

Manager of the building Vanaja said that most of the buildings were in a dilapidated condition. “Only a few buildings here are safe.

“ We collect clothes, honey and oil from the various Sarvodsaya Sanghams now and keep it in this building. During this Onam, we clocked a sale of `2,40,000,” said Vanaja. “We are not getting any other funds for maintenance,” she adds.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by A. Satish / October 12th, 2014

The CUISINE connection

chat Essie Sassoon’s book on the food of Cochini Jews, Spice and Kosher, is a rare amalgamation of the histories and tastes of Israel and Kerala

EssieSassoonKERALA16sept2014

Essie Sassoon remembers her early Sabbaths as a child in Kochi’s Jew Town. The women of Mattancherry’s Jewish community spent the day before Sabbath making hamin , a rice and chicken dish with carrots and tomatoes. “Each family would make their pot of hamin and take it to our puthen veedu (Sassoon Hall, now David Hall) where there was a large porna (oven), in which the hamin would be stored for 24 hours,” she says. On Sabbath day, when fires are forbidden to be lit, the hamin made for their sumptuous lunch. Memories such as these, pepper the pages of Essie’s book on the unique cuisine and customs of the Cochini Jews — Spice and Kosher .

Kosher, Essie explains, is food that abides by the boundary of Jewish laws. Important among them are the complete separation of meat and dairy products in both cleaning and cooking, and the ritual slaughter of animals for meat. “Since Kosher meat was available to us only when it came from Mumbai, Cochini Jews had a largely vegetarian or fish-based diet.”

Jewish cuisine here also varies from traditional fare in that it had appropriated into its everyday the many spices of Kerala. “We use cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, saffron, and even garam masalain our cooking.” Thus, the 200-odd recipes in Essie’s book, co-authored with Bala Menon and Kenny Salem, trace this unusual amalgamation of Kerala and Israel through history, stories and recipes.

Israel has been home to Essie from 1973. As a 33-year-old gynaecologist, trained in Thiruvananthapuram and Chennai, Essie was practising in Kozhikode, when she was moved to volunteer her services to the Yom Kippur War. “My sister was in Israel then. Those were tough days and I knew the hospitals there needed help. So I went, convinced that I would return soon,” says Essie. Her half-year sabbatical from Kozhikode was spent working with a French doctor at Tel HaShomer Hospital. “He knew no English; I knew no French, but we managed! I also had to learn to speak Hebrew, because till then, I’d only said Hebrew prayers,” she recalls. Later, Essie shifted to a hospital in Ashkelon, a city in southern Israel. After almost four decades of service there, she retired in 2011. Soon after, her friend from Kochi, Kenny, visited her from Canada with journalist Bala requesting she document her history. Thus was born Spice and Kosher .

“I’ve always loved cooking!” says Essie. “I come to Kerala every two years and take spices back with me, always. In Israel too, the Cochini Jewish community cooks like we used to here.” In the city now for her month-long visit, Essie says Spice and Kosher is organised according to the various Jewish festivals and the foods associated with them — from Rosh Hashanah (Jewish new year) and Day of Atonement, to the Feast of Tabernacles, Simhath Torah, Purim, Hanukkah (Festival of Lights), and the Passover. The Passover, for instance, is marked by food that has not been fermented, made in special utensils designated for it. “So we make unleavened bread, called matzah , for which the men used to knead the dough, while the women opened it out and baked it,” says Essie. It was a community affair with much hymn-singing while the bread baked over an oven of coconut shells.

On the 14th day of the Passover, called Seder, the community makes a thick jam-like syrup garnished with walnuts called charoset . Essie’s book holds the instructions for Cochin charoset , a special two-day long recipe by her sister Rachel Roby. Daily cooking at Jewish homes here involves the staplekadathala pastel — a rice flour wrapping stuffed with egg, potatoes and mint leaves — served with a fenugreek ( uluva ) dip. Another regular is the yayin wine, homemade with boiled raisins soaked in sugar and turned for a month until fermented right. Special occasions such as weddings and anniversaries called for a traditional Malabari biriyani, often prepared by an invited Muslim chef, informs the book. “Back in Benyamina, in Israel, my sister still makes this biriyani for over a hundred people,” says Essie.

Spice and Kosher combines the culinary wisdom of over 30 members from the Cochini Jewish community, many of whom are now back in Israel. While Essie sought out these recipes and anecdotes from 2011 onward, it was Bala and Kenny who ordered and framed it into a book. With the book now complete, Essie spends her days at her Pilates class, as well as with her folk dancing group every Sunday with her Israeli friends, just as she has for the last 20 years.

Spice and Kosher was published by Tamarind Trees Books earlier this year, and can be bought from online retailers.

ESTHER ELIAS

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Esther Elias / December 14th, 2013

HIDDEN HISTORIES – Memories of a prince and a gentleman

The group photograph showing the Rajapramukh Sri Chithira Thirunal Bala Rama Varma sitting at his mother’s feet; Col. Goda Varma Raja is also sitting on the carpet (extreme left).
The group photograph showing the Rajapramukh Sri Chithira Thirunal Bala Rama Varma sitting at his mother’s feet; Col. Goda Varma Raja is also sitting on the carpet (extreme left).

Do memories fade away with age? “No,” says the nonagenarian K. Sankaran Nair, who was born in 1924. Soon after Sankaran Nair completed his studies in 1944, he joined as a demonstrator in the Department of Physics in University College, Thiruvananthapuram. It was then that he joined as an officer in the University Officers’ Training Corps and the National Cadet Corps. In May 1953, he was detailed to undergo a refresher-training course in the NCC at the Madras Regimental Centre (MRC) at Wellington, the Nilgiris. “My colleague Lt. Viswanathan Nair was the only other NCC officer from [erstwhile] Travancore. However, we formed part of a contingent of about 15 NCC officers from different colleges of South India such as Mysore and the former Madras Province. We were attached to the MRC and was accommodated at the Officer’s Mess there,” Nair recalls.

K. Sankaran Nair / The Hindu
K. Sankaran Nair / The Hindu

Sri Chithira Thirunal, the then Rajapramukh of Travancore-Cochin, was an honorary Colonel of the Madras Regiment. In May, the royal family of Travancore was staying in the Nilgiris for their summer sojourn and they were invited to a lunch at the Officers’ Mess. Lt. Viswanathan Nair and Sankaran Nair were quite excited about the occasion. When the Rajapramukh arrived, the officers were introduced to the chief guest. “We were introduced, one by one to the Rajapramukh. Astonishingly, the Rajapramukh immediately recognised the officers from Travancore. He greeted us with the remark, ‘Oh, you are both here!’’’’ recalls Nair.

Next came a photography session with the royal guests. But when the guests assembled before the camera, they realised that the number of chairs arranged was inadequate to accommodate the senior officers and women who were present. People rushed in different directions to get more chairs. As the uneasy situation got prolonged, the Rajapramukh waited for a few moments with a faint smile. Then, in his clear ringing voice, he called out, ‘Col. Syed! I suggest that we gentlemen sit on the ground and allow the ladies occupy the chairs.’ Before anyone could apologise or make alternate suggestions, the Rajapramukh seated himself on the red carpet. Within two minutes, the senior officers were all sitting on the floor, cross-legged, on either side of the Rajapramukh.

The Wellington station photographer captured that memorable moment. The Rajapramukh was literally sitting at the feet of his mother, Maharani Sethu Parvathy Bayi. At one end of the row, seated on the ground, with his constant companion the ‘Rollei Flex’ camera beside him, was Col. Goda Varma Raja.

For the past 60 years, Sankaran Nair has treasured this valuable photograph. “I occupy a very insignificant corner in the photograph, yet I am in the company of three of the most influential personalities associated with Travancore history,” says Sankaran Nair.

(This write-up is based on an interview with K. Sankaran Nair, former professor of Physics)

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Friday Review > History & Culture / Sharat Sunder Rajeev / Thiruvananthapuram – August 29th, 2014

Old Railway Station Assured of Heritage Monument Status

Kochi :

Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda has assured K V Thomas MP that the old railway station in Ernakulam will be protected as a  heritage monument. The Union Minister communicated this to the MP at a meeting held to discuss the matters related to railway development in Ernakulam.

The MP, in a memorandum submitted to the Minister, demanded introduction of MEMU trains on Alappuzha, Kottayam, Thrissur routes during peak hours. He also demanded a train from Ernakulam to Thiruvananthapuram at 5.30 pm and 11.30 pm. The MP’s demands include, electrification of Ernakulam-Cochin Harbour Terminus, an automatic coach washing machine at Ernakulam Junction and a train to Madhura.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Express News Service / August 29th, 2014

An array of rare charkas on display

overnor Sheila Dikshit takes a look at the exhibits at the Charka museum after inaugurating it in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar / The Hindu
overnor Sheila Dikshit takes a look at the exhibits at the Charka museum after inaugurating it in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar / The Hindu

Charka museum at Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi

When Kerala Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi planned to set up a charka museum, one of the challenges was to locate and collect enough exhibits. Though it had some of the earlier wooden charkas and the more recent spindle charkas, those were not enough to start a museum.

For the past few months, the Smaraka Nidhi volunteers have been travelling around the State and outside, visiting the homes of freedom fighters and other old-timers. In Kanyakumari, they met R.K. Sunder, a veteran Sarvodaya worker.

“He had a Kisaan charka, one of the earliest forms of the charka, made of wood. Despite its antique value, he did not take any money from us. He just wanted it to be useful to more people and he thinks here in this museum, future generations can learn about how it all started from this charka,” says K.G. Jagadeesan, secretary of the Kerala Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi.

The Kisaan charka now sits inside the Charka museum, a small building inside the Smaraka Nidhi compound at Thycaud, which was inaugurated by Kerala Governor Sheila Dikshit on Wednesday. Beside it sits a ‘Petty charka,’ which, as the name signifies, is a miniature charka inside an open ‘petty’ (box), which can be carried around easily.

“These charkas can be operated even when one is speaking or sitting in a meeting. Even now during the meetings of Gandhians and Sarvodaya workers, you can see old-timers spinning the wheels, to make maximum use of the time,” says a volunteer here.

Also at the exhibition are allied instruments such as ‘otni,’ used for removing the cotton seed and ‘Balni,’ used to thread the cotton.

The modern spindle charkas, which are still used in production centres of the Smaraka Nidhi, are exhibited too. Operating it is sheer drudgery and the pay is less too.

“Three of us are involved in the charka work at Smaraka Nidhi’s centre in Thozhukkal in Neyyattinkara. We make around 15 sets of thread per day and for each of those we get paid around Rs.4. I have been working on this for the past 18 years,” says Leela.

The Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi is now banking on the renewed interest in khadi clothes among the younger generation.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities / by S. R Praveen / Thursday – August 14th, 2014

Tenets of an ancient science

Exhibits at the stall of Department of Kaumarabhrithya (Paediatrics) at the Ashtanga Ayurveda Expo 2014 organised as part of the 125th anniversary celebrations of the Government Ayurveda College in Thiruvananthapuram Photo: S. Mahinsha / The Hindu
Exhibits at the stall of Department of Kaumarabhrithya (Paediatrics) at the Ashtanga Ayurveda Expo 2014 organised as part of the 125th anniversary celebrations of the Government Ayurveda College in Thiruvananthapuram Photo: S. Mahinsha / The Hindu

Explore the world of Ayurveda at an exhibition on the premises of Government Ayurveda College

It is a journey through facets of wellness and good health that is practised and advocated by an ancient system of treatment. ‘Ashtanga Ayurveda Expo 2014’, a mega exhibition currently on at Government Ayurveda College to mark the 125th anniversary celebrations of the college, gives a wealth of information about this indigenous system of healing. From baby food and kits for the new born, the exhibition is a delightful discovery of methods and medicines that were once used by our ancestors to take care of their health and well-being.

“Each of the 14 departments of the college has set up separate stalls, explaining their area of study and work,” says Jayan Damodaran, associate professor and an office-bearer of the expo.

Through charts, models and posters, a stall put up by the Department of Prasoothitantra and Sthreeroga (Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology) has explained various aspects related to pregnancy and child birth, breast-feeding techniques and so on.

Exhibits at the stall of Department of Agadatantra Vyavaharaayurveda and Vidhivaidyaka (Forensic Science, Toxicology and Dermatology) at Ashtanga Ayurveda Expo 2014 organised as part of the 125th anniversary celebrations of the Government Ayurveda College in Thiruvananthapuram. Photo: Athira M.
Exhibits at the stall of Department of Agadatantra Vyavaharaayurveda and Vidhivaidyaka (Forensic Science, Toxicology and Dermatology) at Ashtanga Ayurveda Expo 2014 organised as part of the 125th anniversary celebrations of the Government Ayurveda College in Thiruvananthapuram. Photo: Athira M.

A highlight of the stall is a model of Soothikagaram or a separate house constructed for a pregnant woman for delivery and post-pregnancy care during the seventh century BC. “This house used to be constructed when the woman was in her ninth month of pregnancy. She would stay there till her delivery,” says Dr. Prajitha.

Department of Kaumarabhrithya (Paediatrics) has showcased different aspects related to child care, including baby food, home remedies, and toys for different stages of growth.

Exhibits at the stall of Department of Rasa Sastra and Baishajya Kalpana (Pharmacy and Pharmaceutics) at the Ashtanga Ayurveda Expo 2014 organised as part of the 125th anniversary celebrations of the Government Ayurveda College in Thiruvananthapuram. Photo: Athira M. / The Hindu
Exhibits at the stall of Department of Rasa Sastra and Baishajya Kalpana (Pharmacy and Pharmaceutics) at the Ashtanga Ayurveda Expo 2014 organised as part of the 125th anniversary celebrations of the Government Ayurveda College in Thiruvananthapuram. Photo: Athira M. / The Hindu

An Ayurveda baby care kit has skin powder, massage oil, kaajal, and medicinal drops, all of which have been manufactured in the department. At a separate counter, visitors get to know and taste nutritious food for infants. No more tinned stuff for your little one. Check out Sriratna Modaka (made of dates, banana, ghee, honey and cardamom), mango syrup, sandal syrup, tulsi halwa, date syrup, cucumber halwa, healthy cutlets and soups. Recipes are happily shared with curious parents who want their little one to have organic food.

If you thought Ayurveda was all about herbs and plants with medicinal values, think again. The college has an open snake park under its Department of Agadatantra Vyavaharaayurveda and Vidhivaidyaka (Forensic Science, Toxicology and Dermatology) on its campus at Poojappura. The department has showcased specimens of poisonous and non-poisonous reptiles, besides giving exhaustive information about the kind of toxic substances found in households and toxic minerals and plants which also has medicinal properties. There is even a stall on forensic science.

Department of Salyatantra (Surgery and Orthopaedic) has arranged video documentation of successful stories of marma treatment, and exhibited ancient surgical instruments, bandage techniques and suturing methods.

While Department of Shalakya Tantra (ENT and Ophthalmology) has focussed on dealing with refractive errors, Department of Panchakarma tells about various treatment modalities along with pre and post operatory regiments for various diseases.

Department of Sanskritha Sidhantha and Samhitha, besides explaining the basic tenets of Ayurveda, has also stocked its various publications, some of which are rare books and palm leaf manuscripts.

Department of Swasthavritha (Social and Preventive Medicine) stresses on the Ayurveda nutrition and dietetics, with reference to various seasonal changes. A naturopathy food counter has also been put up by the students, where visitors get information on carrot tea, beetroot sweet and various other naturopathic food items.

Department of Kayachikitsa (General medicine) has set up the model of a ‘Rasayana griham’, that is a house where the patient would stay for months taking treatment, cut out from the outside world.

Ancient utensils used to make medicines exhibited at the stall of Department of Rasa Sastra and Baishajya Kalpana (Pharmacy and Pharmaceutics) at the Ashtanga Ayurveda Expo 2014 organised as part of the 125th anniversary celebrations of the Government Ayurveda College in Thiruvananthapuram Photo: Athira M. / The Hindu
Ancient utensils used to make medicines exhibited at the stall of Department of Rasa Sastra and Baishajya Kalpana (Pharmacy and Pharmaceutics) at the Ashtanga Ayurveda Expo 2014 organised as part of the 125th anniversary celebrations of the Government Ayurveda College in Thiruvananthapuram Photo: Athira M. / The Hindu

The stall of Department of Rasa Sastra and Baishajya Kalpana (Pharmacy and Pharmaceutics) stands out from the rest in that the department has traced the evolution of the medicine with matching interiors. Ancient utensils in which the medicines were prepared, which include a century-old huge vessel handed over by the royal family of erstwhile Travancore when the hospital was opened, different steps of preparing medicines, fermentation process and other activities of the department have been showcased.

The expo ends on August 12. Time: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by  Athira M. / Thiruvananthapuram – August 07th, 2014

Kerala 100 years ago, reloaded and gone viral

Kozhikode Railway Station in 1908 and (right) goods being transported using country boats. Photos by Clain & Paul studio, Madras.
Kozhikode Railway Station in 1908 and (right) goods being transported using country boats. Photos by Clain & Paul studio, Madras.

Kochi:

Ever wonder how Keralites lived 100 years ago? Photographs of the lifestyle, attire, schools and  hospitals in Kerala taken by a studio in Chennai and shared by Southern California University, USA, describing Kerala’s day-to-day life 100 years ago have  surfaced on internet. Seventy-eight  photos providing  glimpses into  Kerala culture are  going viral on the social media with several persons sharing them, including Thiruvananthapuram MP Sashi Tharoor.

The pictures were shot by unidentified  photographers who worked for Clain & Paul studio, Madras. Most of the pictures belong to the Basel Mission.  There are photographs of Brahmin, Muslim, Nair and Christian families. The oldest photo is of the Mananchira Trade House and the manmade lake taken in 1850.

The photos of Lighthouse, Calicut, Chirakkal mosque, Kannur, Tali temple, Kozhikode, Indian Mission Station, Vaaniyamkulam, dated 1888, Thalassery Mission School 1911, a Christian Church in 1913, the Mananchira manmade lake  and the trade house  throw light into the ancient history as well as the culture of Kerala. Most of them were shot in the Malabar region, especially Kozhikode and Malappuram. Some pictures focused on the education sector showing Sunday school, women learning English and Christianity.

After Tharoor shared these  pictures, Chandrashekar Sivarama, a Facebook user posted, “It’s sad you have to get this info from a foreign university. Let’s start a movement to get these pictures from these foreign universities. We expect Mr. Tharoor to lead this cause.”

The album also shows the pictures of working class society. Men are seen engaged in hard labour while women are seen in household works and in tile factories. Many more interesting photos  are available in the digital library of Southern California University.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC / Rohit Raj / July 27th, 2014

MELANGE: HIDDEN HISTORIES History astride a bridge

IN BETWEEN The history-laden Calvetti Bridge is in dire need of repair /  Photo: Thulasi Kakkat / The Hindu
IN BETWEEN The history-laden Calvetti Bridge is in dire need of repair / Photo: Thulasi Kakkat / The Hindu

The Calvetti Bridge can easily go unnoticed. It is not an architectural marvel, just a narrow, barely 14 or 15 metres long, rundown bridge over a stagnant waterway. But then this bridge is the most famous, the most strategic, among the five bridges that once connected British Kochi to the State or the native state.

On the bridge, a mingling of the stench from the torpid canal, the aroma of spices wafting in from the bazaar, and the distinct smell of the backwaters hits you. A lone country craft lies anchored close to the canal wall. This bridge, across the Calvetti canal, separated Fort Kochi, once under British control and native state directly under the Maharaja of Cochin. Till as recently as the late 1970s all the products of the region – spices, rice bamboo, vegetables and fruits – arrived by country boats to the many godowns or warehouses located close to the canal. The canal, bridge, the whole Calvetti area was abuzz with activity.

In the past huge boats and barges reached the busy harbour that was located at one end of Calvetti. The crowded streets throbbed with life as merchants loaded their wares on to the waiting boats. Trade flourished and there was a long line of trading houses, belonging to the British East India Company, which dotted these streets. This waterway that flowed under the bridge, was the link to the distant lands across the seas.

Calvetti has been spelt differently by various historians and many also differ on the meaning and origin of the name . So we have this place referred to as Calvathy, Kalvathy, Calvetty in various books and publications. “It is believed that Calvetti came from the Arab word Havat, which means open or vacant space. History records the advent of the early Moplahs to Cochin. They found an open space to build a mosque and gradually they inhabited this area which gradually took the name Calvetti,” says M.A. Aboobacker, Retd. Deputy Development Commissioner and Director (Retd.) Kudumbasree, Central Region.

The Madras Manual of Administration interprets the word Calvetti to mean stone cutter. But V.K. Raman Menon, who has supplied an exhaustive note on this subject, writes that the name means hangman’s canal or island from the Malayalam word kazhu ettuka or impale. In fact, impalement, not hanging, was the ancient mode of execution. And executions took place close to the Calvetti Canal. (Ref. Travels in India by Jean Baptiste Tavernier).

“I remember that a canal too existed here for the boats that passed through the Calvetti Canal. And this was there till the 70s. I have heard that permits were required for people to cross the bridge to go to British Cochin. The State area, the present Mattancherry, was crowded. There were thatched houses, godowns and a busy market. Living conditions on this side of the bridge were terrible as mentioned in William Logan’s Malabar Manual. He writes about the ‘insanitary moplah quarter of Kalvetti.’ And this area was a standing menace to the health of the place with cholera and smallpox periodically ravaging the area . After the Great Fire of 1889 that destroyed godowns and the houses, a law prohibiting construction of thatched houses came into being,” informs Aboobacker.

History lurks at every corner of Calvetti, almost every building on either side of the bridge has tales that can fill up pages of Kochi history. The Fort Kochi branch of State Bank of India that has a history of over 100 years, the Calvetti Mosque, the trading company buildings, the first wharf, the Calvetti Bridge itself are historic places that dot this area.

“This was the place where Vasco Da Gama landed. The British side of the bridge had some top class shops that was usually frequented only by them. There was a hotel, built by the Dutch, active during the British rule, but stopped functioning after the housekeeper complained that he did not have funds to maintain it. There used to be flagstaff and a traveller’s bungalow. The Imperial Bank, trading companies, godowns, the busy canal, goods being brought in boats and barges, Calvetti was a fulcrum of trade and commerce,” says V.N. Venugopal, local historian.

The bank building, established in 1862 as the Bank of Madras, as a branch of one of their Presidency Banks, was Kerala’s first ever commercial bank. It later merged with the Imperial Bank of India in 1921 and in 1955 became State Bank of India. In his work Flashes of Kerala History, historian K.L. Bernard adds that the palatial bank building was earlier the Calvetti Palace. “There is an account of how Rani Gangadhara Lakshmi, the first and only woman ruler of the erstwhile Cochin State, who was watching a fierce battle against the Dutch being fought in front of the palace, was captured by Henrick Van Rheede (A Survey of Kerala History by A. Sreedhara Menon),” adds Venugopal.

K.J. Sohan, chairman, Town Planning Standing Committee, Corporation of Cochin, says that the Calvetti Bridge was and still is a link between two diverse worlds; different ‘socially, culturally, politically.’ He also recounts some interesting incidents. “These days when there are debates on prohibition, it is significant to note that after Mahatma Gandhi’s proclamation for prohibition the once British Cochin area implemented it to the letter. Toddy shops were picketed and shut down. There was total prohibition. On the other side of the Calvetti Bridge this was not in force. So those who wanted a swig or wanted toddy for their appams had to either go the other side, drink and return. There was always the risk of being accosted by the police on the Fort Kochi side. People also used to smuggle toddy across the bridge.”

There is this popular song by H. Mehaboob who never tired of singing about Kochi. It spoke of those days when trading companies flourished and sprouted at Calvetti.

“Pierce Leslie, Aspinwall, Volkhart, H&C, Madura Company, Bombay Company… ” Mehaboob lists most of them. He sings of the huge ships that came in and took away our rubber, coir, spices, tea and of the busy, crowded bazaars. All this is memory now. Most buildings in this area and the roads leading to the Calvetti Bridge are protected sites. But the historic bridge, in urgent need of repair, however does not come into this category. “The bridge certainly needs to be maintained. What we require are strong byelaws that will help such conservation initiatives. Perhaps even the State Bank of India can think of exhibiting the historic artefacts, like the ledgers that are now authoritative documents in Indian banking, antique weights and measures which they have in their possession. They will reveal so much about the history of Kochi,” feels Sohan.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Melange : Hidden Histories / by K. Pradeep / Kochi – August 01st, 2014