Retired college teacher has preserved his father’s diaries dating back to the 1930s

A diary written in ink, in the Malayalam of the 1930s, could be a bit difficult to read as many words are not in use now. However, for Poovathunkal K.J. Kurien, an 83-year-old retired college teacher, it is familiar terrain. He holds a collection of diaries written by his father Mathai Joseph from the age of 14 till his death in 2006 at the age of 107.

A printed diary of the 1930s, under the erstwhile Travancore kingdom, had a vastly different feel. Its initial pages had details of rules such as Nair Regulation Act, Ezhava Regulation Act, and Christian Regulation Acts, in addition to the charges of Anchal posts.

A diary printed by K.G. Parameswaran Pillai at Sri Rama Vilas Press, Kollam, has a black and white photo of the Travancore ruler and has Malayalam year and dates. Another one printed by K. Narayanan Vidyarambham Press, Mullackal, Alappuzha in 1951 is priced at ₹2.

Not just personal

Mr. Kurien has preserved the diaries at his ancestral house at Thudanganadu, near Muttom, in Idukki. When his father was bedridden, he had left a few pages of the diaries blank, in the hope of filling them later.

The diaries are not just personal accounts. They contain vivid portrayals of the social life of those times. Muttom was the earliest area of settlement in the low range of Idukki district. It was from here that people migrated to the the high ranges via Adimaly. The second route was through Kuttikanam to Upputhara.

Madambi link

Mr. Joseph’s connection to the then local ruler ‘Madambi’ at Ramapuram under the Travancore ruler is evident in the diaries. They have descriptions of the loans taken from the Madambi and repaid after the harvest season.

“Alappuzha was the main business centre then and the diaries have descriptions of his travel to Athirampuzha and Alappuzha in country boats via the Meenachil river,” says Mr. Kurien. Mr. Joseph had sold spices there and purchased rice from Alappuzha. He was instrumental in bringing many others to Thudanganadu and setting up a church and a school there. The diaries say that the first settlement in the district was on a hill as wild animals, including elephants, roamed the low-lying areas. His diaries unfold the stories of this settlement.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Gigi K Raman / Idukki – October 30th, 2019