THE VILLAGE OF KOTTAYAM IN TELICHERRY

 There is a village called KOTTAYAM in Telicherry which had a bazar in older times called Kottayam Bazar which was a nerve centre of the prosperous pepper trade that was carried out here few centuries ago.Today Kottayam bazar does not exist for all practical purposes but the mosque whose foundations were laid during these times still has its place.

The township of Kottayam was a crucial one because it had the residential palace of the king of Kolatunad as the larger expanse of this place was called and in the modern day called as the Pazhassi Rajah.The Mysore Sultans who had a sway over this place had to face resistance from the Pazhassi Rajah many times.The fort of Telicherry which housed the offices of the East India Company is just few kilometers from Kottayam.

Events of these times led to a power struggle between the East India Company and the Pazhassi Rajah  forcing the Rajah out of his palace in Kottayam into the jungles from where the organized Guerilla attacks on the Company over a vast territory comprising Cannanore and Wayanad.

The interesting aspect of Kottayam today is that there are many houses built many hundreds of years ago inter-woven with the modern ones.In these old houses that are seen here lived the various relatives of the Pazhassi Rajah.With the exit of the Rajah into the jungles his relatives sold these houses to islamic traders and settled within the confines of the Kingdom of Chirakkal ...like the house-hold of Kottayam Kadangot seen in Cherukunnu.

The unique aspect of Kottayam as of today is the palace of the Pazhassi Rajah..the large pond in front of his house...a descendant of the Rajah Gopalakrishnan who lives in the house  and most significantly  a large Shaivite temple on a territory as big as one foot ball field.

The village of Kottayam is few kilometers ahead of Kuthuparanbu and the exact name of the stop is KOTTAYAM_POYIL  and the temple and palace is some six kilometers from the mainstay.

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THEFT IN OUR VIJANAPURA HOUSE OF AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1972

 When me and my brother were children there was a less fortunate incident that plagued us and could have had bad consequences  but some how came to a logical end much earlier than expected.

Every year there used to be Onam celebrations within the ITI complex and on the said year even our family made our prescience. My mother made a mistake...she wore all her ornaments for the show. What we did not realize on our way back there was a thief Krishnan on our trail eager to understand the exact location of our house.

The next few days Krishnan has kept our house under surveillance and observed my mother used to take food for her children at school at around 12:30 and return by around 1:30.One of these days he decided to strike.

He did strike with clinical accuracy. A short and heavy metal rod that we used to use came handy for him. He broke open the door lock with the metal rod and scrambled within the house and found  the trunk under the cot and even broke open the lock and de-camped with the jewellery.

As providence would have it for some unknown reason my father left his work place and came home and was the first to see the mishap. My father was certain our house has been burgled. I don't know what went in his mind. He decided to inform my mother  who was on her way back home from School.

Me and my brother were too young to understand what was going around us.My father kept his calm and went to the house  of our relative O K Nambiar who used to live in Wilson Garden around this time.The son-in-law of O K Nambiar ,M Sankaranarayanan was an IAS officer and Nambiar had exquisite links with senior police officials of this time..more precisely Shri Biran Moideen who was DGP  and Shri. Nizamuddin IPS. My father met  Shri Biran Moideen in his house and he told my father not to be upset ...WE WILL CATCH THE THEIF.

I remember police official's would come to our house often  seeing if they could collect some evidence. My mother gave the drawings of her lost jewellery to the police and this was flashed among all stations.

Few months later Krishnan tried to sell the ornaments within Shoolay police station limits to a  pawn broker.The pawn Broker suspected the jewellery to be  of stolen nature and he informed Shoolay police station and the police matched the jewellery with the drawings given by my mother and the police knew the game is over for Krishnan.

The following day police in civilian dress kept vigil for Krishnan at the pawn brokers shop and Krishnan appeared and was apprehended and on interrogation handed over the entire bunch of jewels stolen.

1st of April 1973 was most possibly a Sunday  and was another Sunday for all of us. I was looking out of the window and suddenly saw two police jeeps stop at  our door and I  called my father who opened the door. The police had brought Krishnan with him in hand cuff and he sat  on the floor. The police  people told us this is the thief and the loquacious person that Iam went into long conversation with the police staff.

Later we went to the Shoolay police station where the inspector showed us the entire bunch of jewels but could only be handed over to us through court procedures.

Well that did not take too long. On the 14th of May 1973 the jewels were back at our house. My sister was born on 15th of May 1973.

.........Why I took the pains of recording this incident ..for several reasons. Had it not been for the industry of my Father  things may not have the propitious end we had.. secondly  had it not been for the support of O K NAMBIAR  we would have been no-where...  thirdly I want to thank the police staff who went about  the matter assiduously... and finally warn women not to make the mistake my mother did of wearing jewellery to casual celebrations and inviting mis fortune and wrath and putting families in peril.

HINDI SONG MUKESH O MAINE TERE LIYE

 

YERCAUD IN SALEM -TAMIL NADU

Not many know of a hill-station relatively close to Bangalore which has the trappings of Ooty and Kodaikanal.The hill-station called Yercaud thirty five kilometers from Salem.Salem is five hours journey from Bangalore through the towns of Hosur,Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri.

Ooty and Kodaikanal  are on the Western Ghat mountains while Yercaud is on the Eastern Ghat mountain ranges and Salem as a city is in the midst of the Eastern Ghat mountain ranges.Yercaud is thirty five kilometers from the city of Salem ;five kilometers to the foot of the Yercaud hill and thirty kilometers of climb through twenty hair-pin bends.

Yercaud is some three hundred square kilometers and with certain villages around it added could be around nine hundred square kilometers they say. This place is some five degrees less cooler than Ooty during Summer and five degrees warmer than Ooty during Winter..

The key aspect of Yercaud is the Yercaud lake which forms the heart of the place with parks around it and the bus stand is slightly in an isolated corner from the main township.

The city of Salem is basically a Colonial town created and developed by the British.East India company officials evinced a keen interest in Yercaud and developed it on the lines of Ooty and Kodaikanal.Yercaud translates into Yeri and Kaad.Yeri means pond and Kaad  means forest.In some aspects Yearcaud is a temple town of yore which must have been a piligrimage site as some temples are seen at some junctures which transformed into a Hill-station with time.

Any one wishing to visit this place must take care because this isolated hamlet shuts down all economic activity by  8pm if not earlier.It is preferable not to be here in the night if you are a first time traveller as the place is desolate and forlorn.Preferably stay in Salem itself.Make detailed enquiries of warm wear needed before proceeding to this place.

PHOTO OF RAVEENA THE YOUNGER DAUGHTER OF MY BROTHER

 

LAKSHMAN NIMBARGI OF THE IPS AND MYSELF

 

From within the Vidhana Soudha relating to some information technology matter  I was directed to meet Shri.Pranab Mohanty of the IPS currently the ADGP. later I came to know his office is in the complex opposite to Lokayukta ..and I set out to meet him.His office is in the  seventh floor  of the building.In the lift was a smart dressed professional person with whom  I started a conversation and later he told he was SP of police Shri. Lakshman Nimbargi but dressed in civilian attire. However I had a brief chat with him and he told me ADGP sir is on leave. I thought I must make a record of this meeting.

MUNISH MOUDGIL. IAS

 Recently I met Shri. Munish Moudgil  IAS in his offfice.I had gone to the office complex to meet some one else but landed up in his office and had a chat with him  and we were talking about Punjab his home state for some time and he told me he is from Jallandhar. He was kind enough to give me his visiting card.

I found him to be very sharp minded and a methodical approach to work and happened to talk to him few times on the phone thereafter.