My Achamma: Karumathil Kalyanikutty Amma
𝐌𝐲 𝐀𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚
This is a photograph of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi with my grandmother at an inauguration of a new building for the Newspaper that my grandfather started at Kozhikode.
We honor, praise, and adore the freedom fighters who helped free our country from colonialism but most often people like my grandmother who sacrificed their lives, comforts, and peace of mind to support the interests of their husbands/sons are forgotten.
So this mother's day I would like to honor my paternal grandmother Karumathil Kalyanikutty Amma and say her story.
My grandparents were married in 1911 and my grandfather died in 1933. So, her married life spanned 22 years. Sadly, she did not get to see much of her husband during that period for various reasons.
My grandfather entered the public scene around 1915 to pursue his social/political interests. Initially, it was to get rid of untouchability and unapproachability amongst lower castes that were rampant in Kerala during that period.
In 1920 Gandhiji made his maiden visit to Kerala and stirred up a storm, especially amongst the youth of Malabar invigorating them to stand up for freedom as it was directly under British rule.
When the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) was formed in 1921, my grandfather was elected as its first secretary.
He very graciously offered his own home as the KPCC office and remained the Congress office for the next twelve years. Did he consult my grandmother about this? I doubt it.
K. P. Kesava Menon (KPK) with his family stayed at my grandparents’ house for almost six months. My grandmother hosted many dignitaries of the time. Gandhiji, Jawarhal Nehru, C. Rajagopalchari, Urmila Devi, and Kasturba Gandhi to name a few. But it wasn’t just them. Everyone who wanted to visit Kozhikode (the hub of the freedom movement in those days) was invited to stay.
May sound very glamorous as you read it but now let me give you the behind-the-scenes story that I heard from my father. Money was tight as my grandfather had stopped practicing law to completely devote himself to the freedom movement. The house was the headquarters for all operations related to the freedom struggle since 1921.
As you may all know, guests are always a priority in India. But what if your house had guests constantly? At all odd hours?
My father was a child then so his memories are from a child’s point of view. Every so often an array of what he described as fragrances would waft out of the kitchen. And he would imagine what’s cooking? What could it be? How would it taste? However, eventually, after all the guests were fed there wouldn’t be much left for the family and he, his siblings, and others would end up eating rice and pickled mangoes. That’s it. Can you imagine how painful it must have been for him, and his siblings? No mother would wish this for her children.
In 1921 my grandfather was arrested and sent to jail for six months. His arrest was sudden and unexpected (one of the first to get arrested in India for the freedom struggle). As he was taken away, he told one of his friends to send a telegram to Madras and inform Rajagopalchari, and his family as well. He was obviously worried for his young wife and small children at home. What was going through my grandmother’s mind who was left there all alone with 3 small children (my dad was 3) when she heard the news? Did he leave enough savings to feed the family? What did they do? Did they have good friends, or family to support them?
Rajagopalchari requested Kesava Menon who was practicing in Madras at that time to leave for Kozhikode immediately. All the leaders were arrested and someone was needed to hold the fort. So, Kesava Menon quit his practice and came to Kozhikode with his family immediately and stayed with my grandmother for six months till my grandfather returned from jail. How did my grandmother manage to feed two families?
During the 1921 Moplah Riots, refugees poured into Kozhikode seeking help. Food, shelter, medicines, clothes, etc. had to be provided for 30,000 odd people. My grandparent's house which was the Congress office became the rehabilitation office from where all work was carried out.
Many volunteers came forward from all parts of Kerala to help but again they needed to be fed and accommodated too. You can imagine how much work it must have been for my grandmother to look after them all which I am sure she did very willingly because that’s just how she was!
In 1923 my grandfather and friends decided to start a newspaper. When they requested funding Kesava Menon writes that they were mocked. Both KPK and my grandfather used to travel far and wide all over Malabar requesting funding but people even shut their doors on them when they knew they were coming. Their own friends, classmates, and relatives. How humiliating it must have been for both KPK and my grandparents!
To start the newspaper, they needed Rs 20,000, but only managed to raise 12000. What did my grandfather do? Took all his savings and paid the rest. And my grandfather had to start practicing law again, probably to support his family. He had no other choice.
The same scenario repeated again in 1928 when the newspaper had a huge loss and was on the verge of selling its equipment and building. Again, my grandfather loaned Rs. 13,000 to pay off the debts. In the newspaper’s history volume I, V. R. Menon writes “Mr. Madhavan Nair requested that payments are made every month on time or else he cannot pay his children’s school fees. His wife and 2 older children were with Madhavan Nair when he gave the check and there were tears in his wife’s eyes which she tried to hide as much as she could”. 𝑇𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑓𝑒'𝑠 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠. She must have been so worried.
In 1929 he was arrested again for Salt Satyagraha. My uncle had written about the scene that played as he was arrested. My grandfather was studying a very important case when the inspectors showed up to arrest him. He folded the files, tied them, got up, went inside, got a glass of milk from my grandmother, drank it, said bye to her, and left with them. Again, she was left alone in the house with 5 children below 13, the smallest… just an infant.
This is a photograph of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi with my grandmother at an inauguration of a new building for the Newspaper that my grandfather started at Kozhikode.
We honor, praise, and adore the freedom fighters who helped free our country from colonialism but most often people like my grandmother who sacrificed their lives, comforts, and peace of mind to support the interests of their husbands/sons are forgotten.
So this mother's day I would like to honor my paternal grandmother Karumathil Kalyanikutty Amma and say her story.
My grandparents were married in 1911 and my grandfather died in 1933. So, her married life spanned 22 years. Sadly, she did not get to see much of her husband during that period for various reasons.
My grandfather entered the public scene around 1915 to pursue his social/political interests. Initially, it was to get rid of untouchability and unapproachability amongst lower castes that were rampant in Kerala during that period.
In 1920 Gandhiji made his maiden visit to Kerala and stirred up a storm, especially amongst the youth of Malabar invigorating them to stand up for freedom as it was directly under British rule.
When the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) was formed in 1921, my grandfather was elected as its first secretary.
He very graciously offered his own home as the KPCC office and remained the Congress office for the next twelve years. Did he consult my grandmother about this? I doubt it.
K. P. Kesava Menon (KPK) with his family stayed at my grandparents’ house for almost six months. My grandmother hosted many dignitaries of the time. Gandhiji, Jawarhal Nehru, C. Rajagopalchari, Urmila Devi, and Kasturba Gandhi to name a few. But it wasn’t just them. Everyone who wanted to visit Kozhikode (the hub of the freedom movement in those days) was invited to stay.
May sound very glamorous as you read it but now let me give you the behind-the-scenes story that I heard from my father. Money was tight as my grandfather had stopped practicing law to completely devote himself to the freedom movement. The house was the headquarters for all operations related to the freedom struggle since 1921.
As you may all know, guests are always a priority in India. But what if your house had guests constantly? At all odd hours?
My father was a child then so his memories are from a child’s point of view. Every so often an array of what he described as fragrances would waft out of the kitchen. And he would imagine what’s cooking? What could it be? How would it taste? However, eventually, after all the guests were fed there wouldn’t be much left for the family and he, his siblings, and others would end up eating rice and pickled mangoes. That’s it. Can you imagine how painful it must have been for him, and his siblings? No mother would wish this for her children.
In 1921 my grandfather was arrested and sent to jail for six months. His arrest was sudden and unexpected (one of the first to get arrested in India for the freedom struggle). As he was taken away, he told one of his friends to send a telegram to Madras and inform Rajagopalchari, and his family as well. He was obviously worried for his young wife and small children at home. What was going through my grandmother’s mind who was left there all alone with 3 small children (my dad was 3) when she heard the news? Did he leave enough savings to feed the family? What did they do? Did they have good friends, or family to support them?
Rajagopalchari requested Kesava Menon who was practicing in Madras at that time to leave for Kozhikode immediately. All the leaders were arrested and someone was needed to hold the fort. So, Kesava Menon quit his practice and came to Kozhikode with his family immediately and stayed with my grandmother for six months till my grandfather returned from jail. How did my grandmother manage to feed two families?
During the 1921 Moplah Riots, refugees poured into Kozhikode seeking help. Food, shelter, medicines, clothes, etc. had to be provided for 30,000 odd people. My grandparent's house which was the Congress office became the rehabilitation office from where all work was carried out.
Many volunteers came forward from all parts of Kerala to help but again they needed to be fed and accommodated too. You can imagine how much work it must have been for my grandmother to look after them all which I am sure she did very willingly because that’s just how she was!
In 1923 my grandfather and friends decided to start a newspaper. When they requested funding Kesava Menon writes that they were mocked. Both KPK and my grandfather used to travel far and wide all over Malabar requesting funding but people even shut their doors on them when they knew they were coming. Their own friends, classmates, and relatives. How humiliating it must have been for both KPK and my grandparents!
To start the newspaper, they needed Rs 20,000, but only managed to raise 12000. What did my grandfather do? Took all his savings and paid the rest. And my grandfather had to start practicing law again, probably to support his family. He had no other choice.
The same scenario repeated again in 1928 when the newspaper had a huge loss and was on the verge of selling its equipment and building. Again, my grandfather loaned Rs. 13,000 to pay off the debts. In the newspaper’s history volume I, V. R. Menon writes “Mr. Madhavan Nair requested that payments are made every month on time or else he cannot pay his children’s school fees. His wife and 2 older children were with Madhavan Nair when he gave the check and there were tears in his wife’s eyes which she tried to hide as much as she could”. 𝑇𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑓𝑒'𝑠 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠. She must have been so worried.
In 1929 he was arrested again for Salt Satyagraha. My uncle had written about the scene that played as he was arrested. My grandfather was studying a very important case when the inspectors showed up to arrest him. He folded the files, tied them, got up, went inside, got a glass of milk from my grandmother, drank it, said bye to her, and left with them. Again, she was left alone in the house with 5 children below 13, the smallest… just an infant.
He came from jail 8 months later as a sick man. He was under treatment and the doctor had suggested that the treatment be done for 3 months continuously for best results. However, it was during the period that Kellappan had gone on hunger strike for Guruvayoor Satyagraha which attained national attention but with no results.
Gandhiji decided to do a referendum and everyone suggested that the best leader for it would be my grandfather. Thus, he was appointed director of the Guruvayoor referendum.
He could not refuse Gandhiji of course and left his treatment halfway to work day and night tirelessly to make the referendum a success.
The referendum was a huge success. But soon after he fell very ill (he had leukemia) and passed away at the tender age of 51 leaving my grandmother alone to look after 5 children on her own with hardly any income to sustain all.
Yet she persevered. Sent all her children including her daughters to college. She was so well regarded that when Former Prime minister Jawarharlal Nehru came for a visit to Kerala, he insisted on visiting Manjeri to meet my grandmother at her home.
For everyone, she might be a great leader’s wife but for us, as children, she was always our loving Achamma, a great cook with an even bigger heart and smile, who was good to all. But now as a wife and mother, I can’t help but think of the sacrifices SHE made, for the sake of our country.
Hence this Mother's day I pay homage to this great soul... my Achamma
❤️❤️very well written dear.
ReplyDeleteWhat a tribute Pad! So well deserving to your achamma, the unsung heroin.. I'm sure she's smiling and blessing you from heaven above.. 🙏🏼
ReplyDeleteBehind the scenes freedom fighters.
ReplyDeleteShe and all her offspring.
Salute to the entire family.
Truly a write-up from the heart.
Thanks.
Very well written about your paternal grandparents who played a big role in the Indian freedom struggle! Padmini, you should have been a writer with such writing skills! Happy Mother’s Day to all! Mother’s love is supreme amongst human love!
ReplyDeleteLove, Aunty Kanaga Ranganathan
Great to connect many stories I heard in the past . It’s also nice to feel the belonging to Karumathil, Parappil , Ullattil families looped in many ways but most importantly their contribution to the country n the society even today.
ReplyDeleteGreat story. There were many brave women all through our history and your grandma was an example of true selflessness.
ReplyDeleteExcellent. Eye opener for all of us
ReplyDeleteGreat
ReplyDeleteThe tribute to “My Achamma” is a masterpiece. It is a true story of a mother who sacrifices everything for the sake of her children and family, without obstructing her husband’s ideals. Truely, behind every great man, there is a great woman. Mr. Madhavan Nair was ready to give up his work, money, comforts and even his life for Gandhiji’s ideal of independence. The very fact that Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Kasturba Gandhi, Rajagopalachari, K. P. K Menon etc stayed with them shows how vital a role they played towards the Independence of India that we took granted and benefited from.
ReplyDeleteVery powerful courageous accounting of the tremendous challenges of that crucial time in Indian history and the people who had the vision and the will to work hard for dharma.
ReplyDelete