Dear Prof. Alexander,
"Another
which distinguished our family in the earlier social history was generous, kind
and just treatment extended to untouchables and labourers, who suffered
deprivations in the caste –ridden past. An interesting anecdote about vadukas
and Kanianthra Ninan Chandy Tharakan bears testimony to this."
Would you kindly tell me what this
testimony was?
SARA KNIGHT. ENGLAND
This incident is briefly referred
to in my English edition of the KANIANTHRA FAMILY HISTORY PUBLISHED on Jan 1st
2000. That is an abridged international edition of the original book in
Malayalam published in 1991. My website KANIANTHRA FAMILY SITE- Home page – last
pages contain Family Traits- you can read the incident-- there in brief.
The incident happened in the life
of Nina Chandy Tharakan 1735-1800 and
his son Chandy Kunju Thommy Tharakan-1765-1822 A D, my ancestors. Our ancestors
were much ahead of the times in their approach towards the down trodden
untouchables mainly because of their Christian tradition and teachings.
The son married Pallikadavil
Annamma. The new bride hardly 10 or 11 years old –as was the custom--came into
a large family of her husband AND FATHER-IN- LAW.-Besides the family members there were another forty
vaduka family members- over a hundred of them including women and their
children-. Loitering in the house and AND were being fed at the meal times.
ANNAMMA GOT DISGUSTED in pushing around in the welter of Vaduka women and
children AND went to her home declaring that she will
return only after these Vaduka families were settled elsewhere in their own
huts.
Vaduka is the name given to
pulaya- pariah dalits working for their master and got converted to
.Christianity. They and their women work in the family paddy farms and coconut
groves and earn their food. Their children get free meals from the master.
Chandy Kunju Thommy Tharakan in
two years time got these Vadukas settled in separate huts on his lands in the
village. Annamma immediately returned to her husband for their family life.
Prof. Alexander
