MUNNAR DIARIES – DAY 3 – 8 SEPTEMBER 2022 - IN MUNNAR

September 8, as per the Gregorian calendar, is the birthday of Virgin Mary, otherwise known as the Nativity of Mother Mary. It is the culmination of the 'ettu noyambu' or eight days of fasting and abstinence. This year, as per the solar calendar, Thiru Onam also fell on the same day, which is the 10th day after Atham in the month of Chingam. Two reasons to celebrate on the same day. On such an auspicious day I decided to embark on a journey into the past, in fact, to the day of my birth on 14 May 1958.

Coming on the heels of the formation of Kerala State on 1 November 1956, the first democratically elected government in the State was formed by CPM. This and their proclaimed policies rang alarm bells in many quarters such as the Central Government, local political outfits, social organisations and religious congregations. Thus, came about the 'Vimocha Samaram' or the Liberation Struggle of 1958-59. One of the hotspots of the Vimocha Samaram were the tea plantations of Munnar, where large unionised labour joined the movement. As a young ASP of Ernakulam, my father, MK Joseph IPS, was deputed in May 1958 on special duty to Devikulam following the death of Hasan Rawther and Pappathi Ammal, two tea estate workers, in police firing.

The situation was mighty tense and poor communication in those days added to heightened anxiety amongst friends and family members. The Devikulam Government Guest House was the only decent accommodation in those parts then, barring the spacious and colonial bungalows of the estate managers. When I was born in the evening of 14 May 1958 in Kanjirapally there was no means to communicate the news to the young father on special duty in a sensitive zone of the State.

Alex Abraham, my mother's brother, was a daredevil who believed that every situation has a solution, particularly the tough ones. He drove non-stop from Kanjirapally to Devikulam bearing a bottle of Scotch Whisky and some home cooked food. When he reached the Guest House my father was surprised to see him at that late hour. As a bearer of good news, my uncle had told me more than once, that the bear hug he got from my father almost made him drop the precious Scotch Whisky bottle! As they were having a drink and dinner at the Guest House, in walked the then Leader of the Opposition, PT Chacko. My father was worried what Mr. Chacko would think, seeing the drink, because my father was on special duty in a riot affected area. It turned out that, the empathetic politician that Mr. Chacko was, he joined in for a celebratory drink.

I wanted to visit the Guest House as well as any memorial that were there in honour of the two that had fallen in the police firing. Who better to get information from than the local police station officials? When I reached the Devikulam police station it was still early hours and the policemen were getting ready and a couple of them were having breakfast. The senior amongst them, who I later found out was the Sub Inspector of the police station, recalled memories of my father, particularly his contribution to Kerala Police sports. He offered me a cup of tea and sat me down in the largest room in the more than a century old, renovated station building. When I told the policemen the reason for my being there they told me that the Guest House was just a kilometer down the road and gave me directions to reach there. Then the SI fetched neatly written station diaries that dated back to 1946 from the old lock up rooms that had now become archives of the station.

I went through the photocopied records for 1957-59 and came up with none pertaining to May of 1958. Unfortunately, they were not sure if there was any memorial to Pappathi Ammal and Hasan Rawther. After thanking them for their hospitality and crucial information I went to the government guest house, which is also more than 100 years old, and has been recently renovated. I mentally reconstructed what could have happened more than 64 years ago, stayed around to check out the renovated rooms and the surroundings before leaving for my next milestone of the past, the Panniar Tea Estate.

On the way to Panniar is the Lockhart Gap, which is a gap between two mountains between Devikulam and Chinnakanal waterfalls. The gap looks similar to the shape of a heart and hence, the name of the location. One must admit that the high range roads have improved considerably and work is still in to widen and resurface the rest that are yet to be done. This is one of the reasons for increasing footfalls into Munnar and the surrounding region. The Lockhart Gap viewpoint offers an expansive view of the tea-covered slopes, mist-clad blue hills and the winding roads in the valley. However, thick fog and heavy drizzle made a mess of the environment.

The Chinnakanal waterfalls, also known as the Power House waterfalls, falls from a height of over 800 meters. It is a popular tourist attraction because the falls look like a cascading supply of milk that flows into a huge milk can, a gorge. Standing there, I recalled how my grandfather had sent me back to Panniar Estate in a car with my motorcycle loaded in a truck; I had gone to Kanjirapally to check in his health after I got wind of his poor health. I had biked in thick rain in the night without any protective clothing from Panniar. I was drenched and shivering by the time I reached my maternal grandparents' home. When they saw my bike in the porch the next day the grandparents were alarmed and would not have me riding back. Hence, the secure comfort of an Ambassador car for me and the back of a truck for my bike to return to my station of posting!

The Anayirangal boating centre is a short deviation from the highway to Panniar. Inclement weather put paid to people's plans to use boats or enjoy the salubrious environment. Viewpoints were rendered useless with thick fog and rain. The Anayirangal Dam has forest and tea estates abutting it. The Panniar Tea Estate is approached via the Dam.

I had begun my working life as Assistant Manager of Panniar Estate of Malayalam Plantations in 1981. I lived in the estate in a large bungalow assisted by a couple of attendants. I have very fond memories of that short stay of six months. It was here that I learnt about plantations and tea making. It was also here that I learnt how to ride a motor bike. I picked up many stories about elephants and their intelligence. I had opportunities too to observe them at close quarters, including when a loner decided to raid my vegetable garden. I resigned from the job post my selection to the Civil Service.

Driving through challenging roads I reached the bungalow I had occupied way back then. While the plantation looked well kept the roads are in a terrible condition as was the bungalow. I had the opportunity to meet the newly appointed Manager, who told me about the tough times the plantations were going through and how workers' cooperatives had helped salvage the situation.

I got back to the hotel through a different route from Panniar. Approaching Rajakumari, a nondescript town, I was bogged down by a humongous traffic jam. As I passed the St. Mary's Church I knew the reason; Mother's feast was being celebrated with gusto. I looked around for some place to have a late lunch and found almost all places closed due to the Onam festival. Nearing four in the evening and totally famished I turned into a small restaurant for chappati and egg curry. Though the day's schedule had been met, regular rain and heavy fog took some sheen out of it.