Simple Pleasure; humble celebrations

The bygone era is marked by the simplicity that distinguished their lives from that of their descendants. The will to share, suffer and sacrifice; the readiness to walk in step with the fellow human beings; the sincerity of purpose and above all their conscious choice to live symmetrically with their own habitat!

They found pleasure in simple things; found reason to celebrate almost any occasion that could be something so characteristically informal in todays standards.

Thus there have been so many "kalyanam"s (കല്യാണം - marriage or celebration). The renewal of the thatching the roofs called to be the pura kettu kalyanam (പുര കെട്ട് കല്യാണം). The circumcision of the Muslim boys used to be markka kalyanam (മാര്‍ക്കകല്യാണം). The coming of age of the girls was celebrated as theendari kalyanam(തീണ്ടാരി കല്യാണം). And of course, the marriages are celebrated as the ultimate kalyanam.

Make-up Talk

Like the costumes, the methods of make-ups were kept to few and were as simple as their attire. However, one notable exception was perhaps the attention that was paid to eye care.

Indian literature speak volumes of the hypnotic gaze of the Indian woman in whose eyes a thousand expressions glimmer and disappear in a moment’s time. Simple their lifestyle though eye makeup was very much in fashion. The trend was to darken eyes thickly with “Kanmashi” (Kajal).

Njorinjudukkal (Wearing with a Njori)

In earlier times, especially for women’s attire, there was a prevailing custom of sticking to white color which symbolized greatest modesty. But the women were not entirely unmindful to the aspects of beauty in their dressings, altogether.

One could find that the “njori” or folding the dress’s one end in a fan-like arrangement was most common, especially in womens’ dressings, obviously meant as an adornment. The arrangement is commonly called the “njori” (fold, pleat) and could be found in the dress styles of all our communities.

(Photo courtesy Helen Cannon-Brookes who kindly consented to use this image) 

Costume: Chatta, Jacket & Penkuppayam

I remember Neely Thalla, as people used to call her, who lived nearby and was visiting our house often. We children were amused to see her wearing only the half mundu, a white cloth tied at the waist that barely extended to her ankle. Waist up, she was not wearing anything at all but she was in her sixties at that time. Later on she started wearing a loose cloth that was tied at her neck which covered her upper torso but still left her arms, back and side torso bare.

She was part of that transitional period when the Hindu women were beginning to come out of the custom which barred them covering up of their upper body.

(Photo courtesy Anupama Sadasivan)

Costume: Men

White kurtha and equally white sherwani, the colored towel tucked between shoulder and the kurtha top, the colorful, a furry Jinnah cap on the head, the bright colored cardigan, the skull shaped black painted begging bowl in one hand, the large cotton sack bulging from the shoulder. The “Nagoor Khalifa” was seen only from a distance by us, kids.

(Nagoor in a place in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur District where the second most largest and popular Dargah – or tomb of a Sufi saint - in India is situated. Nagoor Khalifa receives alms for the Dargah.)

(Photo courtesy Kaashif)

Water Spots

Go zodiacal and ask me. I am a water sign and water amazes me. Amazement apart, there used to be an abundance of water sources at our village. West of us was the Canolly Canal; our connection to the vastness that is the Arabian Sea. In the east, Thanneer Kayal remained “in water” for the best part of any year.

In between these two water locks, we were graced with an abundance of Kulam’s (ponds) – large and small – and Kiner’s (mud water wells).

The larger of our ponds were common (public) facilities and were used by the ordinary folks for washing, bathing and other routines. There were two large ponds within the Main Mosque Compound, another one attached to the Manaloo Masjid. A couple of ponds still exist to the north and south west of the Puthukavil Nada temple.

But the largest of them all were attached to neither to a temple nor to a mosque. That pond was in Kumbalathe Akayil compound – a true secular public pond; this has, however, become shrunk over the years but still survives, if you could ignore the weeds.

Woods and the Thickets

A village should remain of course as close to nature as best as it could. Our village is no doubt full of trees, but the main plantation being coconut trees, whose lean trunk grows high but with absolutely no branches, provide entirely no shield from the sun or rains. An occasional mango tree, jackfruit tea, teak or the likes are seen in private yards. There were a few inevitable banyan trees close to the temples. The other tree of any note was the bamboo groves grown with a view to producing materials for building huts, fences sheds or for making handicraft items.

Kongini (image courtesy Prasant P Jose)

Thanneer Kayal

A “Kayal” is a backwater expanse consisting of canals, coconut groves, a variety of bird life and cultivated lands.

Thanneer Kayal’s cultivable paddy fields start from Padoor and Thirunellore in the western side. The Kayal lands extends to both the Venkitangu and Mullasseri Panchayaths.

A deep trench or canal is opened to the Canolly Canal at our border with Thirunellore (see “Idiyan Chira”).

A variety of bird life still survives in these lands, although the paddy cultivation has long been in a state of neglect. The heavy infection of weeds etc. was affecting the farming until recently.

Now the situation is beginning to change and cultivation is slowly returning. The Canal in the Thanneer Kayal is now widened and strengthened with formidable dikes. It is connected to Peechi Reservoir agriculture water distribution network, so water is made available for agricultural needs during the summer months.

Zone: Idiyan Chira

Going to Peringadu (or Thirunellore) was almost a routine thing that I did during my childhood. Many of our close relatives stayed there.

Peringadu is the neighboring village to the north and lies along the Canolly Canal. The mud road (which it used to be) touches the Canal while it approached our northern border.

All the time I walked by foot, as everyone else did. The exception was a rare bicycle rider but very few owned a bicycle in that age.

The Thanneer Kayal, lying east of Padoor, is extended to Thirunellore. A deep trench that carried the excess rain water from the Kayal to the Canolly Canal was separating Padoor from Thirunellore.

The Idiyan Chira (literally the sunken weir or water trap) connects the two villages across this trench. Basically the Chira was constructed to trap the sweet water in the trench so this could be utilized for the Kayal agriculture. It also keeps the saline waters of the Canal from getting entry to the trench and thereby sully the paddy fields’ fertility.

Only during the monsoon months the Chira’s barriers (made of wooden planks) are kept open, so as to regulate the water level at the trench and the Kayal.

The narrow wooden beams - used to hold together the planks - at the top made up for a walking bridge. It was more like taking a little walk on a trapeze; but that was the fun thing to do if you were a kid. In the space between arrays of planks and beams, they used to fill with mud; which never remained a level mass. That is why perhaps people started calling it the Idiyan Chira (sunken water trap).

The Idiyan Chira is now replaced by a modern bridge complete with a fully aligned road; so both the villages are now connected by an automobile route.

Zone: Pandikasala (the Warehouse)

As a child it was a daily ritual going down to the Seethi Thangal’s pandikasala (or godown) in the afternoon. It situated right next to Pulikkakkadavu; where none of us goes unless one want to cross the canal (which you don’t normally do or require).

The pandikasala housed the branch post office in our village. This post office first used to be the branch of Chowghat (renamed Chavakkad) main post office but later on assigned under the Mullasseri. This required that all the letters bore an additional address line showing the main post office (thus we write “(Via) Chowghat” or “(Via) Mullasseri”).

The post office is kept open for two hours (3 – 5 in the evening); a post master and a postman were the employees. The postman had to collect our incoming letters from the main post office as well as deliver the outgoings. He used his bicycle to do this but in case the man doesn’t know cycling he had to walk 4 k.ms up and down from Mullasseri (read no buses to Padoor at that time).

Once the letter bag reached our post office, our postman has to affix the date stamp on each of the incoming letters. Then he used to read out the names of the addressees. The village folks who gathers around his at the time of this ritual could collect letters for their family; or letters meant for their neighbors. If you don’t do that, the letter gets delivered at your house at the postman’s convenience.

As children it was fun going to check out if our family had any letters (most of the days you don’t get one) but some of us made it a point to be regularly present at the time anyway.
This was the only time when the pandikasala building appeared to be with any life. Otherwise it had all the appearance of a perfect ghost-house.

Apart from the post office, the pandikasala had another large room, with an array of wooden planks positioned together for an entrance. The planks were fastened by a thick iron lever running through them on both sides and which were latched to a lock fitted to the central plank. The room remained locked perennially. Two windows type shop-counters were seen on the sides but these too remained tightly shut.

Curious sounds were coming out of the room even in the broad day light hours. But we know these were coming from the bunch of flying bats that were breeding freely in the safety of the darkness of the perpetually closed room.

A small room with a single door and a single window at the western end was used by Mr. Seethi Thangal as his office was in intermittent use. The never in use upstairs consisted of a decent sized hall that could hold 40 – 50 people easily.

The baked clay tiled roofs, bare red laterite walls and the wooden ceilings had all given the building a perfect classical look. Contrary to the ghostly atmosphere and appearance, the elders say that the building used to be the centre of active commerce when the water transport was relied upon for movement of goods. The building – which I had seen in my childhood - was built post the 1941 Cyclone when the original building gave in to the nature’s forces.

The glorious days were well past; however, the existence of our post office ensured that pandikasala continued to be a signpost until 1980s. This was the time when the post office was shifted to a new location having been upgraded in to a Sub Post Office (Pincode #680524).

A new building replaced the Pandikasala about 10 years ago but the newly built Pulikkakkadavu bridge alignment road completely obscured its sight. Sadly, this new building too thereafter remained in a state of disuse.

Zone: Karagos

The importance of Karagos center was perhaps attributed to the existence of a small mosque that was built entirely by a private person. There was a small commercial building which time to time hosted some grocery or beedy shops.

It was such a grocery started by a couple of friends which gave the place its name. These friends were returnees from Bombay who decided to name their shop after a famous Bombay grocer or store. Thus the locality comes to be known with an utterly unfamiliar epithet; perhaps origin of which is traced to Greek or Latin.

The locality still remain almost as sleepy as the older times.

Zone: Shappinte Avide

The Shappinte Avide ( or near the shop) itself derived from the fact a toddy shop was present at that place which – I was told – was an undeclared no-go area for the sections of repute in the village.

Until the present Mullasseri – Padoor road was constructed, people used to take the route along the thodu (trench) going almost parallel to that road a few yards towards the north and ending in the Thanneer Kayal and without touching the Shappinte Avide.

In my childhood, the center remained a sleepy place, until the evening. In the evening, at about 4 O’ clock, the fish vendors bring their stock to sell in the market. That is the time when it was goaded in to life and some notable activity. The fish market was located at a yard in the east end of the centre, just opposite to Janardhanettan’s teashop.

There were a few permanent shopkeepers in the place, notably a stationery store run by Raghavettan. He employed a few people who used to roll beedies for him to sell. Raghavettan’s beedi was a popular brand at that time. There were two types of beedies, “Cheru Beedi” (small sized beedi) and “Valiya Beedi” (larger sized).

His was the only shop we, the students, were interested in anyways, an array of jars were displayed right at the front with several types of toffees, not seen in any other shops at the village.

Janardhanettans teashop, Vijayettan’s barber shop, an ayurvedic herbs’ vendor, Rawther Mohammedikka’s grocery and a vegetable shop - and later a ration shop - were all that to it to the Padoor Center (market).

Zone: Chanthappura

The Govt. Mappila U P (GMUP) School near to Pulikkakkadavu is still called by the nick “Chanthappura School”. The nickname came from the fact, a Chanthappura (the village market place) did exist in the compound near to the school. The school compound also housed the Kundzhiyoor Panchayath (abolished 1962) Office.

The Chantha extended from the present GMUP school compound up to the Pulikkakkadavu. People used to sell and buy all sort of things there including live cattle.

I don’t recall seeing the Chantha there in my childhood. The market was - by that time - shifted to the present day Padoor center (Shappinte Avide).

Zone: Pulikkakkadavu

Lying at about the midway point of Padoor at the waterfront of the Canolly Canal Pulikkakkadavu used to be our main Kadavu (ferry landing station) in the earlier days.

Automobiles reached our village late in the 1950’s. Until then and after so many years it is your foot, or a rare bullock cart. If it is some faraway places or you need to take the woman folk, say for a marriage celebration, the primary option is using the waterway.

In its glorious days, the kadavu witnessed hectic activities. Padoor chantha (market place) adjoined the Kadavu where the traders used to collect and forward finished coir products to important trading centers such as Cochin. Water transport was the main means of freight traffic during those days.

The Pandikasala (warehouse, godown) right at the Kadavu was exclusively used to stock the coir products.

Pulikkakkadavu was then sort of relegated in to a mere canoe station. It was the only place where a regular ferry existed between our place and Engadiyoor to the west.

Other canoe landing places did exist along the length of the canal but not every other landing station was open to all. Some stations were the private properties of certain clans or households. Moreover, none of them did have the luxury of any form of a paved platform as Pulikkakkadavu.

During the 1960s, the Highschools at Engadiyoor were popular with students from the eastern shores of the Canolly. Pulikkakkadavu was the crossing point for pupils from Padoor.

The new bridge connecting Engandiyoor to Padoor has now eclipsed the Kadvu entirely.

Kodunkattu (The Cyclone)

In Padoor’s history, the Malabar Cyclone of 1941 is considered to be a historical tab holder. Rarely an older incident is narrated by our Gran's without the reference to the Kodunkattu (Cyclone). Invariably an event is either that many years before the Kodunkattu or so many years after it.

It is only too obvious that how severely the cyclone must have affected life in our area.

Meteorological analysts say that cyclonic storms coming direct from the sea are not normally struck the Malabar Coast. Since 1845 there have been just three recorded storms of this type that hit Malabar. The types of storms that develops in the sea and directly hit the coast, cause more destruction in the coastal areas.

In this instance, the coastal area of the Ponnani Taluk (including the now defunct Kundazhiyoor Panchayath) was the most terribly affected.

The cyclonic storm and rain lasted for two days on the 26th and 27th May 1941. Widespread destruction was reported caused in Padoor. The Canolly Canal was virtually turning in to a sea, houses were submerged, people were trapped inside or on rooftops of their own houses, houses collapsed and properties damaged, paddy crops went under water. There were not enough canoes available to rescue trapped people. The canal was bringing corpses of people and animals as well as uprooted trees from the elevated plains.

Shops and warehouses were also affected and the food stocks were spoiled or lost. People were starving and some had to even survive on eating grass or leaves long after the water had subsided.

In the aftermath of the destruction, the district collector of the Malabar had come to visit Padoor to assess the damages. A reception was hosted to the Government delegation and memorandum submitted.

Reportedly Mr. Ibrahim Sulaiman Sait, who at 19 was the rising star in the All India Muslim League at that time, was accompanying the delegation. The elders who met that delegation included Bukharayil Koyakkutty Thangal (father of B V Seethi Thangal), Puthenpurayil R P Bavoo Sahib and Kariat Kunhi Bappu Sahib.

The People - Bombay Connection

We grew up in an agrarian atmosphere. The family yard was full of vegetation. The vegetation extended even to the fences (a fence was mandatory for every respectable household).

Made of skillfully woven coconut leaves and cut-bamboo parts and branches, the fences were extremely eco-friendly in today’s context. The fence provided an opportune space for the agrarian minded people. Climber plants of delicious fruits and edible vegetables are grown alongside these fences. Those produces come in handy during the scanty months of summer.

Prior to the Independence, the people mainly engaged in farming (usually paddy cultivation and coconut planting) and farm related jobs and enterprises and some fishing. It was much frugal and very simple existence.

Thus every inch of the available space in the house yard is meticulously utilized for producing food (not that we did have much space to talk about anyway). In such an environment finding a space for us, the children, to play was difficult. Fortunately for us, we did have a neighbor with a copiously spacious plot of land surrounding an impressive house. His house was built of rock and concrete whilst most of the neighboring houses were –including ours- made of the mud and thatched wooden roofs.

Proudly enough for me the house belonged to my maternal uncle, who made it to the riches in the rough and tough world of Mumbai. At that point of time, a decently kept and furnished house implied that a member of the family was out in Bombay.

In our mostly agrarian society, emigration had become very popular during the late 1940’s. A lot of the youngsters were out of job or were very disillusioned by putting up with rigors of the rural life. Some were incited by the usual flare up of usual youthful rebellion against an imposing hierarchy. Whatever the reason, the youths streamed to the luring metropolis of Bombay (Mumbai) in a big way during that period.

In Bombay they found employment and some went on to establish small businesses that were enough to earn them hefty profits. Our businessmen either set up a restaurant (which in Bombay terms they call a “hotel”) and kiosks that made and sold beedi (small sized cigarettes made of tobacco and tobacco leaves) or served tea at the street side pavements (out of their humble samovar). The employees were mostly manual laborers.

Not that the Bombay-ites were the pioneers in emigration out of the village. There were a handful of people who went to Malaysia, Singapore and later on to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) – all part of the then British Empire. There were a few other people who made a living as sailors in merchant marine vessels.

However, unlike their predecessors, the Bombay-ites did have a profound impact in the economy of the village. Their income become its main economic backbone and remained so for a long time to come. They were socially committed too as some of the village’s community institutions were built or run by their active support and contribution.

Gulf emigration was started in a big way during 1970s but there were a few early scouts who reached the Arabian Gulf decades before and some of whose epics rightfully warrant another chapter.

Much has been written about “the Gulf Boom” in which the village was having its natural part. As such, there is perhaps no need to elaborate on the subject here. “The Gulf Boom”, ended the prominence of Bombay as an employment destination.

Even before that the rising political and security troubles - chiefly the “son of the soil” agitation spearheaded by the Shiv Sena - were diminishing the Bombay’s charm.

However, Bombay remained the most important transit point for the Gulf migrant travelers, the city being the main gateway station to the Arabian Gulf countries, having connected by both the sea and air routes. That position remained intact until the Trivandrum Airport was accorded the International airport status in 1991.

The People - Affiliations

In the political affiliation too the representative reputation of the village is kept intact. From the British time the Congress and Muslim League had their presence in Padoor. At earlier times, both parties were lead by the landed aristocracy but the League always maintained a lead in the trials of strength.


During 1960’s the Communist party too made inroads. They did even gain a handful of Muslim members with Comrade Imbichi Bava spotlighting on Muslim Community of the then Ponnani Taluk. Not that the Communists did not meet resistance but a social embargo that they had encountered elsewhere , especially from the conservative Muslim Community members, was not present in this village’s perspective.

The RSS, Jan Sangh and BJP too had their presence; but a communal flare up has always been assiduously spared.

The Christians were a traditional support base of the Congress but with Kerala Congress venturing in to the northern Kerala, the KC has some sort of a following for the present.

Padoor consistently provided top district level leaders of many of these parties, especially Congress, the Muslim League and the Communist Parties.

The People - Society

I believe that the most notable thing about Padoor is the amiable, socializing nature and the ardent bond that is kept between the populace of the village. From the older days, Padoor happened to be a potpourri of people of different viewpoints be it in religion, politics or otherwise. Fortunately a policy of live and let-live is traditionally prevailed. No doubt that the conventional morality of the village life is only too visible here.


Religiously speaking Padoor is a mixed bag; Hindus, Muslims and Christians are all present. At the moment Muslims does have a majority in the count of heads.

Hindu Community consists of of the sub-castes Nairs, Thiyyas (Chovan), Vettuvas, Kanakkas and Viswakarmas (Acharis and Thattans). The tiny existence of the Paraya community is unfortunately not there anymore.

Muslims are predominantly Sunni Mappilas but the Sayyids (Thangals) have a nearly strong presence too. Within the district, Padoor happens to be one of the three locations where the Sayyids have a large concentration; the other two being Kadppuram and Mathilakam.

While the living spaces of the Hindus and Muslims are intermingled the Christians live mostly to the eastern part of the village.

The Chettuva River – The boarder; the gateway and the Lifeline

The Chettuva River, the historical waterway, for some reason is now known as Canolly Canal - or the Canoli Canal whichever way you spell it – provided the secure line of boarder at the western part of our village. So the Canal does to so many other villages along its route.

The canal runs almost parallel to the Arabian Sea Coast from Chettuva to Kodungallore – the nearest coast point being roughly some 5 – 6 kilometers away to the west from Padoor. The water is saline; and have for centuries helped the military troop and material movements as well as the commercial inland waterway shipping.

In fact the waterway was originally called by the name "Chetwai (or Chettuvayi, Chetuvay, Chetva or Chetuva) River" and used to be one of the three important seaports under the Zamorins (Samuthiris); Calicut and Ponnani being the other two. The river and Chetwai port were the scenes to some historic events and battles involving the Zamorins, the Cochin State, the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British.

How this river came to be associated with Henry Valentine Canolly (1806 - 1855) who was the Collector and Magistrate of Malabar District during the period 1841 - 1855.



Another canal goes by the same name which on record was ordered built by H V Canolly, which was completed at 1848, according to Malabar Manual Vol. I. This latter canal connected Nilambur (where Kerala’s first teak plantations were situated) with the commercial port of Beypore during the imperial time.

The Chettuvayi river connected with the large fresh water lake previously called the Trichur Lake. In fact today this lake is come to known as the Kole Lands extending from todays Thrissur Taluk to Chavakkad Taluk. The Malabar Manual describes the Chetwai River thus:-

"N. Lat. 10o 31', E. Lon. 76o 6'. The mouth of this river and about six miles on its course lie entirely in British territory and for about two miles more it forms the boundary between British territory and the Native State of Cochin. At the end of this eight miles the river widens out into a lake, partly natural and partly artificial."

A dam separating the saline river from the fresh water lake, thus protecting the valuable agricultural land, was said to have been built by the joint efforts of the Rulers of Cochin and Zamorin. Incidentally the Trichur Lake formed the border between the Zamorin's and the Cochin territories at the time. This masonry dam was later breached by the British during 1802 but filled the following year. Attempts were made at rebuilding the dam 1823 & 1842. This happens to be todays Enamakkal Dam (or bund). The surrounding locality is now come to known as Kettungal (Kettu - കെട്ട്- meaning a bund).

The Malabar Manual also described about proposals to construct a new dam down the river at Chetwai between 1855 and 1858 which were later abandoned.

The canal brought us merchandise up until the late 1970’s. There was a thriving production of coir fiber industry along the canal. In fact lot of land was reclaimed out of the canal by filling with the coir fiber waste, don’t ask me if that was legal, by private owners who did coir processing alongside. The coir products were for most part transported through the waterways. The main commercial centre - in my memory - was Kandassankadavu, but I heard elders telling me that in their times the canal used to connect us with such cities as Kodungallore, Thrissur and Ponnani.

Perhaps the only merchandise that still comes through the canal is some supply of fresh fish. In our younger ages it used to be the sole route for the fish to get to Padoor. The fish vendors bought their stuff from Puthiya Kadappuram where the sea going timber boats brought their catches. Our retail fish vendors would bring the fish using their canoes. They then carry the load in their shoulders to sell it in the village market or by going round the village. The male vendors used “kavu” (a wooden shoulder balance from either side of which a pair of “kotta” hanged) and “kotta” (basket). The females used a “kotta” which they carry on their head.

Venkitangu Panchayath

Upon the reorganization of the revenue districts post the 1957 State Reorganization, a new panchayath merging the existing Kundazhiyoor Panchayath with two other adjacent panachayaths came in to existence. This new panchayath was named Venkitangu Panchayath. The other two panchayath that got merged in to Venkitangu Panchayath were Irimbranelloor (Enamavu & nearby areas) and Venkitangu (Venkitangu & Kannoth).

The first election to the unified Venkitangu Panchayath was conducted during 1962.

This was the time when, perhaps the most famous son of the unified Venkitangu Panchayath - Rev. Father Joseph Vadakkan - had split from the Praja Socialist Party (PSP) and formed his own Karshaka Thozhilali Party (KTP). The KTP had allied with the Communist Party and the Muslim League against the Congress. The KTP Alliance had defeated the Congress in Venkitangu Panchayath elections by 6 – 4 margin.

Late Mr. Zainul Abideen Thangal alias Kochu Koya Thangal, representing Muslim League for the Alliance, was elected unopposed from Padoor. Mr. Thangal went on to represent Padoor in the Pnachayath for a long time after that and perhaps he still remains the longest serving vice president in Venkitangu Panchayath.

Mr. K K Mohammedali, hailing from Padoor and elected on Communist Party ticket from the Kannoth/Thoyakkavu Ward, became the first President of the Venkitangu Panchayath representing the Alliance.

Kundazhiyoor Panchayath

GMUP School in the village displayed a name board which reads “Govt. Mappila School – Kundazhiyoor”. As a child I always wondered why a school in Padoor should bear such a different place name. None of my friends were able to tell me where Kundazhiyoor actually is!

Later on when I have started seeing the land ownership certificates, my curiosity was multiplied as there too our place name was mentioned as “Kundazhiyoor amsam, Padoor desam”.

In the Malabar District, elected local bodies were functioning since 1930. In the Madras province, their powers were enhanced after the Independence (Madras Village Panchayt Act 1950). As you know, Malabar remained part of the Madras province at that time.

A Panchayath was constituted in every village with a population of at least 500 people. The Panchayath President as well as members was directly elected by the people. The panchayath elections were done by a show of hands (not ballots) of those present at the venue of the electoral meeting.

The name of Panchayath in which Padoor included was Kundazhiyoor which also incorporated the Thoyakkavu & Kundazhiyoor desams or villages (Please see the Basel Mission Archieves map. Name of the desam was shown therein as "PATUR" #421). Interestingly the panchayath at the opposite side of the Canolly Canal was named “Kundaliyoor”.

The first election on the basis of universal adult franchise to these panchayaths was conducted during 1954.

During this election to Kundazhiyoor Panchayath, the Muslim League fought with the backing of the Congress. By that time, the Communists become very active in the village and they too managed to form an alliance.

Othulli Abdul Kader was the ML-Congress front’s presidential candidate. He was opposed by Muthattu Parakkutty pitted by the Communists. S M Moosal Kassim Thangal, R P Bavoo and P K Bapputty were the League Combine’s member candidates. The other side fielded A M Thangal, P K Mohammedunni and Kanichiyil Krishnan.

At the end an intense campaign – on a scale never witnessed before that - the League Combine won by a mere 9 votes. This itself was a surprise since in Kundazhiyoor Panchayath the League-Congress combine backed by the privileged class was always considered formidable.

History: Where do we fit (4)

The Avarnas were not allowed to use the roof tiles till 1903 (only coconut leaf thatches were to be used) or to build upstairs or a gateway to their houses. They should wear not more than a single cloth around the waist which too shouldn’t fall below the knees. They were not allowed to stand before the doorway of their own family or community shrine. Bowing the deity directly was a taboo for the out-castes.

Caste segregation was strict. Many absurd customs were prevailing in the light of such strict separation of the society. One good example of such aggressive segregation was the existence of the dreaded custom - Pulappedi and Mannappedi - in the medieval period. According to this custom if a member of the slave castes like Pulaya, Paraya or Mannan happened to see a high caste woman alone after dusk she would be expelled from her caste. It was enough for the woman to be excommunicated, if the Mannan or Pulaya threw a stone or a stick at her or called out that he had seen her. He could take her with him. This custom prevailed till around 1696 A D.

Strictly followed rules and regulations were maintained such as 

1. keeping prescribed distance (which is different according to the status of the castes) in order not to pollute the person from superior caste 
2. removing the cloth covering the shoulders and the head, 
3. using standardized self-denouncing servile expressions in conversation and 
4. asserting bodily. 

Higher caste men when walking along the road utter a warning grunt or hoot to person of any lower castes who thereupon should retire to the prescribed distance. The minimum penalty to those who violated the law was excommunication or often death.

History: Where do we fit (3)

After flourishing during the 4 – 8 Centuries AD the Jain and Buddhist influence was present in Kerala society until they completely disappeared by the 12 C. The famed Kodungallore temple itself is said to be a deconsecrated Buddhist shrine. Some have claimed that the Parampan Tali, situated at Mullassery (a few kilometers east of Padoor) to be a surviving ancient Tali temple (Tali temples were originally Buddhist, before the 8th century). 

That makes the Paramban Tali (or Parambamthali) Temple as perhaps the oldest surviving religious shrine around the area. The temple is situated in a hilly area; which conforms to the hypothesis that the earliest people were residing in the hills and higher terrains.

The emergence of Southern Indian Brahmanism has led to the introduction of caste system, altering the social, ritual and political positions within the society. The system was prevailing until the mid-part of the 20^th Century. Although the system was named chathurvarnya (four castes system) a three tier caste system existed in Malabar. The Brahmins themselves, the ruling chieftains as kshathriyas and the Nair warriors as shudras. The third tier of vanikas were absent. All others were reduced to the position of Avarnas or Mlechas.

History: Where do we fit (2)

During the 14^th and 15^th Centuries B. C. the Zamorins  (Samuthiris or the Nediyirippu Swaroopam) extended their authority to whole of Malabar area. Villages in our area (up to the Enamakkal Lake) appear to have been formed the most secure boarder (at the south) of the Zamorin’s Kingdom for a long time.

Under the Zamorins a feudal set up was evolved out between political administration, religious activities and temple centered Ara and Tura political power structure. Zamorins implementation of all types of ruling factors was based on temple set up. The largest administrative unit called Cherikkal is an almost equivalent to the present-day taluk. Cherikkals were subdi­vided into  Desom, Tara, Angadi etc. for maintaining the revenue system, toll collections, local law and order, village army system (Lokar) and village treasuries (Ara). There were Koymas, Talakkappu nayar, Patanayar and numerous other officials to collect tolls, revenue and to look after law and order. All these official duties were distributed to a large number of aristocratic families living far and wide in the kingdom. These families with the right to collect revenue, maintain local army men, look after law and order and administer the temples enabled them to centralize money, land, control of religious activities and customs to themselves. 

History: Where do we fit (1)

Padoor lies in the immediate vicinity of some of the earliest known historical points in the state.

The ancient sea port of Kodungallur (see note 1 below) is not far.

The important port of the yesteryears, Chettuwai, which played a crucial role in trade and had been of strategically vital for the Zamorin’s Kingdom is barely few kilometers away down through the Chettuwai River.

As we all know, there is very limited information available about the ancient period of Kerala history. This is because there is hardly any written record left behind our ancestors. Many of the facts passed as history are words of mouth, myths or speculations; not enough evidence ever found to prove them. 

There are geologists who believed that Kerala was formed by some seismic activity, gradually or suddenly. Some researchers say that the Arabian Sea once extended as far inland as the Kalladikkodan mountain ranges. Geological changes resulted in recession of the sea, leaving dry large tracts of land. 

About the underlying areas of Padoor, the seismic or environment changes appear to bear particular relevance. There is an argument that a part of Chavakkad Taluk had been under the sea prior to the flood of 1341 and these parts of land were formed as a result a geographical drift following the 1341 nature’s event.

Padoor - The Place

The legend goes that Padoor acquired its name from the combination of the Malayalam words “Padam” (paddy land) and “Ooru” (neighborhood). The name thus means the Place of Paddy Fields.

True to its name, the village used to be interspersed with paddy fields (lowlands), placed between the corridors of inhabited coconut estates (elevated lands). It almost looks like the elevated lands were man-made landfills of then originally existing paddy fields.

To cap it all, the lowlands of Thanneer Kayal (which used to be opulently cultivated rice fields) provide the boarder to Padoor at the east end.

Padoor is locked between the paddy field stocks of Thanneer Kayal at the east and the inland waterway of Canolly Canal in the west.

Thoyakkavu lies to the south and Thirunelloor (Peringadu) to the north. The boundaries on both these fronts are separated by canals; the smaller Thannolli Thodu and newly broadened Irrigation Canal - that hooks Mullasseri to the Peechi Irrigation Canal network at Elevally - respectively.

Padoor – Part in politics

After India’s Independence, the area comprising todays’ Padoor remained part of the Malabar District within the State of Madras. Within this disctrict, we were part of the Ponnani Taluk. In Ponnani Taluk, Padoor and Thoyakkavu together formed the smaller revenue unit named Kundazhiyoor Panchayath (Kundazhiyoor Amsam).

(Note: A map of the Padoor Desam within the Ponnani Taluk during 19th or early 20th Century (undated though) is included in the Basel Mission Archieves published during 2012. Name of the desam was shown therein as "PATUR".)

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Malabar_district_Map.jpg)

The States Reorganization Act of 1956 that came into being as on 1st November 1956 was responsible for formation of the India's provinces based on linguistic and semantic barriers. In line with this Act, the new State of Kerala was formally inaugurated on November 1, 1956.

My Lord Almighty, in thy name!

Which is the most boring subject? I would certainly say history. Is this my attempt at that boring subject? Certainly not!

Being a curious student of Padoor’s history, this represents just an attempt to share some information which I wasn’t fortunate enough to find recorded elsewhere in the past.

Is this a historical blog; nope. Do I vouch for the authenticity of all of what is written here, certainly I don’t.

My wish is that perhaps this attempt could inspire someone to do better research and come up with more enlightening information, so that a record shall exist somewhere of our Village’s history for the posterity.

May Allah bless us all! Amen.