M.A. Chakko : Nasrani Simham
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|lUO ll^S.VM Mrx Uibns Il»rtli jilarbutbo Hibrarp The Malphono George Anton Kira/ Collection LsVl Lo- 1 V . ^. °1 V, • u; IsaVLV \>~) IX m vl looo fsao 00^0 .nmO) Ot yi'o ^°ii 3uL.ii I. veno 11°^N.a. .■ -% L_3ajo I, VCP Ol^. IoOU Ola^< I. vio o-^ ❖ oC^. -J °'.->il Lio_i, ..r»at. -L ^ Anyone who asks tor this volume, to read, collate, or copy from it, and who appropriates it to himself or herself, or cuts anything out of it, should realize that (s)he will have to give answer before God’s awesome tribunal as if (s)he had robbed a sanctuary. I x*t such a person be held anathema and receive n< > t< >rgiveness until the book is returned. So be it. Amen! And anyone who removes these anathemas, digitally or otherwise, shall himself receive them in double. M.A.CHAKKO WASRAWI SIMHAM MKURIAN M.Kurian is a journalist by profession. He started his journalistic career as a subeditor of the Malayala Manorama the leading vernacular daily in India. After serving the Daily for more than 25 years he retired as Assistant Editor in 1983. Mr. Kurian is an active lay person of the Orthodox Syrian Church in India. Sewing the Student Christian Movement in Kerala as its Literature Secretary, he started involving in ecumenical activities and programmes from his youth. He spent one year in the Serampore College, as Machison scholar, reading theology and writing on churches and ecumenical relations. With his passion for the unity of the church, and justice and peace concerns he participated in various kinds of action programmes; particular mention may be made of his fast for peace in the Orthodox Syrian Church in 1955. Mr. Kurian made a substantial contribution to the ecumenical movement as the Secretary of the Kerala Council of Churches from 1984 to 1992. He edited Church Weekly, a nondeno- minational Christian journal for a few years. He wrote many books in Malayalam, a few in English including biographies and edited many more. At present he devotes his full-time attention to promote Christian literature as the Editor of the Theological Literature Council in Kerala and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Christava Sahitya Samithy. Mr. Kurian's wife, Sosamma Kurian, is a gynaecologist serving the Mandiram Hospital of Manganam, Kottayam. He has two sons and a daughter. Address: M. Kurian Parumthumkuzhi, Manganam P.O, Kottayam -18 M.A.CHAKKO NASRANI SIMHAM M. Kurian CHRISTAVA SAHITYA SAMITHI TIRUVALLA M. A. CHAKKO: NASRANI SIMHAM (Biography) Author: M. Kurian © Reserved First Impression: January 2009 Cover:Global, Tiruvalla Type Setting: Perfect Computers, Tiruvalla Printed at: Wigi Printers, Manganam, Kottayam Published by CHRISTAVA SAHITYA SAMITHY, TIRUVALLA Distributed by C.S.S. BOOKSHOP, TIRUVALLA-1, S. INDIA Tel: 0469-2630389, 2634936 email: [email protected] Price Rs. 120/- US$ 10 (Outside India) CN 80309 ISBN 978-81-7821-100-8 Contents Pages A word about writing this book 7 Foreword - K.M. Mathew 11 Thanks - M.Kurian 14 Preface - Valsa Varghese Paul 15 A note on the translation - Lily Jacob 1 7 1. Merit Recognized 21 2. History of the Mazhuvanchery Parambath Family 256 3. College Education 30 4. Marriage and family life 34 5. Early Career 41 6. The Trichur St. Ignatius Church 46 7. Delhi Durbar 51 8. Mancherly 58 9. Catholicos as Metropolitan 71 10. Fire in the Temple * 73 11. The Trichur Riot 79 12. A Defalcation charge and Acquittal 83 13. Malankara Church must remain united - Two articles by M.A.Chakko i. Reunification-Peace initiatives-1937 87 ii. Disunity - A Forerunner of Disaster 96 14. Proposed Purchase of ship fell through 107 15. M.A. Chakko, in Cochin legislative Council 109 16. M.A. Chakko’s children 126 17. Golden wedding Jubilee of Chakko and wife Letter to son 163 18. Demise 165 19. Condolence Motion in the Cochin Legislative Council 173 20. Evaluation by Church leaders 180 - P.M. Mammen - M.P.Varkey - Fr. Dr. C.T. Eapen - C.O. Oommen - P. Jacob Kurian - K.M. Mathen Mappilla 21. Editorial in the Orthodox Church 193 22. Editorial by Gomathi 200 23. Condolence 202 i. Citizens of Trivandrum ii. Citizens of Trichur Appendix 6 i. M. A. Chakko Memorial Auditorium 206 ii. Milestones 208 iii. M.A.Chakko’s Family 209 iv. Bibliography 217 Other books of the Author 218 A word about writing this book Tn connection with the preparation of this biography of the celebrated M.A. Chakko, 1 have been in contact with many people for about four years. Of them one of my chief contacts was Prof. K.P. Mathew, retired mathematics professor, U.C College, Alwaye - the son of Mary Poulose, eldest daughter of M.A Chakko and also my friend of long standing. In one of his letters he writes: - “Ever since I heard about your project, I have been trying to think of people likely to be of help to you. The foremost among them would have been Advocate E. V. Mathew, my grandmother’s brother, Chakko's brother- in-law. After retirement from practising law, he had a restful life in his residence in Emakulam. During these last years, whenever we visited him he used to come out with many anecdotes. They were mainly about Chakko. No doubt he hero - worshipped Chakko. I regret I failed to record the details of the conversations for posterity. E. V.Mathew had a high sense of humour. The golden wedding jubilee of the Chakko couple was celebrated in May 1941. (Three months before Chakko's demise). For that occasion he wrote a humorous skit in which he portrayed with impish humour many important events in their wedded life. The play was enacted by his children and grandchildren, with daughter Annie taking the role of Chakko. 8 M.A. Chakko - Nasrani Simham Chakko had retired from Govt, service before 1930. So when this is being written (Aug. 2003) there is no one likely to know anything about his professional career or his style of work. Of the neighbours around Mancherly, the older ones have all passed away and the younger ones would be too young to know. I am also not in touch with the roots of our family in Parur and Ayyampilly. As my father was in Cochin Govt, service he had periodic transfers to different parts of the State and so our family had to move around. Sister Reemy who was later married to Ayyampilly also knew nobody there at that time. I have heard many elders belonging to my wife’s family in Kunnamkulam speak in very high term about the invaluable service Chakko rendered to Kunnamkulam and to the Church. ‘Nasrani Simham’- (Christian Lion) RC. Korath, the renowned journalist and man of letters, in the book Chittravedi published by him, begins the biographical note written about M.A. Chakko thus:- “M.A. Chakko who acquitted himself with excellence in his professional capacity as commandant of the Nair Brigade earned the name “Nasrani Simham”. He made his thunderous roar resound in the Cochin Legislative Council for seven years. He rendered life long service to the community at large. He was an unforgettable great soul”. The first person to refer to M.A. Chakko as ‘Nasrani Simham’ is supposed to be K.V. RaghavanNair, the editor of the daily newspaper ‘Gomathy’ of those days, published fromTrichur. It was from there that P.C. Korath took and used the word in his own articles. Ornate descriptions were too vague in the literary compositions of those days. In 1951 Ramban M.C Kuriakose Pathamuttam has referred to O.M.Cherian, K.C. Mammen Mappilai and M.A.Chakko, collectively as 9 “Nasrani Simhangal”(Christian lions) in the book “Betheliley Thamara” (The Lotus of Bethel). In preparing this book I approached Salome (Chinnamma) Kochamma first, as I did in the case of the biography of Sarah Chakko. Though she was 95, the knowledgeable Kochamma still had fairly good memory. Her reminiscential notes on the family history were invaluable. Years back when the sisters Salome, Sosamma and Annie got together in Valsa’s house in Trichur, I was also invited there. I read out to them the manuscript 1 had written till then for their suggestions and opinion. After that I went on with my work. The Orthodox Church in Trichur was built mainly through the initiative, leadership and untiring effort of M.A. Chakko. The account of the construction of the church is abstracted from the article written by Mr. K.M Abraham in its ‘Navathi’ (ninetieth year) souvenir. I had consulted Dr. K.P. George on several occasions about the writing of this book. I greatly value the help and guidance given by Dr. George and his wife Ammu who loves reading. They were also able to get hold of some old photographs for my use in this work. Adv. P.C Mathew (Kunnamkulam) was a source of stimulus and encouragement at several stages in the preparation of this book. He kept reminding me that a biography of M.A. Chakko is already long overdue and that the book should be published without further delay. I thank him. Valsa Varghese Paul gave me the account of the fabricated case filed against M.A. Chakko in which he was exonerated of all charges in the final verdict of the court. She had heard this account years ago from Adv. E. V. Mathew and written it down. It served to reveal the true facts about the defalcation charge. 10 M.A. Chakko - Nasrani Simham As the book will not be complete without a short account of M.A Chakko’s children, an attempt was made in that direction also.