Innovative Thoughts International Research Journal pISSN 2321-5453 eISSN 2347-5722 Volume 2, Issue 3, December 2014 1 Retrieved from: http://itirj.naspublishers.com/

Innovative Thoughts International Research Journal pISSN 2321-5453 eISSN 2347-5722 Volume 2, Issue 3, December 2014 51 Retrieved from: http://itirj.naspublishers.com/ DECADAL CHANGE: RESHAPED RICE BOWL Anish Mathew1

Abstract The socio-economic changes occurred from the pre independent period to the present time in the region specially Kuttanad Taluk. Socio-economic changes in the Kuttanad region especially Kuttanad Taluk depended on the all physical factors of the region namely land features like soil, water bodies, climate, reclamation, labor, labor land relations, social and political movements, policies taken by the Government and the attitudes of the present features etc. In all these elements Kuttanad show special and unique features among other areas of . Keywords: Kuttanad, Land, Labour, Reclamation, Social change, Economic change. Kuttanad is the special physical featured land, with its outstanding terrain and with different myths and the realities. The main feature of the Kuttanad region is covered with the water bodies in the form of lake and rivers also with its tributaries. Mainly there are four rivers which wetting the soil of Kuttanad land namely Pamba, Achancovil, Manimala and Meenachil. These rivers and their tributaries wetting the whole land in the Kuttanad for Paddy cultivation and other allied services. All these rivers deposit their silts in the lap of Kuttanad. These silts are very fertile and that nourished the economy and make Kuttanad as rice bowl of the Kerala. Every life of the Kuttanad directly related with the water of lake and rivers because main occupational platforms are linked with this water logging circumstances. All occupations are directly or indirectly related with the water. Special feature of this land is low lying area with respect to the mean sea level Arabian Sea. It may be 1 to 9 feet in new Kuttanad. There are different stories relating to the emergence of the Kuttanad land mainly there are two versions about the origin of the Kuttanad Land namely they are related to Buddha and another one is about Chuttanad. All these myths are maintained in different logic. Kuttanad is the land of Kuttan which is the local Name of Buddha, so the land is known as Budha nadu and then the name is converted through the vernacular language to Kuttanad. Next myth is established on the concept of the color of the soil. First myth is backed with the evidence of the statues of Buddha in Mavelikkara and Karumadi and the second one is establishing with the evidence of the mining of the burned wood from the paddy fields and there also a history behind the myth that is once upon a time fire burned the whole forest and then they covered with the mud so the soil of the Kuttanad region has been shown as Kari Land. More than that majority of the local name Kuttanad region is known as Karis, for example Ramankari, Kainakari, Chennamkari etc. There are number of historical documents denotes about the land of Kuttanad with on its specialty. The main documentations are done by Pleny, Ward and Connor, Nagam Aiyya, Veluppillai etc. The history of geography on Kuttanad is different with respect to the present situation. According to Pleny there were number of ports in Kuttanad region namely Kadapra near Niranam, Vayaskara near , Nakkada near Thiruvalla and near Changanacherry etc. During the

1 Research Scholar, School of Social Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala.

52 Innovative Thoughts International Research Journal pISSN 2321-5453 eISSN 2347-5722 Volume 2, Issue 3, December 2014 Retrieved from:http://itirj.naspublishers.com/ division of Kerala in the first century AD into five category namely Kadanad, Venad, Poozhinad, Kuttanad and Karkkanad, the area of Kuttanad is extended to Kochi from Kollam. In the records of the Travancore Geology Department Kuttanad was the bay of Arabian Sea and cumulative deposition of sedimentation make the Kuttanad as a back water tract. Relaxing the concepts of geologists there is another theory relating to the emergence of the Kuttanad is on the forward and backward movement of the Arabian Sea. Land of Kuttanad is specialized with its soil especially in its color and mineral content. In the Kuttanad region there is 9,464 ha is under Kayal Land. The Kayal land have the depth with one meter to two meter, and the land consists of 600 hectors of padasekharams in which the kayal lands r block is the lowest Kayal land in the Kuttanad region. Soil of the Kuttanad is different with other regions of paddy cultivation, there are three types of soils in the region they are sandy, peaty and Kari, Alluvial and Laterate. In the western part of the Kuttanad region namely Ambalapuzha, Cherthala and Karthikapally having sandy soil and the main crop is coconut. Northeaster and western part of Karthikapally, Chengannur and Mavelikkara are the deltaic area formed by the four rivers of Kuttanad, but this area shows poor and low fertility and yield. Another soil variety is alluvial soil, these can seen in the part of Chengannur and Mavelikkara, main crops of this region is sugar cane and paddy cultivation. In some part of the Ambalappuzha, Karthikappally and Cherthala have the soil of laterate, which have the crops of coconut, areca nut, and vegetables. According to Ward and Conner (Ward and Connor, 1901) who gives an idea about the Kuttanad Land area and he defines the Kuttanad area in all perspectives namely this area was under the regime of Chempakassery chieftain and the division of land is mentioned as pakuthies, who says that there are 12 pakuthies. The pakuthies are Thalavady, Purakkad, Pulincunnu Kavalam, Ambalappuzha, Karumadi, Thakazhi, Alappuzha, Kainakari, Champakulam, Nedumudi, and Kozhimukku. In his writings he used present Ambalappuzha Taluk as Umballapoly with the density of population 450 per square Kilometer. Then the other notified historian Nagam Aiyya he divides the Kuttanad in to 22 divisions covered over four districts namely Ettumanur, Ambalappuzha and Changanacerry. Finally here quoting the report of the Enquiry Commission about Kuttanad depicts with the narration of Sangham Literature there is 12 principalities as nadus. The land of Kuttanad is divided in many aspects according to the feasibility of the study by the scholars. As far as concern the studies examples for the divisions are:  Upper Kuttanad  Lower Kuttanad  Northern Kuttanad Secondly the Kuttanad region is divided on the agrestic regions namely  Kayal Land  Lower Kuttanad  Upper Kuttanad  Northern Kuttanad  Purakkad Kari  Kari

Innovative Thoughts International Research Journal pISSN 2321-5453 eISSN 2347-5722 Volume 2, Issue 3, December 2014 53 Retrieved from: http://itirj.naspublishers.com/ The type, area, sea level and the district area is detailing below on table. Table1. Type, Area, Sea Level and the District Area

Sl.No. Type of Land Area (ha) Sea Level Districts area 1 Kayal Land 9,464 1-2m below Alappuzha, Kottayam 2 Lower Kuttanad 16,280 1.5 below and 1m Alappuzha above 3 Upper Kuttanad 10,576 0.5 m above to 6.0 m Kottayam, Alappuzha 4 Purakkad Kari 3,500 1.5-2.0 m Alappuzha 5 North Kuttanad 7,748 Above Sea Level Kottayam 6 Vaikom Kari 6,556 Above Sea Level Kottayam

According to the categorization there is six parts in the Kuttanad region they are Kayal Land, Lower Kuttanad, Upper Kuttanad, Purakkad Kari, Northern Kuttanad and Vaikom Kari. The area of land consists of the area 9464, 16,280, 10,576, 3,500, 7,748, 6,556 respectively, sea level is different from one to other parts of the region1-2 meter below, 1.5 and 1 meter above, .5 meter above, 1.5 to 2 meter below, north Kuttanad and Vaikom Kari are above the mean sea level respectively. The area covered on the districts are; Kayal land covers two districts Alappuzha- Kottayam, lower Kuttanad covers Alappuzha, upper Kuttanad covers Kottayam- Alappuzha, Purakkad Kari covers Alappuzha, North Kuttanad covers Kottayam and the Vaikom Kari covers Kottayam respectively. The total environmental structure influences each and every villagers more or less the same way, despite the fact that there may be quantitative differences, it is found that people in one village own land or paddy fields in another area mere there is a difference in agricultural practices or laborers from one area migrate to another for work, etc, even like this there is heterogeneity in the environmental issues like flood, water salinity, pattern of agricultural trend.

Type of land Area(h.a) Garden 31,000 Wetland 11,000 Reclaimed land 55,000 Water bodies (lake, canals) 13,000 Total land 1,10,000

Source: MSSR on Kuttanad package

54 Innovative Thoughts International Research Journal pISSN 2321-5453 eISSN 2347-5722 Volume 2, Issue 3, December 2014 Retrieved from:http://itirj.naspublishers.com/ In this table the type of land and area is explained. In this categorization land is divided into four types. They are garden lands which is 31000 hectors, wetland which is 11000 hectors, the amount of reclaimed land is 55000 hectors, total water bodies including Lake and land canals is 13000 hectors and the total land area is 1, 11,000 hectors.

Punja classification Area (h.a.) Karappadam 33,000 Kayal 13,000 Kari 9,000

Source: MSSR on Kuttanad package According to the Punja classification the area of Karappadam is 33000 hectors, the Kayal area is 13000 and the amount of Kari land is 9000 hectors. Land of Kuttanad can be differentiating with its productivity. There are cultivable land, uncultivable land, cultivable waste land and barren land. As mentioned in the history about society, every society is started with some peoples, their thirst was hunting for food and then they gathered in the banks of rivers, may be Kuttanad had the same story, but when concern about agriculture and agrestic slavery in Kuttanad records shows some new information about this. Before the abolition of slavery in Travancore the agrestic sector is driven by the slaves without any grievances to the lord. In 1835 the slavery abolition proclamation introduced in Travancore but Malabar continued the slavery more years. That discussion can be developing only through the discussion of land, ownership, caste, class, etc. First form of labor in the world ware free labor they wandered and worked as they like. After rolling some centuries the concept of labor is changed either they tied or lied beneath the power especially in agriculture sector. Situations are not different in the Kuttanad. First form of labors was as freed generations. After the land ownership changed to the other groups, changed the concept of labor and use of labor land relations. In the records of Wilson who depicts a statistics of whole slaves in Kerala inter different old states namely Malabar, Cochin and Travancore consists of 401,000 slaves. In the history of the Travancore slavery in agriculture sector prevailed in its vulgar form. According to Kamalasanan (Kamalasanan , 1993) the entire slaves is in the Kuttanad region belongings to Paraya and Pulaya community and they were paid worse remuneration. The ownership of the land in Kuttanad is same as traditional Kerala land ownership model that is major part of the land holdings are hold by the minor pat of upper class/caste. And the all labor force is possessed by this minor group either through power or through threatening. That land structure is fully loaded with the power structure. Basically the history of the land ownership goes to the three different categorical ownerships Not only in Kuttanad but all over the world slavery is mainly related to the land. Kerala’s land tenures are probably unique with respect to the other places in and other places of the world (Robin Jeffrey, 1976). Ownership of the land hold by may be some caste or some class. In Kerala and

Innovative Thoughts International Research Journal pISSN 2321-5453 eISSN 2347-5722 Volume 2, Issue 3, December 2014 67 Retrieved from: http://itirj.naspublishers.com/

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