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The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
How Kochi celebrated Independence Day on August 15, 1947, a day marked by heavy rain
It rained very heavily in Kochi on August 15, 1947. But that did not matter. Seventy nine years ago, to the day, bells rang all over the city, in schools and colleges, temples and churches, while the ships in the harbour, factories and mills sounded sirens to announce India's independence. 'Interestingly, the Indian flag was not hoisted at any official building in Thiruvananthapuram but the YMCA. In Kochi, the flag was hoisted at the Durbar Hall grounds, Ernakulam, by the Cochin Maharaja, Aikya Keralam Thampuran's younger brother, the Elaya Raja Rama Varma Parikshith Thampuran,' says Balagopal Varma, city historian. Grainy photographs from the day, published in the September edition of Cochin Information (archived by Granthappura, the Kerala Digital Archive) a magazine published by the Government of Cochin, show a river of black umbrellas on the road as a large crowd makes its way to Rajendra Maidan, unbothered by the rain. 'The processions started from Durbar Hall in the evening and terminated at Rajendra Maidan where a public meeting was held,' says Rajith Nair, a history enthusiast who is co-authoring a book on Kochi and the Cochin Royal Family. That day two flags were hoisted — of the Indian Union and the Cochin State — at the same level, not higher or lower than the other. The Elaya Raja declared, as he hoisted the flags, 'As a symbol of the Union of the State of Cochin with the Dominion Government and the independence of our State, let us fly the Dominion Flag and the State Flag at the same level.' He concluded the speech with 'Jai Hind! Jai Cochin!' Interestingly the two flags were hoisted at all government buildings, educational institutions, homes, shops and other establishments such as the Town Hall and Maharaja's College, to name a few, across the city. Flag hoisting ceremonies were held at Mattancherry, Thrissur, Irinjalakuda, Talappalli and Chittoor. Rajith says, 'There was a 19 gun salute. The procession comprised Girl Guides and Boy Scouts, elephants, panchavadyam, bands and more.' There is a reference to 'Muslim pipes' (in the Cochin Information article) also being part of the procession, which, Rajith guesses, could be a wind instrument like a shehnai. That is not all, there were fireworks and public meetings too to celebrate the event. A snake boat race planned for the day was cancelled on account of the heavy downpour. As part of his research for his book, Rajith has come across references to the day, which impresses upon us what the day meant. 'One of the reminiscences I came across was by one Krishna Rao, who said that his history teacher told the class that it rained so heavily in order to wash off 150-odd years of slavery!' Just a day before, on August 14, 1947, the Maharaja sent a message to the Legislative Council, informing them of the accession of the Cochin State to the Indian Federation. He wrote, 'In my view it is essential for the strength and prosperity of India that all units of the Indian Federation should as far as possible have uniform systems of administration. Therefore I am passing all departments except Devaswam [sic], Police, Jail and State Forces to Ministers under the Government of Cochin Act.' In that message, the Maharaja also declared he was prepared to act as a constitutional ruler. Wheels were set rolling on several other constitutional changes [for the Cochin State] followed, the significant ones being the abolition of the Diwanship and the establishment of the Public Service Commission. The Durbar Hall Ground has witnessed several public events, but the first Independence Day celebration, would remain the most cherished of them all.
New Indian Express
09-08-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
100 years of solace: Tripunithura Govt Ayurveda College sails into centenary year
In abundance of medicinal plants and a long lineage of expert practitioners have made Kerala a sanctum of Ayurveda. And nowhere is this made more profound than at the Government Ayurveda College, a century-old institution in Puthiyakavu near Tripunithura, Kochi. A cluster of Nalpamaram — arayal, pearl, atthi and itthi (resin-bearing ficus trees used in skin treatments) — adorns the college's entranceway. Their presence, and even their fragrance, is symbolic of its rich Ayurvedic heritage. 'While the college is indeed 100 years old, it began very modestly elsewhere — in Tripunithura, the stronghold of the erstwhile Cochin kingdom,' says Dr Jayan Damodaran, an associate professor. 'This new campus was set up only in 1973.'
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Business Standard
01-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
PM Modi to dedicate Vizhinjam International Seaport to nation Friday
Almost five months after starting commercial operations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate the Vizhinjam International Seaport to the nation on Friday. This comes at a time when Karan Adani, managing director, Adani Ports and SEZ, indicated that the group will invest ₹20,000 crore more in Vizhinjam Port, in addition to the already invested ₹5,000 crore. Based on an estimate, on an annual basis, the advantage due to this port will be to the tune of ₹2,500 crore. This is India's first transshipment hub and first deepwater container terminal. In July 2024, the port's operations officially kicked off when MV San Fernando, a vessel chartered by the world's second-largest shipping company, Maersk, arrived at the port. The commercial operations of Phase I of the project started in December 2024, and Phases II to IV of the project are likely to be over by December 2028. According to the detailed project report, Vizhinjam will be competing with Cochin and Tuticorin for its gateway containerised cargo; and with international ports like Colombo in Sri Lanka, Salalah in Oman, and Singapore for container transshipment traffic. During the first phase, the Vizhinjam Port will have the capacity to handle one million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), and subsequent phases will see the addition of 6.2 million TEUs. The Vizhinjam International Port is hardly 11 nautical miles away from the international shipping channel. Nearly 30 per cent of the freight movement takes place through this international shipping route south of the Indian peninsula. It will be India's first international deepwater transshipment port. The port has a natural draft of more than 18 metres, scalable up to 20 metres. This makes it capable of hosting even the world's largest container ship. Around 75 per cent of India's transshipped cargo is handled by ports such as Colombo, Singapore, Salalah, Jebel Ali, Tanjung Pelepas, and Port Klang (in Malaysia). This will be routed to India once the transshipment hub is in place. According to the state government, out of the initial cost of ₹8,867 crore spent for the port project, the state government's contribution is ₹5,595 crore, while Adani Group's contribution will be ₹2,454 crore.
New Indian Express
26-04-2025
- Science
- New Indian Express
Kasturirangan gave SRV a science and technology boost
KOCHI: In the passing of eminent , the SRV High School in Kochi has lost an illustrious alumni. The school held a special place in his heart and he had always been in touch with the Old Students' Association (OSA) office-bearers to enquire about the activities happening there. 'Right from the launch of OSA in 2003, Kasturirangan had been actively associated with the efforts to improve his alma mater,' former SRV OSA president and Krishna Hospital director Dr A K Sabapathy tells TNIE. Kasturirangan joined SRV in Class 3, in 1947, he recalls. 'He did Classes 1 and 2 at a school in Tripunithura. He studied up to Class 5 in SRV and left for Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1950. I was in Class 9 then.' The former Isro chief had always said the schooling he had at SRV during his formative years played a great role in moulding his life, Dr Sabapathy says. For good measure, Kasturirangan decided to show his gratitude by setting up a Science and Technology Museum at the school. 'He got Rs 1 crore sanctioned from the MP fund (he was a Rajya Sabha member from 2003-09) and set up the museum to ensure that the students passing out from SRV would have developed a scientific temper. The museum was inaugurated in 2006 by the then President A P J Abdul Kalam,' Dr Sabapathy says. In an interview with TNIE during the 175th anniversary of the school, Kasturirangan had fondly remembered his SRV years as the most eventful. 'In our class, a few tables were kept apart for the members of the Cochin royal family. These boys used to come in a limousine and enter the class just a minute before the lessons. This was to keep a level of separation between the children of the royal family and the commoners,' Kasturirangan had reminisced. He had also mentioned a meeting with the Cochin Maharaja at a function during his stint as the chairman of ISRO. 'He too was a student around the time I was at SRV. We exchanged some very pleasant experiences of sharing the same class between royalty and commoners,' the space scientist had said. While he took a keen interest in the school's activities, he could not visit the institution often as he spent much of his time in Bengaluru, Dr Sabapathy points out. 'But SRV, which has produced many illustrious personalities over the years, held a very high place in his heart. We mourn his loss which has left a big void,' he said.
