KERALA 50(PART-1)

Tomorrow is the 94th day of Sree Chithira Tirunal, the last Maharaja of Travancore. It is an apt moment to recollect his role in the formation of Kerala, in its golden jubilee year. Many carry misgivings regarding, the power shift, formation of independent Travancore, the role of Amma Maharani, and Sir C P.


“The Maharajas of the Travancore were never against democracy. The seed for people participation in the Government was sown by Sree Moolam Tirunal, in 1888. Soon after his ascendancy he felt that the concentration of the Executive and the Legislature in the same hands was objectionable. All legislative measures directly affect the well-being of the people and hence should have the guarantee of the mature consideration and due deliberation. So he established Legislative Council for the State. This was the first Legislative Assembly in India, which came into being on the first of Chingom 1064(August 1888)” said His Highness Uthradom Tirunal Marthanda Varma, the present head of the Travancore Royal Family.

“When the world moves forward, we must move with it, or it will leave us behind. Neither Princes nor people can afford to ignore this progressive tendency” was Sree Moolam Tirunal’s attitude, while formulating the Legislative Assembly. This amply displays his far sightedness.

Inaugurating the first meeting on 23rd of August, Sir T Rama Row, observed “…we need no better evidence than the establishment of Legislative Council which shows our Sovereign’s deepest interest in the welfare of the people...In keeping pace with the changes of time he had reformed the system of administration.”

In 1904 the number of members was increased to 15 from eight. In the same year, he gave the opportunity to the people to express their wants and views regarding the administrative measures. The objective was to gauge how the action of the government affected the people. It led to the formation of Sree Mulam Popular Assembly. In the next year the privilege of electing most of the members were given to the people. The number of members was increased to 100” recollected His Highness.

“Travancore is the first State in India to establish adult franchise. My brother Sree Chithira Tirunal soon after his investiture in 1931 followed the path of his predecessor and introduced the Sree Chithira Tirunal Legislative Council based on adult franchise and resolved to establish a responsible government. The elected members were summoned to submit proposals to the then existing constitution. My brother was confident that that the deliberations of the Body would result in developing schemes and policies for the well-being and the contentment of his subjects.”

“When the King Emperor affixed his Assent to the Indian Independence Bill at 4 pm on Friday 18th July 1947, my brother gave the radio-message at 8.45 pm on the same day re-affirming his courageous and far sighted decision, that the State would re assure her independence and Sovereignty in full measure on the lapse on 14th of August 1947. His is the most historic and unselfish documentation unparalleled act of voluntary renunciation of imperial sway in the annals of humanity” said His Highness Uthradom Tirunal Marthanda Varma.

Why INDEPENDENT Travancore?
Travancore was a prosperous country and a priceless heritage. Take any field, the state stood first. The Maharajas primary aim was the welfare of the subjects and the State marched forward. No one can deny the fact that in the 1950s Travancore was the most advanced State in India.
Amma Maharani and Sir C P were the driving force, behind all the reforms brought out by Sree Chithira Tirunal. Maharani had illustrious forbear like Rani Gouri Lekshmi Bayi and Rani Parvathi Bayi, the latter of whom aspired to introduce universal education. All the reforms were implemented firmly under his guidance. HHCT was a great visionary” remembered Uthradom Tirunal.


Chithira Tirunal once remarked about his mother thus: “The position of the mother of a ruler is a difficult one but no one has realized more vividly and deeply than Her Highness that the responsibility of Ruler ship is individually His Highness’. The restraints of affection, imposed by self-discipline, are more notable than many other traits and that restraint has been the characteristic of Her Highness.”
Her Highness ambition has always been so to train Chithira Tirunal in such a way that, the results of that training should be manifested in the exercise of sole and undivided responsibility by His Highness in respect of the affairs of State. To be self-sacrificing and to be self-restraint is a feat and an achievement in itself.
Those who had come across her knew how deeply important, how vital was her advice during the period preceding and succeeding the temple entry proclamation. Realizing that the times demanded progress a move forward she inspired she stimulated she encouraged and she applauded.

IN these circumstances how could she renounce the country, which she and her predecessors had nurtured for centuries? It is only the human psychology that worked while parting with some thing for which you had devoted your entire life for generations and one has to understand. This tendency is universal.

If you want to give it a different color, it can be interpreted in many ways. The Kochi Maharaja Rama Varma Preekshith while renouncing his Kingdom demanded that only the Panchagom should be made available free. It is interpreted as a great sacrifice for it made V P Menon’s job easier. He never resisted but surrendered completely. So naturally he entered into the good book of V P Menon. It was an ego trip for Menon.

Advisor Ministry of State Government of India accompanied by Mrs. Menon arrived at Trivandrum Air port in a special Dakota plane of the Government of Mysore on 5th March 1949. At the press conference he made it clear that he had not come to Trivandrum on a pleasure trip but that he had come in connection with matters of political importance. The people of Travancore alone are not concerned with the future of the state. He wanted to ascertain the views of people having different shades of opinion. He would hold talks on the strong move for a unified Kerala.

India’s independence and reorganization of states is an epochal event for the nation. The emerging political structure brought with it lot of pain mixed with pleasure for the erstwhile rulers. The same was true for Chithira Tirunal who was at the helm when India became independent.

“A striking character in Chithira Tirunal was innate ability to adapt to circumstances. What better situation can I think of to elucidate this feature than the days he spent with V P Menon –who represented the new government in Delhi and came to negotiate the accession to the union. While Chithira Tirunal spent his morning and post lunch session discussing the nitty-gritty of the new political unit one would also find him spending time with his little niece narrating Panchatantra and ESOPs fables” remembered Uthradom Tirunal.
“V P Menon was here for three days. On all these days he had been insisting the Maharaja to sign the agreement. But for the Maharaja, the country is not his. He cannot alienate a property which did not belong to him by signing a document. BUT HE NEVER OBJECTED IN TAKING THE PROPERTY. Any way it was not appreciated. He could not take the customary oath of office as the Raj Pramukh of the Travancore –Kochi State. This is because he has no oath taking except to the Lord Sree Padmanabha Swami. And there fore the Government of India allowed him only to affirm the Constitution of India.”
“The position of Lord Padmanabha in the history of Travancore is well known. The family, carries out their owe, as the ruler on behalf of the deity hence the name Padmanabhadasa which implies “in the service of Lord Padmanabha”. Performing duties as Padmanabhadasa therefore endows the ruler with a degree of humility, an outcome, of the ingrained thought that one is just an instrument of the Supreme” said the His Highness Marthanda Varma and continued “Since then the people of Travancore have ever regarded the country as the possession of Sree Padmanabha and the king as HIS representative. This prevented my brother from signing the document. Today many misinterpret even the historic Truppadidanam. It is very unfortunate.” Uthradom Tirunal said.