P Zachariah, March 9th, 2018
Mathan’s note about Ammachy reminds me of one special aspect of Appachen which obviously Ammachy also affirmed.
Appachen belonged to the Kotturethu family. They are very proud of their patriarchal lineage and celebrate it with an annual family get together in Changannoor. But Appachen himself seems to have had a distinct matrilineal leaning.
The persons he was most attached to in his generation in the family were his oldest sister Pallikkal Ammachy in Vadaserikara, and her husband. She was quite a matriarch and her husband the equivalent of the Panchayat president. Appachen would visit them whenever possible cycling about 50 km, the last half quite uphill. She had six daughters in a row till her only son emerged. She must have been near 40 by then when she had her last daughter, Deenamma, afflicted with Down’s Syndrome. All these daughters were very close to us, particularly three whose families were quite intertwined with ours, now going down to their own grandchildren.
Appachen’s other older sister was married to Varkey Achen of the Mar Thoma church. Being a pastor in the back waters area around Edathuaa, he was generally of limited means and Appachen was particularly conscious of this. This Ammachy passed away in the 1920s leaving three sons and one daughter. Appachen felt personally responsible for them. The oldest, Avarachayan (K V Abraham) was practically the oldest son in Tiruvalla. So much so that when Appachen passed away without leaving a will, Ammachy entrusted the partition of our limited assets to him. (Mathan is the second son of Avarachayan). The only daughter of that family Aleykutty kochamma was definitely the oldest daughter in Tiruvalla. It was there that her future husband M S Cherian came to meet her and hers was the first marriage in Tiruvalla family. It was to Tiruvalla that she came to for her first confinement. I was just about four years then and assumed that this little girl naturally “belonged” with us. As was the custom, the father’s family came on the 56th day to take away the mother and child. There was quite a celebration, with Palakad Achen (Appachen’s youngest brother) conducting the baptism and naming at home. When the visitors left with the child, I let let out a huge howl which is part of the family lore. The other two sons from Edathuaa equally “belonged” in Tiruvalla.
Appachen’s younger sister Rosamma kochamma was married to Mr. Thomas, the Registrar in Trivandrum, quite an important official. They had nine children in a row. Running such a home in the capital city was quite a challenge which was totally left to the mother. In her tenth confinement she died of postpartum hemorrhage after delivering Oonniemon. Appachen felt particularly responsible for this family. Oonnie came to Tiruvalla when he was five days old and naturally became the youngest son in Tiruvalla. He somehow survived a very stormy infancy, with chronic diarhoea on artificial feeds, a very arduous time for Ammachy who was also looking after her aging widower father. All the younger children from Trivandrum would come to Tiruvalla for their summer vacation. When it was over, Appachen would arrange for their wardrobe for the next year. The second oldest son of that family got a job in Tiruvalla and stayed with us for quite a few years till he got married.
Clearly, Appachen and Ammachy took their role as Ammaachen and Ammai with utmost faithfulness.
Mathan’s note about Ammachy reminds me of one special aspect of Appachen which obviously Ammachy also affirmed.
Appachen belonged to the Kotturethu family. They are very proud of their patriarchal lineage and celebrate it with an annual family get together in Changannoor. But Appachen himself seems to have had a distinct matrilineal leaning.
The persons he was most attached to in his generation in the family were his oldest sister Pallikkal Ammachy in Vadaserikara, and her husband. She was quite a matriarch and her husband the equivalent of the Panchayat president. Appachen would visit them whenever possible cycling about 50 km, the last half quite uphill. She had six daughters in a row till her only son emerged. She must have been near 40 by then when she had her last daughter, Deenamma, afflicted with Down’s Syndrome. All these daughters were very close to us, particularly three whose families were quite intertwined with ours, now going down to their own grandchildren.
Appachen’s other older sister was married to Varkey Achen of the Mar Thoma church. Being a pastor in the back waters area around Edathuaa, he was generally of limited means and Appachen was particularly conscious of this. This Ammachy passed away in the 1920s leaving three sons and one daughter. Appachen felt personally responsible for them. The oldest, Avarachayan (K V Abraham) was practically the oldest son in Tiruvalla. So much so that when Appachen passed away without leaving a will, Ammachy entrusted the partition of our limited assets to him. (Mathan is the second son of Avarachayan). The only daughter of that family Aleykutty kochamma was definitely the oldest daughter in Tiruvalla. It was there that her future husband M S Cherian came to meet her and hers was the first marriage in Tiruvalla family. It was to Tiruvalla that she came to for her first confinement. I was just about four years then and assumed that this little girl naturally “belonged” with us. As was the custom, the father’s family came on the 56th day to take away the mother and child. There was quite a celebration, with Palakad Achen (Appachen’s youngest brother) conducting the baptism and naming at home. When the visitors left with the child, I let let out a huge howl which is part of the family lore. The other two sons from Edathuaa equally “belonged” in Tiruvalla.
Appachen’s younger sister Rosamma kochamma was married to Mr. Thomas, the Registrar in Trivandrum, quite an important official. They had nine children in a row. Running such a home in the capital city was quite a challenge which was totally left to the mother. In her tenth confinement she died of postpartum hemorrhage after delivering Oonniemon. Appachen felt particularly responsible for this family. Oonnie came to Tiruvalla when he was five days old and naturally became the youngest son in Tiruvalla. He somehow survived a very stormy infancy, with chronic diarhoea on artificial feeds, a very arduous time for Ammachy who was also looking after her aging widower father. All the younger children from Trivandrum would come to Tiruvalla for their summer vacation. When it was over, Appachen would arrange for their wardrobe for the next year. The second oldest son of that family got a job in Tiruvalla and stayed with us for quite a few years till he got married.
Clearly, Appachen and Ammachy took their role as Ammaachen and Ammai with utmost faithfulness.
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