On
Mattancherry island, off Kochi, the Kutchi Muslims,
Konkanis, Gujaratis, and
the Jews, apart from locals, have lived next to each other for
centuries
Photo: The wedding of Shahran Sait and Zeba Abdul Kader
By
Shevlin Sebastian
On
the stage of the Town Hall, Kochi, the Imam leads prayers from the
Koran. The bridegroom, Shahran Sait, is resplendent in a brown
sherwani, with a red turban and a violet stole placed across his
shoulders. Family members sit on the stage and observe closely. After
fifteen minutes of prayers, Shahran signs the nikaah document and the
marriage is over.
Then
the girl, Zeba Abdul Kader, is brought to the stage. She is wearing a
lehenga, her arms and hands covered in mehendi, apart from a gold
necklace and earrings. Her face is covered by a dupatta. Then after a
bit of teasing, where the groom's family has to shell out money, the
bride's face is revealed.
Zeba
then reaches out and takes Shahran's hand and places it over her
right and left eye and to her lips, as an act of taking a blessing
from the spouse. And thus a Kutchi Memon wedding was concluded with
hugs and kisses all around.
The
Kutchi Memons came to Mattancherry island, near Kochi, in 1815
because of a severe drought in Kutch, Gujarat. “They began their
lives in Kerala as businessmen,” says Abdul Azeez, the former joint
chief manager of the Bank of India. “Many of them exported dry
prawns to countries like Burma. They would also bring back clothes,
dates, and sugar.”
Often,
the local people called them Saits or Sethu (owners). In 1875, the
Memons constructed a Kutchi Hanafi mosque, which still exists. It is
a traditional type house with wooden windows and a sloping red-tiled
roof. In 1895, the Memons set up the Indian Chamber of Commerce and
Industry as well as the Coronation Club. It was built in an area
which was gifted by Rama Varma, the Maharaja of Cochin. The name was
given in honour of the Coronation Durbar held in Delhi in 1911, to
celebrate the ascension of King George V.
Today,
there are 700 families comprising 3000 members, and they identify
themselves as Hanafi Muslims. “We believe that there is one Allah
and Prophet Mohammed is his messenger,” says A.S. Abdul Latheef,
a managing committee member of the Kutchi Memon Jamaat.
The
families are close-knit and loyal. At home, they stick to traditional
foods. The most well-known dish is Muttiya. “These are dumplings
set in meat and vegetable broth,” says homemaker Raziya Yacoob. “We
also enjoy Gundh Ka Laddoo, which comprises gond (gum crystals),
semolina, and dry fruits.”
Most
of the Memons continue to be businessmen. “The Abad group is the
biggest,” says businessman Gaffar Essa. “They run several hotels,
are sea-food exporters, and into real estate.”
But
there are a few who are poor. To help them, the Kutchi Memon
Association has been formed. “It looks after the medical and
educational needs of these people,” says Dr. Sadith Sait.
Fleeing
persecution
On
a hot sweltering day, educationist and author N. Purushothma
Mallaya is
sitting under a fan in his home at Kotuval Lane. The foremost
proponent of the Konkani language, his desk is filled with papers,
files and several books.
“The
first batch of Konkanis came in 1294, when Allauddin Khilji had
attacked Goa,” says Mallaya. “Later, during the Portuguese
Inquisition in 1568 A.D., the Konkanis were given the option: convert
to Christianity or leave.”
A
few thousand Gowda Saraswat Brahmin families left the region. They
were accompanied by the Kundumbis (who do field work), Vaniyars
(traders), and Sonars (who do the goldsmith work).
The
Konkanis went all over South India. A group arrived at Calicut, but
the Zamorin King asked them to leave. “The Konkanis came to Cochin
and met the Raja at the Mattancherry Palace,” says
Mallaya. “Behind the palace, there was a filthy area called the
Cherlai. The king donated the land and the Konkanis prospered and
made it a commercial city. The Raja was happy.”
In
1627, through an inscription on a copper plate, the Raja gave them
permission to build houses of brick and stone. “In those days,
homes of that kind were allowed only for the native Brahmins,” says
Mallaya. “He also gave us the right to do business in foreign
countries.”
Later,
the Konkanis constructed the Thirumala Devaswom temple, in which Sree
Venkateshwara is the presiding deity. Eventually, the community built
16 temples.
Incidentally,
Mallaya’s mother N.M. Saraswathibai was the first woman teacher in
Kerala.
She
taught Marathi at the Thirumala Devasom Balikadharmam Patshala in
1908. “People called her ‘Missy,’” says Mallaya. “I was the
‘son of missy. ’”
Today,
there are 30,000 Konkanis in Mattancherry. Most of them are
businessmen. “People said business is supposed to be done by the
Vaishyas [traders], so why are Brahmins doing it?” says Mallaya.
“But at that time who would give us jobs? And according to
Manusmriti, Brahmins can do business when necessity arises.” So the
Konkanis did trade in rice, ran hardware and provision stores, and
were dealers in Ayurveda medicines. They also became prominent
because of their papadam-making skills, as well as the jewellery
business.
One
of the most prominent jewellery shops is the Geeri Pai showroom in
Kochi, which belongs to the Pai family. “My great-grandfather M.
Madhav Pai landed up at Pallipuram from Goa during the Portuguese
Inquisition and later moved to Mattancherry,” says Ramesh Pai,
a member of the current generation. “Initially, Madhav Pai began
dealing in Ayurveda medicines, before branching out into gems,
stones, and gold jewellery. He used to supply jewellery to the Royal
family at Tripunithara and other members of the elite.” Today, the
thriving business is more than 100 years old.
The
land of Gujjus
When
you step into Gujarati Road, it seems that you are back in the state
that Chief Minister Narendra Modi presides over. There is a large
Gujarati school, which has more than 1200 students. Near it, there is
a sweetmeat shop which sells jalebis and gulab jamun. There are
wayside shops where the language spoken loudly is Gujarati. And in a
ground-floor apartment lives Mulraj N. Ved, 83, the patriarch of his
clan. “I was born and brought up here,” he says. “But we have
retained our Gujarati customs and religious rituals.”
It
is easy to do that because there are eight temples within a
one-kilometre radius. “We celebrate Diwali, Holi, and Navaratri,”
he says. “During the festivals, we also do the garba and the
dandiya raas dances.”
Mulraj
has been a businessman all his life. For more than 50 years he has
dealt in stationery, agency work and the export of coir yarn. It
helped that Mattancherry has an all-weather port, so trade
could be done throughout the year. Now his three sons have followed
in his wake. Interestingly, all of them have married girls from their
caste, but two are from Mumbai, while one is from Vidarbha in
Maharashtra. “My sons had arranged marriages,” says Mulraj. “But
nowadays, inter-caste weddings also take place.”
As
he talks, Mulraj's daughter-in-law, Rashmi Tushar, brings steaming
cups of tea made in the Gujarati way: with masala powder, cloves,
ginger, and cardamom. The community has retained their food habits.
So they eat chappatis, puris, bajra, and lots of vegetables, as well
as sweets. “But we also have Kerala-style idlis, masala dosas, and
sambhar,” says Rashmi.
Today,
there are 4000 Gujaratis in Mattancherry. “Nearly half are
businessmen,” says Chetan Shah, the secretary of the Sri Cochin
Gujarati Mahajan. “There are also people who work in banks,
insurance, and in other jobs in the private sector.”
Like
the Konkanis, the Gujaratis moved out their state when Mahmud Ghazni
attacked the Somnath Temple in 1025 A.D. “We came
to Mattancherry by country boats,” says Chetan. “First,
we went to Calicut, Alleppey and then to Kochi and Mattancherry. The
Kings of Cochin, Calicut, and Travancore accepted us because they
were educated, cultured, and broad-minded.”
Going,
going... gone
There
are only nine Jews left in Mattancherry. “We range in
age from 40 to 90,” says Yael Hallegua, 40, the warden of the
Pardesi Synagogue in Jew Town. “Our population has been declining
for years, so I am not surprised that we are only so few now.”
The
white-skinned Jews came to Mattancherry from Spain during the Spanish
Inquisition of 1478, when the Jews were persecuted during the reign
of Queen Isabella.
On
Jew Street, the most prominent structure is the Pardesi synagogue. It
is more than 450 years old and was built on land given by the Raja of
Cochin. In fact, the synagogue and the Mattancherry palace
share a wall.
Inside,
there are glass chandeliers and a brass pulpit. The
floor comprises Chinese-make porcelain tiles. There is also a carpet
donated by Haile Selassie, the last king of Ethiopia. “We use it
only during important functions,” says Yael.
On
the street there are other houses where Jews live. One in which
Queenie, the wife of the late warden of the synagogue, Sammy
Hallegua, lives, is more than 100 years old.
To
run services in the synagogue, you need a minimum of ten male Jews,
over 13 years of age. “So the Malabari Jews from Kochi, who number
about 45, help to fill the quorum,” says Yael.
(The New Indian Express, South India and Delhi)
Nice blog on the rich history of Cochin! Its positive articles like these that reaffirms my faith in humanity,peace and tolerance.
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