Kaithavana Family Website.

Chief Guest Mr.Jacob Punnoose I.P.S. (Addl. Director General of Police) with his wife Mrs.Rebecca Punnoose.

Raju receiving rolling trophy “from the Mr.Anil Kumar (First Secretary of Indian Embassy) for being selected as this year onam’s “Malanadu Mannan.”

Raju receiving “Ponnada” from the chief guest for completing 60 years of age.

The Athapoove which won First Prize made by Pazhavangadi panchayat group..

This is an article published in a souvenir released in connection with the Onam celebration of the Ranni Association in Kuwait. The name of the article is: “Ente Ranni”. The DIG (Director General Of Police) of Kerala State was the chief guest. He also is from ranni.

By John Mandooran, Vice Patron, Ranni Pravasy Sangham- Kuwait

To me Ranni simply is not a “blind man’s landscape”. History runs down here simultaneous with the magnificent holy river Pampa: history as mysterious as its origin in the mountainous Sabarimala, diverse as its 288 tributaries, occasionally turbulent like its deluges, rich as its wild life around, colorful as its avian plumage that hovers over, devotional as its ancient riverain churches and temples , mystifying as its deep waters . We are proud of a past that is enigmatic but not undecipherable.

Ranni –An Amazing Physical Entity.

Slopping down to the west, Ranni dwells in the Western Ghats encompassed by Thiru Nelveli, Kottayam and Iddukki districts, spreading over .1046 Sq. K.Ms . On a torrential monsoon day, Ranni looks ferocious and devastating. But the starry firmament over its ninety mountains, hills and meadows on a midsummer night is simply marvellous.The aural dawn and the crimson Sunset; the canopy of lush greenery, my Ranni is simply beauteous. The highest peak Nagamala is 1830meters above sea. Dense monsoon forests are spread over an area of 1059 sq. K.Ms. The plateaus bottom into a matching number of treacherously deep cleft and ravines.Ranni has only six valleys. The six placid deep waters in the thick forests though superficially sumptuous, harbor a host of dangerous and equally harmless water species and amphibians. The forest is divided into six, demarcated by interlocking human settlement or other conspicuous geographical land marks. What is still bewildering is its 90 plus massive mountain sized rocks.–an essential and indispensable ingredient of nation building concrete.

Flora and Fauna

Ranni is the meeting place of two civilizations very ancient and ultra modern, coexisting and running parallel and subsisted by its fabulous floral and faunal wealth .There are 394 species of plants and trees each one comprising of a host of subvarieties.They do not account for the many plants and trees grown for consumption nor the plantation and the cash crops.

The fauna is awesome. Almost every household has domesticated animals- hopping rabbits to princely elephants –they are in all nine categories. The wild wood, the pasturous meadows and the dense forests are safe habitat for twenty one genera of wild animals

Hovering skylark to shrilling sparrows- the avian population constitutes 41 varieties besides the half a dozen classes of homely fowl to dancing peacock. Wriggling worms to hissing cobras, snakes & reptiles groups over a couple of dozens– Ranni is amazingly friendly and reverentially fearsome.

Evolution of the name “Ranni”

There are two inferences on the evolution of the name Ranni. The epoch making Nilackal, from time immemorial, had served as an inter-cord between Thamizhakam and Parusuram’s  coastal Kerala.The myriad of hills and vales, the dense forests, the mighty waters, the exotic vegetation, the unique wild wealth, the plexus of medicinal- herbal alkaloids, the seemingly endless and  still flowing  tribal and ancient cultures, the dormant history demonstrated in the remnants of riverain temples and churches ,the mythical past impregnant in the names of places and engraved on its rocks , provided enough logical ground to accord the name Rani- meaning the Queen of the Southern Ghats -which with passage time became Ranni.

The second hypothesis is that, hundreds of shallow rivulets and the violent tributaries merge into the gigantic main stream Pampa, at or before it reached Vadasserikkara, and attains a degree of visible calmness.Until flowing south west, the river suddenly turns north west  to circumvent Mundapuzha, Thottamon , Perumbuzha and Ayikkal to make a crescental or semicircular course when viewed between Vadasserikkara and Cherukolpuzha. This crescental course simulates the Malayalam letter RA. Neer means water and the name Ranni is attributed to the combination of these two words.

Ranni – an excavation into its mythical past.

(Based on surviving evidence or remnants of historical importance)

Sabarimala Temple and the Pilgrimage.

B.C 4000 to 400, Sabarimala and Nilackal were inhabited by the civilized Aadi Dravidians. With the advent of Buddhism, the Dravidians embraced Buddhism. The deity of Sabarimala temple was MAYON, and it became a Buddha Vihar. Shasta euphemizes Buddha. Swami Sharanam is similar to the three Sharanams (Budham Sharanam, Sangham Sharanam etc.) in Buddhism. Like in Buddhism the devotees of Sabarimala are secular Later came the Vedic Arians. They either subdued or enslaved the native population and categorized them as Shudras who disappeared into the jungles. Even today there are 22 classes of native tribes in the hinder lands of Ranni.There were 11 kinds of restrictions and 11 kinds of taxations  imposed on them including tax on breast and moustache. These cruel social discriminations were gradually lifted by the emergence of the princely state of Travencore- Cochin and the influence of western missionaries.Manikandan the prince of Pandalam palace-an incarnation of lord Vishnu on completion of his life’s mission on earth, chose to dwell in the deity at the Sabarimala temple after commissioning his followers to the annual Sabarimala temple pilgrimage, which now is the biggest in South India.

Pandalam Dynasty and Ranni under Karthas.

The rulers of Pandalam came from Madurai, around A, D 1170. . The Cheraman kings who ruled Kerala as part of Thamizhakam became extinct and their governors known as Koviladhikarikal became powerful in their localities. They ruled as Kovilakanmar. Sabarimala Poonkavanam down to Naranamoozhy was ruled by Malankovilakanmar. Unable to control them, the Pandalam king brought two war lords Chakki and Vikkiran from Pandidesham.Ranni was gifted to these brothers for their favor in destroying the Malankovilakanmar.The two brothers assumed the name of Sakthi – Vikramans and made their fortress on either side of River Pamapa.Their descendents are known as Kottayil Karthakkanmar.

Nilackal – an ancient Christiandom

Commissioned by the Master, the disciples of Christ went to all directions .According to traditions and strong belief, St. Thomas after landing in Kodungallur, went around preaching the Good News. Being hot centre of culture  and trade he arrived at Nilackal and established his seventh church there before crossing over to Chinnamala in Thamizhakam, where he became martyr.Aranmula Vilasm Hamsappattu sings for the presence of 3000 families in Nilackal .Intervention of a celestial intervention  described as Kalabra in Tamil epics , the black plague of medieval times and constant attack by dacoits from Thamizhakam, forced the inhabitants to flee Nilackal and Sabarimala rendering it into inaccessible forests. The Christians migrated to Ayroor, Chengannur, Kuravilangadu and the Brahmins to Aranmula.

Ranni and the first native Bible

Claudius Buchanan in 1806 was astonished to be presented with an invaluable scroll of Suriyani Bible when he visited Ranni Valiya Pally .On his initiative, Philippose Ramban of Kayamkulam translated it on palm leaves with the help of Thimmayyan Pillai into Malayalam. In 1811, the 4 Gospels were printed in Bombay. That was the first Bible in any of the Indian languages.

Reverse Migration- Emergence of Today’s Ranni.

The Kananya Christians migrated to Ranni from Kaduthuruthy by invitation of the Ranni rulers , the Karthas.The St.Thomas Grand Church (Ranni Valiya Pally)was dedicated to worship in1742 .The Valiya Pally could be termed as the first ecumenical church as all the episcopal denominations worshipped there  for over a century , until separate churches were built starting from Ayroor.Sporadic migration of Hindus ,Muslims and Christians  continued .With the emergence of the Mar Thoma Church , large number of Mar Thomites migrated from  surrounding areas .Few families of Pathans and Sikhs have made Ranni their abode for generations.

But the tempo of a massive reverse migration was set in to Ranni proper, Angadi, Pazhavangadi, and Vadasserikkara following the revenue settlement of 1886 when Ranni was a part of the princely state of Travencore. Plantation act of Travencore gave impetus to the Europeans in large numbers to farm plantations of rubber and tea on a massive scale in Perunadu and Chittar.By 1910, Vechoochira, Noorokkadu, Naranammoozhy and Athikkayam all became hot spot of new arriavals.Seethathdu was cleared for migration from 1948.War veterans and servicemen were resettled in Vechoochira, Landless were allocated agricultural land by clearing the peripheral forests. Resettlement colonies were also constructed to resettle the homeless. Nehru – Bandara Naikai accord saw Ranni absorbing thousands of Sri Lankans also. Rubber, Tea, Pepper, Cardamom, Cloves, Coconut, Araccanut, Coffee, and Cashew plantations changed the facet of Ranni. Undeterred by  famine,  recession of world war two, floods, wild fire, pests and wild animals, or fatal epidemics of the era, our great ancestors never stopped  from Ranni in the making.

Ranni Today

Networks of roads (P.W.D Road 448.5) K.Ms and Panchayath and M.L.A Road 870.5km.s), 8 bridges and 2 causeways were constructed across river Pampa and its auxiliaries. We have Arts, Science and Commerce College (1), Poly Technic College (1), Teachers Training Colleges (3) Vocational Higher secondary Schools (3) Higher Secondary Schools (6), High Schools (24) Upper Primary Schools (26). Lower Primary Schools (81), Unaided English Medium Schools (12), I.T.I (3), I.T.C (2) Balavadis in Ranni Block (218), Parallel Colleges (36), Commercial Institutes (16) Computer Institutes (15), Craft Centre (1). Besides, there are an unspecific numbers of small scale industry training centers- all established mostly in the private sector. There are 41 libraries, Arts- Sports-Dramatic Clubs  (99), Cultural centers and auditoriums (38), Women’s associations (134), Youth associations (33 ), Theaters (9), Boat Races (3),Religious conventions (22) Festivals, both religious and secular (39). Six of our teachers have won awards for excellence while. 46 scouts and 88 guides have won awards from the President of India.

Ranni has 47 allopathic hospitals or primary health centers, 26 Ayurvedic, 18 Homeo 13 veterinary hospitals, and nine Dental centers. Besides, there 38 families practicing medicine traditionally, called Nattu Vaidyam.

In the services Mr. A Nair IAS, Mr. Jacob Punnoose IPS have distinguished themselves while there are 17 IAS, IPS, or IFS holders. The list never ends. Judges, lawyers, decision makers at the national and state level, men of uniforms including Capt. T. K.Sukumaran Nair who lost both hands in the Bengla Desh war and awarded Showraya Chakra, six well known artists including Thilakan of the film industry, 8 outstanding sportsmen. An unaccounted number of medical doctors, six of them are nationally or internationally acclaimed. Dr P.A Thomas, Pullampallil, the well known plastic surgeon and R Unnikrishnan Nair well knew cardiologist of North America. are just a couple of them.

His Grace the Rt. Rev Dr. Juhanon Mar Thoma Metropolitan – the Bishop of national conscience during the national emergency, and the champion of house for houseless scheme which now assumed a state and national proportion, and Kuber  Neethi Hakimo Abraham Mar Clemis, the Metropolitan of the east, symbolize the human and spiritual face of Ranni. Ranni has 14 notable religious leaders, 4 young scientists, 15 social reformers, 27 authors and writers and plenty of journalists

On the Co-operative sector, there are 64service institutions, 25 diary product related and 15 of Rubber producers’; 16 nationalized banks, 31 scheduled banks

Churches-Orthodox-23,.Mar Thoma -79, Jacobite- 4,C.S.-21, St Thomas Evangelical -18 , and nearly 200 faith homes or congregations of non-Episcopal groups. Muslim Masjid-22, Hindu Temples-84, Guru Mandiram (S.N.D.P) -31. The Harijan and natives have hundreds of congregations both registered and not registered

On the political arena, we have 21 accredited freedom fighters. From 1904 -47, 19 members represented Ranni in the Sreemoolam Popular Assembly or Sreemoolam Assembly for 21 terms, and 3 in the Sree Chithira State Council. 1947 -54, there were 4 representations in the Travencore – Cochin  Assembly. Since 1957, we had 10 members serving 12 terms in the Kerala Legislative Assembly. Present M.L.A Mr. Raju Abraham is the Patron of Ranni Association in the homeland.

Our Legacy

For long the sons of Ranni remained wedded to the soil which made them honest and hard working Until recently very few of them went abroad in search of new and quick earned money especially to South East Asia (Malaysia – Singapore) and East Africa. This agrarian outlook formed the basis for the moral and mental make up of the people of Ranni. The outflow of educated ones started with the opening of the western and later the Gulf windows. The number is sizable in the North Americas compared to our counterparts from other regions of Kerala.Some of us have done exceedingly well in business or in professions.

I am proud to place on record that there is not a single incidence of an overseas Indian from Ranni having involved in any kind of monetary fraud or escaping the host country with ill gotten wealth. There has not been a single incident of a communal fight or unrest in Ranni. That is our legacy handed down by our forefathers for generations to follow.  That is ente Ranni

Mr. Jacob Punnoose, IPS, DIG , Kerala State inaugurating the Onam Celebrations of Ranni Pravasy Sangham, Kuwait on 12-09-08. Seen are John Mandooran, Vice Patron, Shibu Pullampally, Gen. Secretary, Raju C Ninan, President, Prof. Rebeca Punnoose, wife of the didstinguished guest

Onam Celebrations of Ranni Pravasy Sangham, Kuwait was conducted on the 12th Friday Sept.2008. Mr. Jacob Punnoose , DIG, Kerala State was the Chief GuestHis wife Orof. Rebeca Punnoose was also there. Thre was Atha ppove, Bharath natyam , Vanchpattu, Gana Mela etc followed by a big Ona Sadhya for 500 people. 1200 people participated in the Public Meeting. A souvenir was released by the Councillor of Indian Mission-Mr. Anil Kumar Rai.John Mandooran was the souvenir convener.Roy Kaithavana , the programme Convener .Merely Thomas compered. Jim Kaithavana was in the Executive Committee.Senior members were given Ponnada by Mr. Jacob Punnoose, including  John Mandooran. John Mandooran was selected as the Malanadu Mannan, (King of Highlands) every year given for the best traditionally dressed up participant.

1. Always like to play

2. On his passport 3. 21st Birtday celebrations at Checkerberry, Brampton,Canada(Lin’s house)

A few pictures of Stan taken at Nugra where he was born and stayed in all his life in Kuwait. We were the first occupant of the house (9th October ,1977 to 28th Feb,2006)and the last to leave whien  the building was to be  demolished .Thanks to God.