WHEN SENIOR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Pratul Sharma first broached the story idea that developed into this week’s cover story, I wondered if ancient India had truly democratic institutions. However, his article put things into perspective for me and will clarify the subject for you, too, dear reader.
I knew that in more recent times Maharaja Sri Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma is considered to be the first Indian king to implement participatory governance as he founded the Travancore Legislative Council (1888 to 1932). It was the governing body of the princely state and gave non-royals a limited say in state affairs.
In fact, Travancore had two houses—the legislative council and the Sri Moolam Praja Sabha, also known as the Sri Moolam Popular Assembly. The praja sabha gave elected representatives an opportunity to voice their grievances and submit petitions, while the legislative council discussed the framing of laws. The sovereign had the final say in all matters, of course.
My grandfather K.C. Mammen Mappillai served in both houses twice, and it is quite interesting to see the list of subjects he took up. The bulk of his speeches seems to have been on two issues: rights of depressed classes, and education (not surprising, as he was a headmaster before he became editor of the Malayala Manorama newspaper). His choice of topics was surprising to me because he was elected from the Merchants’ Constituency (North) and was essentially a representative of the businessmen.
The legislative council has another distinction—it had on its rolls the first woman to be nominated to any legislative assembly in India. Dr Mary Poonen Lukose was also the first female surgeon general in India. She was from Arundhati Roy’s own Aymanam village. Among other institutions, Lukose founded the tuberculosis sanatorium that has grown into the Kanyakumari Government Medical College.
Coming back to the cover story, we also have a column on the main theme by Dr Upinder Singh of Ashoka University, and interviews with Dr Raghuvendra Tanwar, chairman of Indian Council of Historical Research, and Shaurya Doval of the India Foundation.
But the Independence Day Special issue is not all heavy history, I assure you. There is a humorous take on some Indian communities by Special Correspondent Anjuly Mathai and guest writers like Sanchari Mookherjee, Subhashini Dinesh, Sarang Sathaye, Jay Vasavada and Vikramjit Singh.
I also liked our Resident Editor R. Prasannan’s passionate defence of the baton, which the Indian Navy is phasing out. Let us not throw the baby out with the bathwater, please.
I will stop with a present-day connection to something I said above. My grandfather’s second term in the Travancore Legislative Council ended in 1928. He ran again that year and lost to V.J. Oommen, grandfather of the recently deceased Oommen Chandy, former chief minister of Kerala. Chandy was Kerala’s longest-serving legislator, having held the Puthupally constituency for almost 53 years. The bypoll to fill Chandy’s seat will be held on September 5, and the Congress is fielding his son—Chandy Oommen.