He is believed to be the only ‘Anchalottakaran’ (postal runner) in the State who can shed light on the postal system in the Anchunadu valley in the erstwhile Travancore.
At his ramshackle house at Kanakkayamkudy, near the forest check-post at Kovilkadavu between Marayur and Kanthalloor, Chapli Kannan tries to piece together memories of those days. He claims he is over 90.
He was the postal runner connecting Kanthalloor and Marayoor, the two ‘oorus’ (villages) in the Anchunadu valley comprising Marayur, Kanthalloor, Karayoor, Keezhanthoor, and Kottagudy (now in Tamil Nadu).
Holding a bell, his work would start at 6.30 a.m. from his house at Kanakkayamkudy to the Kanthalloor ‘post office’ (a distance of 8 km). From there, Kannan collected postal articles and would run to the Marayur post office and after handing over the articles and collecting materials from there would reach Kanthalloor (a distance of 32 km) and return home.
Kannan said he started the work at the age of 17 and continued till India Post took over the services. He had to leave the job sans any benefit.
He said he had the right to confront anyone who prevented his way and used to carried a weapon. The sound of the bell alerted the people about the movement of articles between the two villages.
Kannan said he received Rs.31 a month though his salary was fixed at Re.1 a day. “It was not a bad salary then,” he says.
All important articles, including cash, were then handed over through the system, he said adding that the addressee had to collect the items from the offices as there was no one to deliver them.
In The Facets of 100 Years’ Planting , published by Tata-Finlay Ltd., there is a reference of the postal system in the British-ruled Munnar.
As per the book, officials from the U.K. posted at Munnar had to apply for leave through post and one had to wait at least a month to get sanction from the British East India Company’s headquarters there.
An ‘Anchalottakaran’ sheds light on the postal system in Anchunadu valley
