On a forsaken corner of Amachadi Thuruth, a tiny island located in the Vembanad lake between Poothotta in Ernakulam district and Perumbalam in Alappuzha, stands a dilapidated, tiled-roof house. Wild undergrowth and slush have made it inaccessible even for the handful of residents on the island. The paint-chipped walls, missing door, and cracked floors point to years of disuse.
In the courtyard is a tombstone in deplorable condition. Several years ago, the name ‘Amachadi Thevan’ engraved on the headstone might have been clearly visible. Now, only prior knowledge of the place’s history can lead one to believe that hidden in layers of grime and mold is the name long-forgotten in the annals of Kerala’s socio-political history.
Thevan was a Dalit fighter who played an active role in the Vaikom Satyagraha, a crucial milestone in Kerala’s struggle for equality. According to the writings of Manarcad Sasikumar, who has documented his life, Thevan worked closely with Satyagraha leaders T.K. Madhavan and K.P. Kesava Menon. Before the protest was launched, he joined Madhavan in entering a temple at Poothotta, causing a huge uproar among the ‘upper castes’.
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A supporter of the Congress, Thevan was attacked by thugs hired by Indanthuruthil Namboothiri, the leader of the upper castes, and a solution of lime was poured into his eyes, nearly blinding him. Thevan was later arrested along with other protesters and tortured.
Sasikumar’s writings mention that Kesava Menon, who had great fondness for Thevan, introduced him to Mahatma Gandhi when he visited Vaikom. Thevan’s grandson Velayudhan says Gandhiji later sent medicines that helped him regain his eyesight, a fact mentioned in the writings of Sasikumar and Orna Krishnankutty, a chronicler of Dalit histories.
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Though the Satyagraha did not achieve its aim of securing immediate entry for lower castes to the Vaikom Mahadeva Temple, it set the pace for the temple entry movement in Kerala and led to the signing of the historic Temple Entry Proclamation in November 1936 that allowed all persons entry into all temples in the State regardless of their caste.
However, as the heroes of Vaikom were celebrated, Thevan’s role was forgotten. Krishnankutty terms as deliberate the attempt to keep the contributions of a member of the Pulaya community out of recorded history. It is the fate shared by all Dalit fighters of Kerala, he adds.
A.T. Prabhakaran, the youngest of Thevan’s 12 children, casts aspersions on the way the ownership of the land on which Thevan lived went to someone else. . . When Thevan returned from jail in 1925, his dwelling on Amachadi had been destroyed by vengeful upper caste members. Prabhakaran says it was T.K. Madhavan who helped Thevan secure nearly one acre on the island. The 76-year-old says he has spent his retired life knocking on the doors of authorities, demanding the restoration of the remaining 40-odd cents.
According to the Manakunnam village officer, the land was transferred to a private party as per the Thripunithura Resurvey Superintendent’s orders in 2005. Since the matter is pending before the court, no tax has been paid on the property since 2010-11, he adds.
Krishnankutty says the government has made no effort to preserve the only memorial to Thevan. “Perhaps they want the house and the surroundings to be ruined so they can erase my father’s role in history completely,” alleges Prabhakaran, adding that he does not have the money to maintain the memorial. “Isn’t it because I am a member of the SC community that I have had to face such injustice,” he asks.