From Winchester to City of Truth

UK couple Marianne Mecklenburg and David Mecklenburg recall their tryst with Kozhikode

Marianne Mecklenburg and David Mecklenburg in conversation with some former employees of Comtrust weaving factory at Mananchira on Friday.— Photo: K. Ragesh

A trip from the City of Winchester to Kozhikode after several decades and that too for recalling the fond memories associated with the City of Truth. Marianne Mecklenburg and David Mecklenburg, an elderly couple from the United Kingdom, were literally enjoying every moment they spent on the courtyard of the century-old Comtrust Weaving Factory at Mananchira and other historical locations earlier owned by the English and Scottish Joint Co-operative Wholesale Society (E&SJCWS) in the city, on Friday.

“My father John Norman Marsh, who was a former manager of E&SJCWS, had very close association with some of his counterparts at the Comtrust factory. We used to visit this place during our childhood days and as part of the business,” said Ms. Mecklenburgh after visiting the laid-off factory with some former employees. “Those days, we lived in a bungalow of the company at Chevayur. However, my schooling was in Ooty. Now, the house is not there, and the land is now under the ownership of a private management school,” she added.

A surprise for residents

The visit of the foreign couple was quite a surprise for many as they tried to unfold the face of an unseen Kozhikode throughout their conversations with the local people and the changes they witnessed. Ms. Mecklenburgh, who spent around 14 years in Kozhikode till she left for the UK in 1967, was awestruck when some former Comtrust employees described the history of the weaving factory that was once under the control of her father’s close friends.

The couple also enquired about the current situation in the factory and the former employees’ demand that the government take over the unit for conservation purpose. “Of course, this [factory] has to be protected like a monument in all possible ways, and it will be a solid contribution to the history of this country and its trade relations with foreign nations,” they pointed out. They also visited the KSEB building on the beach side that was formerly a possession of E&SJCWS for their local operations.

Amid the cheer of refreshing old memories, the couple also shared their anxiety over the “frightening traffic movement” in the city with helter-skelter driving and jay-walking. “The changes that the city witnessed in the past five decades surprised us a lot, but the chaotic road traffic has to change,” said Ms. Mecklenburgh with a mischievous look at her driver. However, Mr. Mecklenburgh said it was far better than the situation in New Delhi.