What does a name reveal about a place, and who gets to choose it? In Palarivattom’s Friendship Nagar, the answer lies not in land records or lineage, but in lived relationships.
Tucked behind Pipeline Road in Palarivattom, Friendship Nagar defies the convention of naming a place after families, politicians, or socio-cultural icons. This residential area, where houses stand close and lives stand closer, celebrates bonhomie.
Ninety-year-old Ravindran, one of the earliest residents here, remembers the rustic landscape that existed before the place became an urban locality. “Canals criss-crossed this entire area once,” he says.
“The current Pipeline Road was named after the water pipelines running beneath it from Aluva. From this road branched out several pocket lanes. Each needed a name. This one became Friendship Nagar.”
Susel Kumar, a 70 year old president of the association since 2018 and a resident for 33 years, explains the reasoning. “Look around,” he says. “This place cannot be reduced to one class or profession. Auto drivers, plumbers and carpenters live alongside doctors, engineers, bankers and judges. No one dominates. Everyone coexists.”
It was this ethos, he explains, that led to the name. “We needed a name that reflected our relationship with each other. Friendship felt right.”
The association, formed nearly 40 years ago, would later give the place its defining name. Friendship Nagar Residents’ Association is among the earliest and the very first association that was formed in the Palarivattom area, Susel adds.
The association itself grew out of necessity. “When houses increased, so did our problems,” Suselkumar recalls. “Water supply, roads, drainage, street lights… nothing came easily. Collective efforts yielded results. Unity helped,” he says.
“The name Friendship Nagar was formally adopted around 20 years ago,cementing what had long been the tradition informally.”
Susel’s wife Shobana highlights that festivals like Onam and the annual day brings everyone together. “This tradition helped create a sense of closeness among residents,” she adds.
Today, the association has around 70-80 members, including long-term tenants. A unanimous decision they adhere to is keeping politics out.
“Politics has never entered this association. We won’t allow that to sour relations” says the association’s secretary, Beena Komalan. “Here, we function only as neighbours and friends.”
She cites an incident that proves the point. “There was a time when the road here was too narrow for large vehicles to pass. Once a fire broke out in a house, and the fire truck couldn’t enter. A family immediately gave up a part of their land for road widening. That’s the spirit we share,” she says.
Such acts, Beena believes, gave substance to the name. “Friendship is not just in words here,” she smiles.
Joining the conversation, another resident named Raphael C C ships in: “This association is like family.”
Former deputy collector Latha M, who is a resident of Friendship Nagar, echoes the sentiment. “People here always pooled funds for welfare,” she says. “Even tenants are treated as insiders. Seeing the bonhomie at Friendship Nagar, several nearby localities have been inspired to launch similar association initiatives.”