KOCHI: Located near Kakkanad, Chembumukku is an up and coming area in the city. One may think the place has some link to copper. That is not the case. Rather, the name is linked to a migrant football ace, Marakkar, who had settled here, say residents. A part of Thrikkakara municipality, Chembumukku was once known as Ayanadu. It was renamed after the ‘Chembu’ monicker given to one Marakkar, who set up a restaurant in the area. “The family that owns ‘Hotel Chembu’ was the first prominent settlers here,” says Thrikkakara municipal chairperson Ajitha Thankappan.
“Marakkar’s grandchildren run the business now. The football player was famous for his kick that caused the ball to spin like a ‘chembu pathram’ (copper lota). This could have earned him and his family the “chembu” tag, and later the place came to be known after the title.”
Daughter-in-law of Marakkar and the matriarch of the family, Suhara Pareed, offers a different version of the story. “He was a man of many hobbies, but his love for football was talk of the town,” she says. “Once, during a game, he accidentally broke a ‘chembu pathram’, and his friends gave him the nickname “Chembu”. Eventually, the place came to be known as Chembu-mukku.”
C P George, 98, one of the oldest residents of Chembumukku has another story to tell. “After a bridge was built over the Cherumuttathu river, many settlers came here. A person from Chempu village in Vaikom settled here after marrying the daughter of a tea shop owner in the area. He became quite popular and was instrumental in making the area part of the bus route. Subsequently, the bus stop was named Chempu-mukku. This later became Chembumukku.”
Weekly column on the history of place names in the city. Got any whacky suggestions? Write to cityexpresskoc@gmail.com