ALAPPUZHA: Joseph Murickan alias ‘Kayal King’ is a popular figure in the State, especially in Kuttanad, who enjoys the rare honour of being recognised by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
The aggressive farmer in Murickan converted the marshy areas of Vembanad lake into fertile paddy land, and his successful efforts in carrying out farming on land that is below sea level have been acclaimed internationally.
Elsewhere, the people of Kumily, the hillock town in the Western Ghats, recognised another ‘farmer king’ from Kuttanad - N Viswanatha Ayyar - whose initiatives turned the dense rain forest in the region into ‘paradise.’
In recognition of Ayyar’s contributions to the farming sector, the State Government and the Central Government renamed the Murukady village in the region as Viswanathapuram and also established a post office in his name.
According to Murukady panchayat member K V Sureshkumar, Viswanatha Ayyar migrated to Kumily in 1936 from Mankombu in Kuttanad as a planter. It was a time when the State Government launched a scheme to promote migration of planters and farmers to various parts of the State.
After migrating to Kumily, Ayyar established a school on forest land, which served many generations by imparting knowledge. An enterprising Ayyar then set up a hospital, bank, post office, telephone exchange and many administrative offices, including the panchayat office, in the Kumily village, all on land provided by himself.
“We cannot forget him as his contributions to the village are countless, like the many charity works and welfare activities for poor plantations labours,” said Sureshkumar.
Bimal Shankar, a Kumily-based activist, said, “Ayyar is now 104 years old. We organised a programme to honour him when he reached 100, and decided to rename the village after him and to open a post office in his name. It took more than four years to get approval for the proposal from the 19-odd departments under the State and Central governments. We received the ‘seal’ of the new post office from the government press in Nashik only last month,” said Bimal.
Ayyar is son of Aandi Ayyar of Kizhakkemadom at Mankombu. Viswanatha Ayyar left for Kumily to become a planter after acquiring B A Honours from Maharaja’s College, Kochi.
Members of Kizhakkemadom, a wealthy family in Kuttanad, owned large parcels of paddy land and many houses in Kuttanad.
Ayyar, who was fondly called ‘Mankombu Swami’ by local residents, was the main force behind establishment of the Kumily panchayat. He was president of the panchayat for more then 15 years.
“Ayyar, who belongs to the Tamil Brahmin community, was exceptionally generous and earned the respect of all villagers. The philanthropist who is very popular in Kuttanad also, spent large amounts for various welfare activities in Kumily and the nearby areas,” said lyricist B R Prasad Mankombu.