Thunchath Ezhuthachan is hailed as the Father of Malayalam Language and holds a significant place in the cultural and historical legacy of the state.
A steam locomotive chugged into the Tirur railway station in present-day Malappuram with a piercing whistle on 12 March, 1861.
The thick exhaust billowing from the smokestack marked the beginning of the now 1,257-km-long railroads in Kerala. The train, the first one in the state, had click-clacked the 30.5-km distance between Beypore and Tirur, before huffing and puffing into the station.
Tirur, Kerala’s oldest railway station, also has a place in India’s Independence struggle, though a three-member panel of the Indian Council for Historical Research (ICHR), in 2021, recommended the removal of 387 ‘Moplah martyrs’ from the Dictionary of Martyrs: India’s Freedom Struggle 1857-1947.
The Malabar rebellion, also known as the Moplah revolt, of 1921 was primarily a peasant uprising against the British and the elite, feudal Hindu landlords.
The Moplahs — or Mappilas — is a term used to refer Muslims in the Malabar region.
The first railway line in Kerala was between Beypore in Kozhikode and Tirur in Malappuram. (Supplied)
The British who cracked down on the rebellion, rounded up around 100 rebels. They packed the agitators — some of them Hindus — into a closed goods wagon at the Tirur railway station, and sent them off to jail.
When the train reached Podanur Junction in Tamil Nadu, as many as 64 prisoners were found dead of asphyxiation and injuries sustained while fighting for breath. Six others died later in a hospital.
A Town Hall, shaped like a goods carriage, now stands in the memory of the martyrs of the Wagon Tragedy — or Wagon Massacre — at Tirur in Malappuram.
The Tirur Railway Station is once again in the news. The Railway Passenger Amenities Committee has proposed to rename the station after Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the Father of Modern Malayalam Language.
An artist’s rendition of Thunchath Ramanujan Ezhuthachan. (Supplied)
The proposal has generated considerable enthusiasm among locals, scholars, and literary enthusiasts alike.
Advocates of the proposal believe that renaming the station after Ezhuthachan would serve as a lasting tribute to the pivotal role he had played in shaping the Malayalam language.
The cultural and historical legacy of Kerala is woven around many of his literary works that shaped the Malayalam language as it is today.
“Renaming Tirur station in his honor will serve as a reminder of his immense contributions,” Dr Sushma L, literary scholar and Vice-Chancellor of Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University in Tirur, told South First.
“I hope it inspires future generations to explore and celebrate their cultural heritage,” she added.
Speaking to reporters at Palakkad Junction, chairman of the Indian Railway Passenger Amenities Committee PK Krishnadas said the committee and he had received several requests from passengers, Tirur residents, and prominent cultural leaders to rename Tirur station after Ezhuthachan.
“We have decided to place the proposal before the Railway Board. I hope that it will be approved,” Krishnadas, also a member of the BJP’s executive committee, said.
Ezhuthachan, believed to have been born in the late 16th century at Trikkantiyur near Tirur, pioneered the bhakti movement in Malayalam literature. He revolutionised the literary landscape of Kerala by popularising the language through his works.
Thunchan Parambu, a memorial of the ‘Primal Poet in Malayalam’ at Trikkantiyur, his birth place, in Tirur. (Kerala Tourism).
His masterpiece, Adhyatma Ramayanam, a recomposition of the Hindu epic Ramayana in Malayalam, is considered a landmark contribution to the Malayalam literature.
Adhyatma Ramayanam, perhaps, is the most widely read Malayalam literary work. It is still read, specifically, during the Malayalam month of Karkkadakam — also known as the month of Ramayana — in Hindu households.
“His work, especially his poems connect with students, helping them learn about the complexities of epics in a simple way,” Bindu Dominic, a Malayalam teacher at LMCC Government High School in Ernakulam, said.
“At a time when preserving cultural legacies for the upcoming generations has become paramount, the proposal to rename Tirur Station after Thunchath Ezhuthachan is important,” she told South First.
“It shows a collective desire to honor and celebrate the historical and cultural icons who have shaped the Malayalam language and society,” Dominic added.
Ezhuthachan’s poetic verses, written in a simple yet evocative language, made profound philosophical ideas comprehensible to the common people.
Beyond his literary achievements, Ezhuthachan’s teachings and contributions extended to various other fields. He championed the cause of education and literacy among all sections of society, irrespective of their caste and religion.
Ezhuthachan’s impact transcends time and continues to influence generations of writers and intellectuals in Kerala. His teachings have shaped the ethos of the Malayalam language, fostering a deep-rooted sense of cultural pride among its speakers.
Incidentally, the highest literary honour in Kerala is the Ezhuthachan Puraskaram. Instituted in 1993 by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi, the award comprises a purse of ₹ 5,00,000 and a citation.
Veteran novelist Sethu is the latest recipient of the award.
(With PTI inputs)
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