NaluKettu Nair House ( Tharavad)

The house is a traditional nalukettu of Kerala architecture.The house has a quadrangle in the centre. It is called the 'ankanam'. The quardrangle is in every way the center of life in the house, very useful for the performance of poojas .The front portion is 'poomugham' Kitchen is on the north east. Bed rooms are in west. There were six bed rooms.The house is constructed as per the Vaastushastra' The house is made using all wood .The interiors of the house walls are tastefully decorated with a wealth of antiques made from teak, mahogany etc.The traditional 'Nalukettu', is the home all Nairs.There are thousands of Nalaukeettu seen in Kerala.Many of them have been given dismantled. In its place concrete houses were constructed. .All nalukettu houses have protruding roofs formed shady verandas and protected the rooms from direct sunlight, keeping them cool even on the hottest days. The inner verandah around the 'ankanam' is open.There are several 'patthayam' to store paddy. The 'nelappara' is constructed under "ara". Nelapara is for storing brass and copper vessels like oruli, vaarpu, chembu of differet sizes.. The ara is the strong room of the house. Only the head of the family enters in the ara. He or she keeps the key of ara.The locking arrangement of the ara ensures the safe storage of costly ornaments etc.'Thenka kudu" for storing coconuts is on the north west.

Trees like 'koowalam' 'aanjali' 'mango' jackfruit, 'elanji' etc are grown at the appropriate place in the garden. In the east of kitchen ''kinaru' or well is constructed.There were two tall mango trees both yielded 'kuridi' (small) type of mangos and it's juice with rice was very tasty. I liked very much the taste of rice with kuridi mango juice West is provided with an out house known as 'chavadi'for the guest to stay. West of Chavadi the pond about a ground area is available. The 'ezhithil' the cow shed is on the south. In the side room of Ezhithil agriculture tools like 'kalappa' 'spade' 'plough' 'chakkram '' manvetties'of different sizes are stored. The draining of water or pumping the water to the paddy field is done with ckakkaram manually operated . The 'mittam' the well maintained ground was swept every day.We used to play 'thalapanthu' a country ball game in the mittam.'There was no electricity in the house. .Only lanterns were used. Electricity came to the house when I was studying in form fourth in 1949.

Malaysia and India

Malaya also known as Federation of Malayan States(FMS) is the land of Dorian fruit. The dorian fruit similar to a jack fruit is having intensive odour but is very tasty .Malaya became independence in August 1957 and got its name changed to Malaysia It consists of thirteen states and three federal territories.The population of Malaya in 1947 was only around 50 lacks excluding Singapore.Around 60 percent of population in Malaya were then Malaya Muslim, and around 25percent were Chinese. Eight percent of population were Indians. Among the Indians, 90 percent were Tamilians and majority of them were rubber estate labourers, and some of the Indians particularly from North India generally called as Bengalis were in police department.

A few Nattukottai Chettiars from Cettinad owned small rubber plantations. Many Malayalies were staff in rubber plantations.The important fact that emerges is that the Tamil constitutes a great majority of the Malayan Indian population, In the state of Singapore it makes up 63% of Indians. The next numerically large groups are Malayalees, and Telugus in Malaya. In the category, other Indians are a mixed bag of Punjabis. Gujaratis, Bengalees, and others.


Thus an overwhelming majority of Indians belong to the Dravidian languages community.There were some Tamilians holding high government posts particularly in Law and Education departments. The Malays were generally agriculturist and land owners and mainly concentrated in Kampongs, In Malaya Kampongs means village .. Chinese were traders and almost all the shops and business establishments were owned by Chinese.All these three major communities maintained cordial relation , and our taxi driver was one Bawa a Malayan Muslim and several Chinese were our family friends.We took only Bawa's taxi whenever we needed a car. Bawa came all the way to Singapore to send us off when we left for India..In July 1947 , we all left for India in SS Rajula.We landed at Madras after seven days in the sea.Along with us C.R.K. Pillai and his family also travelled.

Life In Kerala, India

The train journey from Madras to Quilon was not all pleasant. The steam loco was damn slow. It took around twenty four hours to travel from Madras to Quilon (720 km) No safe drinking water available in any stations enroute, leave alone food. All compartments were sprayed with fine char coal from the loco engine. Those who got seats in the compartments near the engine suffered a lot, and many of the travelers were soaked in coal, looking like coal mine workers.Eyes were to be protected from coal dust otherwise one might suffer permanent damage to eyes. No reserved seats available. But fortunately those days people never used to travel long distance and compartments were not full. The seats in third class were horrible with wooden planks.We travelled in second class and seats were not very bad.The first class compartments were generally four seated and having four berths.The third class compartments were later abolished in all trains in India In the evening around five we reached Quilon.

Already we all were tired when we reached Quilon. We caught a bus at Quilon to reach Karipuzha. The bus of those days were of open type on the sides, and petrol driven. The sides of the bus were not covered. There was no place to stand inside the bus. The foot board was extended and people used to stand on the footboard, from one end of the bus to the rear.The roads were horrible without black topping with pitholes everywhere. No where in Malaya I saw such roads or bus like that.The passengers looked very neat and polite. The bus driver and conductor were good people. They helped to load and unload our baggage . We reached in our house in night at ten. Grandfather ,grand mother and some other relatives were in Karavallil to receive us.

Life in Muar - Malaysia

After Japanese left Malaya there was total chaos in the country. For two months there was no governance. A small group of Chinese under the banner communist, took over the country and started killing innocents and looting the public property. As soon as the British took over, they gave priority for the security of the people. The rubber estates started functioning, and there was reshuffle of staff to different locations. Father got transferred to Pengalin Bukit Estate near Pago in Muar district in 1945.Muar was the district head quarters, a fine city with a habour. We had several Indian friendsI and my brother Sukumaran were sent to St Andrew’sSchool in Muar which was about 14 miles from Pengalan Bukit Estate. We stayed in a flat belonging to one Gopala Pillai along with two other Malayalee boys. Gopala pillai had a publishing house named "Vija brothers." in his son's name. But Vijyan had only six sisters,no brothers. Muar was a beatiful town and we children used to play base ball. There were several play ground in the town.We saw first time playing cricket. There was a ground for football. In the evening we used to sit for long in the fine well maitained beach of Muar.Ships used to harbour in the Muar harbour.

End of Japanese Malaysian Occupation.

In Ayer Manis Estate, we could not go regularly to schools. I and my brother attended classes in Tamil and Hindi.Gengadharan did not reach the school going age C.R.K.Pillai had two children Gopalakrishnan and Mohan. Now both of them settled in Singapore.. Banumathi aunty was a vocal singer well-known in Malaya those days .In 1944 Subash Chandra Boss was in Malacca. He addressed the Indians in Malacca. We all attended the meetings. I was too small to understand his speech. He spoke for a few hours. People heard him attentively. He was encouraging the young Indians to join Indian National Army to fight British.. Several young Indians joined in INA to fight against British for the independence of India. Japanese was forced to leave Malaya in 1945, after Japan was defeated by the Allied Armies.

Japanese Occupation of Malaysia

In Over valley Estate I and Sukumaram were sent to a school in Tangah.There was no transport other than cycle and bullokcart. Some bus and cars were on the roads with rear side of the vehicle fitted with coal gas generators. With coal gas the vehicles were driven. We were daily taken to the school in cycle by a Punjabi security guard of the estate. The school was three miles from home. The students were thought Japanese songs. In the morning in front of the Japanese flag we stood every day and sang Japanese national song. Then we had to rush to the field owned by the school to grow food. Teachers were Indians and Chinese. They did not study Japanese. However they all could teach Japanese letters a bit and songs. When my sister was one year old ,she was given first feeding of rice in a mosque near Jasin.This Mosque was well known and many Hindus joined with Musilm in praying.In Jasin we met one C.R.K.Pillai . He was a native of my father’s village Muthukulam. He invited my father to join in his estate as there was a vacancy of Chief Store Manager.In 1943 my father joined in the Ayer Manis Estate. Ayer Manis in Malaya is hot water.MrC.R.K.Pillai and his family was our neighbors We were in Ayer Manis till Japanese were driven out from Malaya in 1946.Many people experienced starvation during Japanese occupation. No clothes were available. Torn shirts and pants were to be used. No medicine available if one became sick.Japanese money was available in plenty. It was printed and circulated as demanded. It was called 'banana money' because banana and fruits were pictured in it. It was so cheap that salary in lacks was given.Japanese ordered to grow raagi pulses and vegetables in all estates. For a year in 1944, I and my brother were with our uncle Prabhakaran Pillai in an estate near Bathu Theekka around 20 miles away on the other side of Tangah hills. The school was walking distance from uncle’s house. We had a Tamil cook. Our uncle was a bachelor then. The single Malayan teacher in the school taught some Japanese language.The anti Japanese feeling was growing very strong in Malaya. The Malaya people’s army was formed to fight against Japanese. Many Indians very close to Japanese were killed by this army. As soon as Japanese left Malyasia, the anti Japanese army started looting. Law and order was a big problem till British army occupied Malaya.

At Malaysia before World War II

1n 1939 my mother and I and baby brother Sukumaran left for Malaya. Those days there were no flights. Only two steam ships SS Rana and SSRajula, where plying between Chennai and Singapore. We left in SS Rajula. It took seven days to reach Klang a port .At the age of five in 1940, I was admitted in Anglo Chinese School in Klang .Anglo Chinese School was a Government school and a third oldest school in Malaysia. I was a good student. The Srilanka teacher liked me very much. I stood first in the class and therefore I was promoted to Standard one without going to primary class two..In 1940 my mother gave birth to my second brother Genagadharan in a Klang hospital. THE SECOND WORLD WAR started all on a sudden without any prior information .All the schools in Klang and other places in Malaya were closed. We did not know what happened. As usual we went to the school; I think it was mid December1941. We found that our school was occupied by British army. We were told to go home and that the school was closed indefinitely.In 1942-1945 the school became a head office of the Japanese army. Within a week after my school was closed, my father got an order from his higher up to go and take up the post of the General Manager of an Rubber Estate, where the English GM left for England. We left for Kaula Lumbur by road and from there we took the train to Seranban railway station. We reached Kundah estate near Thangah by night on the same day. The Bungalow, the English GM occupied was allotted to my father. It was a big bungalow in European style, with swimming pool, tennis court and a very big garden with fruit bearing trees. At first, we children found all happiness there. It was short lived as my father was told by his friends that the advancing Japanese army was targeting such European bungalow also and advised us to stay in estate staff quarters. We agreed and moved to the staff quarters. Later some other Malayali families also joined us to stay in the quarters.


Malaya and Singapore were prize targets for the invading Japanese army. Japan wanted to inflict a heavy blow to the Allied partners by conquering East Asia in complete For two or three months immediately after the British left there was no government, no rule of law. The invading Japanese army starting killing innocent Chinese and Eurasians. The Indians did not suffer very much. Japanese wanted Indians to join in the Indian National Army and go to Burma to conquer India. The Indians who were holding some position in the rubber estates were asked to restart the estate works. Father was again sifted to Over Valley estate. In 1942 my mother gave birth to my sister Sobhana in the District hospital Thangah. Dr Ganguly was the chief gynecologist, and he was very helpful even though there were terrible shortage of medicines everywhere. Mr I.V.K. Nair father of late Devan Nair was my father's close friend. Devan Nair was a former President of Singapore.When mother was admitted in the Thangah hospital I.V.K.Nair and family took care of us.They were in the neighbouring Eng Kee estate.Some of the Malayalees well known in Malaya in those days in early forties were Mr Krishna Pillai known to pre-war Malayalees as Bengali Pillai, Mr M.R.K.Nayar and Mr N.S Nair known as Nairettan. All of them worked for the welfare of Supervisory and Estate workers. Mr Krishna Pillai was my mother’s father’s brother. He had two sons and two daughters. He prompted my father to work in Malaya. Mr M.R.K.Pillai was the father-in law of Mr B.C.Sekhar Director of Rubber Research Institute Kula Lumpur. Mr Sekhar died in 2007 at Chennai. Mr N.S.Nair and Mr M.R.K. Nayar were our family friends.