Franco Rule - A nation
is proclaimed, within the domains of Travancore
It was a curious incident, not oft mentioned in the annals
of history. During the ironclad reign of Sir CP, a few individuals took an
opportunity that came by and on their own, liberated their village from a
brutal tax collector and proclaimed independence. The leaders then called
themselves the king and chief minister respectively. The police retaliated
strongly resulting in violence and deaths and eventual overpowering of the
revolting hordes. It was somewhat inconsequential, in the large scale of
things, and was hardly reported, for the press itself was being muzzled by Sir
CP. But it signaled the start of many more acts against the royal government,
the evolution of the Travancore state congress, the wane of the Dewan’s powers
and even resulted in physical threats and assassination attempts against him. For
a while, Sir CP thought of implementing an American style government in
Travancore, but the public protested, as Sir CP planned to become the
president. In the end Travancore was finally ceded to the Indian union and Sir
CP rode into the sunset. History books call these acts and events as demands
for responsible government. These acts continue ever so often even today in
Kerala and serve to be safeguards of Kerala’s democracy, as checks and balances.
People like us keep us looking at the state from afar, bemused, while comedians
and mimicry artistes remind its citizens to be either satirical or lighthearted about all those, after the fact. The life of a Malayali, so to say.