Chapter 16 Service to Community By founding and nurturing a great institution like Manorama,Kandathil Varughese Mapillai, K.C. Mammen Mapillai and K.M. Cherian earned for Kandathil a place in the history of our country. Many other members stamped the family's name on banking and industry. Our companies were active not only in Kerala but also in far flung cities like Chennai, Mumbai and Bangalore. We consider it God's grace that we grew close enough with the communities in these cities to help build churches and institutions there. As Kandathil's wealth and prosperity grew, its members moved to different places and, wherever they went, they offered their services to establish churches there. The churches and other institutions associated with the family are listed below. Kallupara Church The Kandathil family have been attending the Kallupara Church ever since the inception of the family at Vallamkulam. This relationship endured through generations and special care was taken to attend and participate in all the functions of the church.
Umayattukara St Thomas Church When Karthalil Eapachen moved to Umayattukara, he became a member of this church. When Marthomites claimed in court that the church belonged to them, Kandathil helped the Jacobite priests to fight the case. The judgment, when it came, was favourable to the Jacobites. Kaviyur Sleeba Church When some of our family members moved to Vallamkulam, they found it difficult to attend the Kallupara Church regularly, so Nedumbroth Pothachen took the initiative to establish this church in 1893. It was built on land belonging to the Kudumbayoga Company and Kandathil contributed to its construction. The family also gave contributions related to marriages and deaths well in advance, which helped speed up its construction. But the family did not claim any privilege for this. Pullikat Mar Dionysius Metropolitan and St Mar Gregorios of Parumala inaugurated the church in 1984. Thirumoolapuram St Mary's Orthodox Church
This church was built under the initiative of K.I. Varughese Mapillai. Later, a hall was built in memory of Elanjimootil K.I. Mathulla. Eruvellipra Mar Thoma Church When Puthenparambil Kocheapen Mapillai joined the Mar Thoma Church, he built this church on his land and with his money. Near the church, he built a library in memory of the great Varughese Mapillai. Vallamkulam St Mary's Church Kandathil K.V. Koshy of Mullaparettu provided land for the construction of this church. His brothers and other members of the Kandathil branches in Vallamkulam made significant contributions for the construction. Other Churches Other places of worship set up by Kandathil family members are St Mary's Orthodox Church at Alappuzha; Mar Gregorios Churches in Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kozhikode and Mettupalayam, which K.M. Elias worked hard to build.
Educational institutions K.C. Chacko made enormous contributions to establishing the Union Christian College, Aluva. The Catholic College at Pathanamthitta and Baselios College at Kottayam were established with the help of K.C. Mammen Mapillai, K.M. Cherian and K.M. Mathew. The tradition of establishing institutions began with K.I. Varughese Mapillai and it was an inspiration for others to follow. He began with Thirumoolapuram Balikamadom High School and there is no one in the community who does not recognize how much Varughese Mapillai and son K.V. Eapen toiled to raise the school to its high standards of excellence. There are yet other institutions that Varughese Mapillai promoted. The Chenganoor Government School you see today was his idea. He built the school while he was a shroff in Chenganoor and it was later taken over by the government and converted into a high school. He also worked for the establishment of M.D. Seminary High School, Kottayam and M.G.M. High School, Tiruvalla. K.I. Kocheapen Mapillai was the force behind the setting up of Nicholson Syrian Girls High School in Tiruvalla. Of the two primary schools he built in Eruvallipra, one was handed over to the government and the other to the Mar Thoma Church.
Kudathumuriyil Varughese Mapillai played a major role in establishing the English Medium School in Vennikulam. Marthamariam Mandiram, Othera Mother Hannah(Kochannamma) was born in 1895 (2nd day of Kumbam1070). She was the daughter of Chengazhasseri Mannil Kandathil Mammachen and Annamma (Chengannur Puvathur). Later, as the Rev. Mother Hannah, she instituted the Malankara Syrian Christian Women's Association (Martha Mariam Vanitha Samajam) and Martha Mariam Mandiram. Philipose, the nephew of Vattasseril Mar Dionysius Metropolitan, had married Kochannamma when she was very young. Unfortunately, she became a widow at the age of 19 with a one year-old son to care for. She left him in the care of her mother and dedicated herself to God and social work. She first started the Sthree Samajam at Kaviyoor Sleeba Church for the welfare of women. Later she set up similar samajams in many other parishes. The Syrian Church was going through a dark patch in its history and people doubted if the women's movement would take root. Taking courage from the thought that 'what we cannot do, God can', Kochannamma went ahead full steam. Mar Thoma Dionysius Metropolitan presided over a committee that was formed to direct
the Martha Mariam Samajam. Gradually it grew and spread its activities. At first, the samajam's headquarters functioned in a rented house in Tiruvalla. Years later, a building was constructed on a 10- acre plot at Othara, situated between Chenganoor and Eraviperoor. An upper primary school came up beside it. This institution became a convent in 1965. Night prayer, fasting and meditation were observed in the convent. The Catholicos is its visiting bishop. The Rev. Mother Hannah died on 2 April 1975, and was buried very close to the institution. Other institutions Captain Dr K.M. Mathulla established a hospital at the Martha Mariam Mandiram, Othera. The Kottayam Mammen Mapillai Hall in Kottayam is also a contribution of the Kandathil family. The majority of the members of our family belong to the Orthodox Church, and association with it has become stronger ever since the time of K.I. Varughese Mapillai. K.C. Mammen Mapillai and K.M. Cherian carried on this tradition of service to the church in full faith. They were also successful in domination of foreign churches in the Syrian Church.
K.C. Mammen Mapillai, K.C. Eapen, K.M. Eapen and K.V. Varughese were active in politics. Everyone knew it was political vendetta when the Travancore government put them in jail. No one believed that they were imprisoned because of the bank cases filed against them. The bank closed because of political manipulations by the Dewan C.P. Ramaswami Aiyar. When the family paid their depositors all their money, it not only cleared the family's reputation but also underlined the fact that they were unjustly victimized. Our ancestors worked for the community, espoused just causes and earned a legacy that we can cherish with pride. Edited Final 11-04-2013