KERALAVAKAYIL FAMILY written by Mr. Keralavakayil Mathunny Mathai, Ala, Chengannur, Kerala, India in 1990

The ancestral history of the family is shrouded in oblivion and I have only heard from the hearsay what little information I posses about its origin. Its history is rooted in the distant past and people who claimed to know about it have passed away and the succeeding generations are totally in the dark. All I can remember is that the family originated from the Royal family of Kayankulam at a time the native Rajahs were in power. They were Kohatrias, a warring race of high caste Brahmins. It so happened that there was some trouble with the ruling Rajah and three of his brothers. The 3 brothers in vengeance murdered the Rajah and to escape punishment moved to distant places then under the Maharajah of Trivandrum who defeated the minor Rajahs and established sovereignty over their territories. The Rajah of Kayankulam remained independent and refused to accept the sway of the Rajah of Trivandrum and hence was his enemy. Now that the Rajah of Kayankulam was disposed off, his assassins became favourites of the Rajah of Trivandrum and as such were given special favours like free occupation of land and freedom from land tax etc. which these people enjoyed for generations. One of the 3 brothers settled in our house, the second a few miles away and the third some 15 miles away at a place called Konni. There were frequent contacts between these and one man from Konni used to visit us in my childhood and with his death the bond was broken.

The man who made his home here became eminent among the Hindhus and was treated with great respect. He had great landed properties and he had great influence among the local people. How many generations succeeded him is unknown. All I know was that my great granfather had sons, the elder of whom had his home at Kanianthrayil closeby and the younger in the family home. By that time or long before that time they became Christians. There was only one church under the See of Antioch. The Patriarch of Antioch administered the church through their bishops sent directly by the Patriarch. They thus became members of the Jacobite church. Later when the reformation in the church split the church in two, Jacobites and Marthomites, the members of the family elected to join the reformed church.

The younger brother of our great grandfather had no children when his wife passed away and a few years later he married a widow with 2 sons and 2 daughters and moved from the family home to the neighbouring property where he put up a house for his new wife and her children and left the family home to my father. It is noteworthy that my grandfather was one of the three, one each from Cherianad, Puliyoor and Ala who were mainly responsible for the construction of the Mar Thoma church at Puliyoor which we are all using at present. This is all in the church records. Besides this he gave away one and a half acres of land to the then CMS church at the request of their bishop. The converts belong to the backward race and they have been functioning ever since.

My father passed away at 68 years of age when I was 19 years of age and had just passed the lower certificate leaving 3 brothers and 3 sisters, the eldest of whom was already married to Mr. K. Geeverghese of Kaithaina, Kozhencherri. My 2 brothers were also married and my younger sister was also married before the death of my father. The 2 brothers built their own homes and moved into them. My mother and youngest sister lived in the family home and later when she was married her husband also stayed to look after mother and his wife. The younger sister was married to Mr. K. Mammen Eappen Karottuhruse, Nedungadapally near Mallappally. My eldest sister who is still alive and 91 years of age has 5 sons and a daughter. The eldest son K.V. Verghese was the Principal of the Mar Thoma College Kozencherri for several years. A few years after his retirement he passed away leaving behind his wife and 3 sons, all doctors and a daughter who is a lecturer in the Mar Thoma college. The sons have married doctors and the daughter another doctor. The second son George took after his father as a merchant and the third was in Kuwait with the British bank. The fourth son was employed in Bangalore telephone manufacturing company and the fifth is also a merchant.

My eldest brother K. M. Varghese who passed away in 1983 had 2 sons and 2 daughters. One of the sons is a priest of the orthodox church and the other an employee in the Indian railways in Madya Pradesh.

Next to him was K. M. John who also passed away in 1985 and left 6 sons and a daughter.

My youngest sister was married to an agriculturist Mr. C. C. Chacko who passed away in 1982. He has a son Prof. C. C. Phillip MSc who retired as Professor of Physics in the Kerala University College, Trivandrum in 1986. He has settled in Trivandrum. His 3 sons are engineers and the fourth is jobless now. His mother sold their property in Ala and has joined her son in Trivandrum.

I was born on 17th August 1907 and had my primary education in Kozhencherri, Cherianad and Ala schools after which I studued upto Form 3 at the Kodukulanji middle school and then Form 4 and 5 and 6 at the High School, Chengannur. I passed the SSLC exam in 1928. My father Mathunny Mathunny passed away soon after my results were announced. We were at that time in financial difficulties but my mother was very keen that I should go for further education. She borrowed Rs 300/- from my eldest brother in law in Kozchencherri by mortgaging our property. With that sum I joined St. Berchmans College Changanacherry for the Intermediate course. In 1929 I got married to Aleyamma in Kozchencherri. My father in law Simon Mathai was also in bad financial predicament and he borrowed some money from my brother in law on mortagage of his property at Kadamanitta. In 1930 I passed the Intermediate examination of the Madras University and proceeded to St. Thomas College Trichur for the BA course in Economics. I passed the degree exam in 1932. For almost a year I remained unemployed. Then in 1933 I left for Malaya where one of my wife's uncle Mr. V.A. Mathew was working as a teacher in a goverment school in Johor. I stayed with him in Segamat for about 6 months when I was offered a job in a private school, Penual High School in Kuala Lumpur. Later I was offered a post in the YMCA school where I worked for 6 months. I secured a place in the KKM school of commerce in Kuala Lumpur where I worked until the South Asia war in 1940. My wife and eldest son Mathew came over to Kula Lumpur in 1940 just before the outbreak of the war. We had a horrowing time until the end of the war in 1945. Mathew was born on 21/11/1933.

On 1/5/1940 my daughter Anne was born at Kula Lumpur. I was taken on the staff of St. Johns Institution Kuala Lumpur on 1/1/1941 and had to learn and teach the Japanese language until the Japanese surrendered in 1945 under the British military administration I worked at St. Johns school when in 1946 I was offered a teaching post in Kluang English School in January 1946. I continued teaching here till my transfer to Segamat High School in 1949. While in Kluang John was born on 18/8/47. He had his primary education in Segamat and later in Batu Pahat early in 1959. I was promoted to special grade in 1960 and became the Headmaster of High School Batu Pahat in which capacity I remained till September 1967. From 1964 I was supervisor of the Regional training centre at Batu Pahat. John passed his Cambridge School certificate exam in 1964 and had his higher secondary course at Johor Bahru till 1966 when he came to India and joined the medical course in Nagpur. On his passing the exam he was admitted to the MBBS course at the Government Medical College Nagpur.

Molly after passing her school certificate exam at High School Segamat came to St. Thersa College for her pre medical course which she passed in first class but since she could not get admission to the medical college she had to join the BSc course. A few months later she was admitted to the Trivandrum Medical College for MBBS. After taking her degree and doing her housemans year she came back to Malaysia in 1967 and was employed at the Medical College Kuala Lumpur. Later she was transferred to the General Hospital Kuala Lumpur where she worked for 2 years when she took leave to go to UK for specialisation in paediatrics. She completed the course in 1971 and came over to Ala to see us in 1971 October and was with us till 9/12/71 when we saw her off to Kuala Lumpur from Trivandrum. When we returned we heard the news on the radio her plane had crashed at Meha Malai near Madurai. She was one of the victims of the crash. We went to the place and were told her body had been removed to the general hospital Madurai. We picked up the body and came back home by 1pm. A large crowd awaited the corpse and the next day the body was buried at the cemetry of our parish church at Puliyoor.

Rachel the youngest daughter was born at Segamat on 4/8/51. She had her primary education at the Convent School Batu Pahat and her secondary education at the Goverment Girls School Batu Pahat. After passing her Cambridge School Certificate examination she returned to Ala with us. She joined the pre medical course at Nagpur and on obtaining first class in that exam was admitted to the Medical College, Ludhiana. On taking her degree she joined the staff of the College and later joined the MD course in pathology at the Central Medical Institue at Chandigarh. She passed in first class with first rank and was employed at the Medical College Ludhiana. She was married to Roy Oommen at Kachukushi Vennikulam an electronics engineer then employed at the B.P.I Bangalore. Later she was appointed at the Sri Chitra Medical Institute at Trivandrum. Roy resigned his job at Bangalore and joined her at Trivandrum where he remained unemployed and finally left for England after 2 years. Luckily he obtained a job in England as medical electronics engineer. At his instance she resigned her job at Sri Chitra and joined him in England. Later she obtained a job in London. She passed the first part of MRCP.

Mr. K.M. Mathai passed away on 1/7/91 and Mrs. Aleyamma Mathai on 2/7/91.

The curse of sin is selfishness

19/3/06 The curse of sin - selfishness
The senses always lead you to self-gratification. The senses are self-centered and never thinks of the other. The Spirit always thinks of the other. God is always thinking of you and your best interests. Jesus displayed this same characteristic in thinking of others and that is according to God’s command to always think of the other. Anytime you think that self is needing attention, then you know that you are operating in the flesh. The spirit is always looking out for others to meet their need, heal their hurt or help solve their problems. God has placed you in a position where you can meet the needs of others. Self-centredness is the curse of sin which always turns you inwards. Confront this sin in yourself and also in others. It is this selfish strain that has been the cause of wars and traumas and defeat. A selfless man is one who is truly free. Jesus was selfless because He knew that His Father was looking out for His needs. You also can be sure that your heavenly Father is looking out for your needs. Therefore today look out for the needs of others for love and peace and joy.

The fast of the Lord

18/3/06 The fast of the Lord
The fast of the Lord is a discipline of spiritual engagement. To fast is to discipline your body to take second place to your spirit. The spirit has to rule the body otherwise you become a slave to the temptations of the body. The body is ruled by the senses. When you choose to fast then you choose to walk by the Spirit and not gratify the desires of the flesh. The flesh needs to be subdued and can only be subdued by the spirit working in you. This is to walk in joy and not in slavery. Slavery to the desires of the flesh is like bondage. You are bound by the desires of the flesh and therefore are a slave to fleshly demands. To be free from these demands is to be free to choose God’s will over your own will and bodily desires. Many try to do this by punishing the flesh. Yet there is a easier way and that is to cast your burdens on the Lord. In this way He carries your burdens and you are free to live above the desires of the flesh. This is true freedom. Your choice leads to your destiny. What a life of victory to be able to operate outside demands of the flesh and to rule like a king. It is your bodily desires and feelings that you need power to overcome and this power is freely available to you through Christ. Now let the fast of the Lord bring you to a place of total freedom.

True integration leads to abundant living

13/3/06 True integration leads to abundant living
The power of God is seen in signs and wonders. These are happening all around you, yet man assumes it is just by nature. All God’s wonders and His handiwork are seen in His works. All of nature proves that God is. Yet man thinks that all that is, is by chance. This is the problem that has led many to forsake God and live by their own god, created in their own image. This is the cause for so much degradation that you see around the world. Man who proclaims himself as god has displaced God. This is the story from the beginning of creation. It is only when man returns to worship God and not self, that true integration can occur in oneself and in society at large. Man governs by separation while God governs by integration. Man has problems integrating because he cannot cope with the whole and therefore has to separate the whole into parts. In this process he divides and rules. God unites while man divides. In this division is the problem. The split parts don’t know each other and therefore come to wrong conclusions. Is’nt this the problem throughout society that we divide and therefore separate and live in isolation from one another through race, colour or sex. True integration brings a harmony to soul, body and spirit and this harmony is what is seen in the Godhead of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Now let the Holy spirit harmonise all three into one in you and see what will be an abundant experience.

Living in His presence

12/3/06 Living in His presence
His presence and glory is with you always. You walk covered in His glory even if you can’t feel it or see it. His glory is like a mist that covers you and others can see it over you but not yourself. This is a mystery and only those who are discerning can see it. The devil sees it and hates it as His blood covers and protects you. He cannot penetrate the glory of God. Imagine what an awesome picture this is of His covering over you. He has called you and purchased you with His blood so that you can experience His presence and His love. His love is around you even when you don’t feel it. His presence is always with you because He never changes. God lives in the eternal now. The material world will make you think that what you see is all there is. However God lives forever and in Him you are an eternal being. Nothing is lost in Him. So do not confine your thinking to the material realm. Enlarge yourself in God and see how big you are in Him. It is this that will raise your vision above the material realm to source the spiritual for all your needs. You then become an instrument in His hands to do His will. You are and become who you subject yourself to. When you subject yourself to God then you become like Him in your thoughts, feelings and outlook. Come to the river of God and swim in it and live in the eternal now and experience His love, joy and peace.

The Lord knows all

11/3/06 The Lord knows everything
The Lord knows and He cares. He cares for all irrespective of who they are. All were created in His image and therefore He cares for all. All who call on His name will be saved. There is no restriction. He calls to save. He knows of the power of sin and so he forgives those who call on His Name. He is the only One who can forgive unconditionally. This is why He is God. There is no other Name under heaven by which man can be saved. If you know God’s heart then you will share His message of salvation to all. He loves every child because He created each one. The damage due to sickness and disease are because of sin and He knows what you are made of. He knows the secrets of your heart. He knows that the devil causes these things that work against you. He knows the thoughts and intents of the heart. Now come to Him who knows all and yet chooses to forgive. Once you have tasted His forgiveness and have been set free from guilt then you truly are free to be a vessel of His glory.

Subdue and rule over all evil

5/3/06 Subdue and rule over all evil

All negativity and evil is Satanic. Therefore renounce and destroy every evil and negative inclination of your flesh which is powered by the devil to destroy relationships and individuals. Satan’s prime role is to steal, kill and destroy. He will use anyone, anywhere to fulfil his mission. He is no respecter of persons. His evil works can be seen all around you. Bind him and his works. Do not allow the works of darkness to seduce you to partner with them. Every hint of evil and negativity must be brought to the Cross and de-stroyed by the power of the Cross and His blood. The Cross applied to the flesh life is a sure way of resisting its de-mands. The blood applied to the sin life is a powerful way to cleanse you from all sin. Yes all sin, past and present and future. Jesus is Lord must be your song all day as you bring everything inside and outside to subjection to His Lordship. In this way the Lord is glorified. It is as His body on earth take up their arms and pray that the Kingdom of God comes into action and is established on earth. Take your place where God has placed you and subdue your enemies.

Only by faith

4/3/06 Only by faith

Walking by faith is the only way to please God. God can only be known by faith. Faith is that spiritual factor that enables a person in accessing the spiritual dimension. Faith becomes fact as you experience the touch of God by faith. Faith is the vehicle that enables you to reach beyond the material dimension into the spirit dimension. It is the ca-pacity to know what is beyond and receive from resources unseen. The mind of man is not just his brain. The mind of God communicates with the mind of man. God can sow thoughts into you as you reach out to Him in faith. His thoughts are higher then man’s thoughts. With His thoughts you can climb any mountain. His ways are beyond man’s ways. Everything requires faith but then man fools himself that he does it in his own strength. This is foolish-ness because your every breath is dependent on faith. You believe you will continue breathing not by fact but by faith. This is why man is deceived in thinking that all he sees is all there is. He has blinded himself to the fact that the whole universe is held in motion by faith. Who can control the weather or the seasons? Man can manipulate the effects but not the cause. Light can be used to brighten the dark-ness but where does light come from? It is only when we acknowledge God in all our ways that we will live an abun-dant life. This knowledge is what will keep you through all the uncertain times. He will be there and will guide you. Yes see how God will open doors where all seem closed. Your will be done in my life O, Lord.