KOZHIKODE: Calicut University History department researchers found rare letters and documents of the British Raj from Maranattu Mana, Pandikkada in Malappuram. The team led by department head Dr P Sivadasan has found many documents related to the fifth Malabar District Political Conference held at Manjeri on April 28, 1920.
The conference was noted for the presence of Annie Besant and for adopting a resolution rejecting the proposed Montague-Chelmsford Reforms which generated widespread enthusiasm among the people who wanted radical Constitutional reforms and freedom from the British regime. The visit to Mana was as part of the department’s initiative to preserve and prepare digital copies of the historical documents.
“The Malabar District Political Conferences which started in 1916 had given a new shape to the activities in the political-social fields of the state and there were not many documents available to give a detailed account of those meetings. The fifth conference at Manjeri and what followed, the Malabar Rebellion in 1921, has an important role in the freedom struggle. This also led to the rise of the middle class to the political forefront in Kerala and the downfall of jenmis/ landlords,” said Dr Sivadasan.
“However not many documents were available to study in detail about that period and we hope the discovery would definitely boost the research in that area,” he added. The documents include the letters written by the jenmis, the organizing committee notices and invitation cards.
