The early postmen of Travancore and Cochin were known as Anchal Pillai. Kunchu Pillai was one such Anchal Pillai of the Travancore Anchal Department.
In those days, the Anchal Pillai ran with the postal bag balanced on his head and a two-foot staff in his hand, bells attached to it. His uniform was a khaki shirt, khaki shorts, and a khaki hat with a red lining. The moment people heard the jingling of the bells, they would step aside to clear his path. Legally, the mailman had priority on the road. The carriage of mail was organised like a relay — one Anchal man handing over to the next.
During my Kerala trip in September 2017, covering Aranmula, Palode, Palayamkunnu, Varkala and Mailakkadu, I discovered that my great-grandfather (from my mother’s mother’s side) was an Anchal Pillai — Kunchu Pillai of the Puliyathu Kudumbam.
His real name was Kunchu Pillai. He was married to Kalyani Amma. They were last known to have lived and worked near the Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple, which is also our family temple, before later moving to Palayamkunnu. My grandfather, Madhavan Pillai (Kunchu Pillai’s son-in-law), later rebuilt the ancestral home and renamed it Puth-than Veedu — “the new home.” My grandmother’s siblings (about seven of them) settled in places closer to Palode. My father is also from Palode and is the son of Palode Kuttan Nair of the Sree Mangalathu family.
I was a little disappointed that I could not find our family name in any of the Karayogam records. We were known as the Puliyathu Kudumbam. The closest match I found in Aranmula was the PuliParayathu Kudumbam. Unfortunately, the oldest living member of that family (around 85 years old) was bedridden when I visited, so I could not meet him. He might have been able to confirm whether Puliparayathu and Puliyathu Kudumbam were the same.
I hope to uncover more details about my ancestors on future trips to Kerala.