Saghavu Chellappan
muhammed rijam
In fact the word Saghavu was a synonym for him at Kollayil. We the
younger generation saw him as a simple grandpa engaged in newspaper
distribution. A short but stout man at his seventies cycling through
the village roads...For many a years Kollayil junction woke up at
early mornings with him...an old man challenging the early mist while
all others were at deep and comfortable sleep.Newspapers flew out from
his hand like white birds His bicycle moved at constant pace..the man
atop always appeared determined and composed..words rolled out only
rarely..but definitely on the backdrop of an absorbing smile..there
was a sense of dedication in all his movements..he was so simple a in
our hands..but we definitely failed to find the depth..hidden pearls
of experiences..realisations of world at him.
It was in October last year, I had an opportunity to talk to him on
his life experience. I was accompanying Biju to his home during a walk
around. He was ill but stable..he sat through our talk with an uncanny
easiness..laughing out at his own stories..though the climate was
clear when we reached there in forenoon, heavy rain started to pour
suddenly..a flooding of memories..we shriveled out…Saghavu was born at
Attingal in 1920`s. He abandoned his birthplace at the age of eighteen
and wandered in Tamilnadu, then the Madras Presidency. While at
Tirunelveli he was attracted to Communist ideology. At that time,
communist legends were organizing theIr work at Madurai and places
around. The yound turk of Chellappn became part of the movement. When
Communist party was prohibited the workers went underground.
Chellappan like many others fled to Cylon to escape from the
repercussions. There the comrades built up their movement. Saghavu
Chellappan was then at the tea estates near Jafna. There he worked as
a newspaper agent and campaigner of Communist party, He appeared to be
very much comfortable with the memories there.A single and smooth life
having no connection or attachment with the family at Attingal . But
this flow of life was blocked with a serious illness at the age of
around thirty-five. So the friends packed him and shipped back home,
despite his hesitation. The family at Attingal received a surprise
visitor, Chellappan after a gap of around twenty years. As the
excitement of reunion began to wane down, the relatives were on a
anxiety. Will Chellappan vanish again ?. So they arranged a
knot..Chellappan was married to a girl at Kollayil. That is the story
of appearance of Saghavu chellappan at Kollayil..he became part and
parcel of our native land..communism…Chakkamala..rehabilitation of
punnaprakkaar..struggles..evictions..settlement..Saghavu chellappan
was a prime actor..
There are a lot to be studied on his experiences..Due to constraints
of time , I am concluding here. I have to go to Kollayil for the
funeral at evening.
Red salutes to our Saghav ……..RIJAM
Dileep Kumar
Hi rijam
tks for the info.
As many of us are dispersed round the world, this kind of info is so valuable.
Appreciated.
However, the narration of his past was very interesting. I know him since my childhood, but his wandering stories at Tamilnadu and cylon was really amazing.
May his soul rest in peace.
Regards
Sunny
jasim t
--
jaziiiiiiiiiiiiiiii .. iam not always right but iam never wrong
Biju R Das
I remember Sakhavu’s laughing even from my early childhood. Sakhavu was always energetic and smiling. He was never after money. Over the course of time, I could learn a lot from him, always loved to talk about the past. I have a great collection of his recordings. As Rijam explained, he had a lot of good memory and life experiences, maybe the most that anyone could boast in Kollayil. I was always surprised by his energy, the biking etc.. As he said, only one thing could defeat his zest for biking, that was the Chikungunia. It was definitely a fall from there. Sakahavu, who worked as a mediator in many Chakkamala issues could have grabbed a lot of land there if he wanted, he never did, it may be a fate but he was financially crunch at the end, he was angry for the fact that a lot of people whom he helped turned back on him. Not sure how many people who have land or who lives in Chakkamala realize the remarkable effort that he put on developing it.
On a personal note…he was a very frequent visitor to my family. He had a deep connection with my father. They travelled together and shared stories. As a matter of fact, Sakhavu might be the only true friend that my father had. I was always surprised by their association, because their personalities were totally different, yet they loved each other’s presence. He told me that my father’s death was a psychological blow to him. It may be just a coincidence that he passed away exactly after 2 years after my father’s death. Always loved and never forgotten….our Sakhavu