Socio-cultural Processes and Livelihood Patterns at Tirurangadi - CDS

Members of the landlord and Karyastha families escaped to Palghat and Trissur, taking
along with them stories of the atrocities committed by the Mappilas, and not necessarily
the stories of the state repression on them. The relief operations conducted by the State
were also scanty. Much of the relief work appears to have been done voluntarily by
households who sought to protect the fleeing families. Otherwise, the most serious
attempt at relief operation was done by the DMRT (Deodhar Malabar Relief Trust) and
Gandhians like V.R.Nayanar some years afterwards, which also was of a limited nature,
at least in this area. There was a relief camp at Kakkad by the Gandhians, and the camp
did not give relief to the Mappila families affected by State oppression and lawlessness.
A camp of a similar kind with emphasis on afflicted Mappila families was started at
Tirurangadi, which later grew into the Tirurangadi Yatheem Khana, established in 1943.
Political activity at Tirurangadi was at low ebb during the period after the rebellion. As
we have seen earlier, the traditional leadership of the area had disappeared with the
execution of Ali Musaliar. Other influential leaders like K.M.Moulavi had fled to
Kodungallur. Mohammed Abdurahiman, another influential Congress leader,
concentrated his activities in Calicut, and became the editor of a newspaper, Al Ameen.
Numerous powerful Muslim families of the area were not either sympathetic to the
rebellion or did not participate in it any form, and probably maintained a cordial
relationship with the British. There were also some not so rich Muslims , who were
considered British ‘agents’, an example being Nalletath Kunhahmad, called ‘Khan
Sahib’, from the title awarded to him by the British. Khan Sahib seems to have lived an
affluent life because of the privileges given to him by the British, but died miserably.
Congress failed to make any dent in the region, except among a few rich Nayar families
(a number of them migrated to Calicut after the rebellion). With the Khilafat debacle, the
Muslims treated the Congress as betrayers to their cause, and a number of Muslims, who
professed their sympathies to the Congress, became inactive. The suspension of the non-