Poovathani
| Poovathani Puggathani | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
  Poovathani Location in Kerala, India | |
| Coordinates: 10°56′47″N 76°19′16″E / 10.946291°N 76.321071°ECoordinates: 10°56′47″N 76°19′16″E / 10.946291°N 76.321071°E |
Poovathani is a small village bordering Malappuram and Palakkad Districts in Kerala, India. It is shared by three Grama Panchayaths,thachanattukara,Aliparamba, and Thazhekode. The name Poovathani is derived from two Malayalam words "poovam"(local name of a tree) and "Athani" (meaning shelter).
History
The small piece of history of this tiny village is written by a man in his 50s. Definitely an older person will have a different view and so entirely different things to say. I believe that the truth has not been lost in my overzealousness to describe the short history of this wonderful place. The parts of human skeletons which came out during digging at the adjacent Vattapparamba mosque premises is enough proof that a thriving Muslim population existed in this region for centuries. The skeletal parts were buried underneath the old mosque building part of which was demolished in 1949 for alteration and extension.The graveyards of Vattapparamba mosque, and Pothiyil mosque located roughly a kilometer away from Poovathani cetre are stll used for burying the dead from here.The old mosque built with laterite, wood and tiles at Poovathani was renovated to a two storeyed concrete building in the late seventees with the major finaciers being the NRIs from the region.
Poovathani is a small village located about one kilometre away from Karinkallathani, an ever expanding town between Mannarkkad and Perinthalmanna on NH 213. It lost its lustre as a weekly market where small traders from in and around this village used to gather on Mondays with the starting of bus services to nearby interior places like Alipparamba, Kampuram and Chethalloor. Otherwise people from
these places had to depend on Poovathani for household items and other essential goods from an array of small and medium shops located on both sides of the main road at Povathani. The village was self-sufficient in the sense that it had all that was required for a village community, viz, provisional stores, tea shops, hotels, textile shops, tailor shops, Vaidyans, small lodges, library, an upper primary school, ration shop, slaughter houses and mosque, etc.
The weekly market which existed for a long time would make the whole area a lively one from Sunday evening till Tuesday evening every week. There used to be a lot of hustle and bustle on Mondays when one could see large gatherings of people in the market. It was a place for selling vegetables for those who cultivated their own in farmyards got vacant after harvest of paddy. It was a place for buying cheap dry fish which was the only affordable non vegetarian item for most of the population those days. The children of the place eagerly awaited Mondays to come as they used to get coins from some of the visiting traders in the market and some rich people of the place as well.
Most of the people lived in poverty. Most of them had to depend on their livelihood by working for the handful of lucky people who owned large chunks of farmland and coconut plantations. The situation changed for the good after the gulf boom. Many people from the area tried their fortune in the gulf countries even risking their lives and property for their journeys. Most of them succeeded in getting rich in time.
Education found its rightful place. The older generation took keen interest in educating its younger generation. A well educated younger generation could be evolved out of the passion for getting them educated at any cost. The benefits of having a good education could be seen and experienced to those who had worked under educated masters in the gulf countries. The local population would otherwise have remained as labourers to those handful of people who had a bit more riches at their disposal. In those years of abject poverty and joblessness, if some people did not have landed jobs in the gulf countries, the local population would never have escaped from the clutches of illiteracy, poverty and exploitation.
The nearby Karinkallathani came into prominence with the transportation facility improving and Poovathani was reduced to a place of unimportance. The weekly market slowly vanished. The property where the thriving weekly market existed once was sold for partition among its heirs and concrete houses were built in its place.
Places of worship
Poovathani Juma Masjid is a chief place of worship for Muslims.There is an ancient temple nearby, known as Panamkurussi Bagavathi Temple. In the annual week-long festival of this temple popularly known as "Panamkurussi Kavu Pooram" people from all religious sects actively participate.The memories of Cherumakkali, Thullal,Chakyar koothu and other ancient Hindu art forms which were played at the Poorapparambu stll lenger in my mind.The Pooram festival is the only festival which gives an exposure for such art forms to members of other communities of the region.
Educational institutions
Poovathani has played a pivotal role in the socio educational development of the region with the presence of well educated community in all respective fields. There is an Upper Primary School, namely, A.M.U.P. School established in 1938. This school is one of the biggest schools in Perintalmanna "Educational Sub District".There are three religious schools (Madrasas) also to provide religious education to children. There is a Balavadi also. Apart from the school and Balavadi there are no major government or government aided establishments in Poovathani.
Important Personalities
1. P T Syed Sahib
Syed Sahib was an active supporter of Muslim league, and played a major role in building a strong base for the party in the
erstwhile Malabar district of the British Madras Presidency.
2. P.T. Hamza Master:- Fondly called as Vappu Mash by the local people, he was a teacher par excellence,an active presence on venues and stages in the locality as a speaker and actor, a good orator, a good organizer and mediator and, above all,a fine human being Poovathani might have ever witnessed in its short history. He died at the young age of 56 soon after returning from Mecca where he had been to,to perform hajj. In his demise, Poovathani lost a constant and active presence in its social, cultural and religious life. His demise created a void which nobody has been able to fill.
3. C.H. Syedali Haji:- It was under him that the Poovathani U.P. School was established in the late 1930s.There was a time even madrassa classes for the children were conducted in its buildings.
4. T.T. Kunjalan :- He was part and parcel of the Poovathani School during his lifetime. His promptness and enthusiasm in preparing and serving lunch to the poor children of the school at a time when it was an absolute necessity, still wonders many. There were no non-academic activity in the school which Kunjalan Kakka did not involve in. He identified and paid attention to children who needed support and encouragement,like any teacher in the school. During his lifetime, he had actively taken part in the socio-religious activities of Poovathani. For many years,it was his quran recitation from the masjid that woke up the people for the early morning food during Ramzan seasons. There were few namaz prayer calls from the masjid done by anyone from Poovathani after his death other than the muezzin.