Kerala polls: Glittering dam, dark memorial

Idukki: Every election season, the Kolumban memorial near Cheruthoni in Idukki turns into an unlikely pilgrimage site. Candidates from every major political front, cutting across party lines and ideological divides, make it a point to offer floral tributes at the memorial before filing their nomination papers. The ritual is performed with reverence, cameras rolling and garlands fresh. Then the elections end. And Kolumban is forgotten, until the next one.

The irony runs deep. Without Chemban Kolumban, the story of the Idukki Arch Dam—Asia's largest arch dam—would be incomplete. Kolumban, the tribal elder of the Oorali community, guided engineers through dense forests to the narrow gorge between the Kuravan and Kurathi hills, making the construction of one of India's most ambitious dams possible. Yet, recognition has largely remained ceremonial. The memorial, located near the Cheruthoni Dam, spends most of the year overgrown and neglected. Cleaning happens only when election season demands it. Successive state budgets have promised a Kolumban museum, but beyond the installation of the memorial at Vellappara near the dam, nothing has materialized.

"There have been promises for years, but nothing has come of them," says Sujatha, granddaughter of Thenen Bhaskaran, Kolumban's son. Until his death last year, Bhaskaran visited the memorial regularly to light lamps. Now, only relatives visit occasionally on special days to keep the ritual alive.

The neglect feels especially stark this year. Grand celebrations are underway marking the golden jubilee of the Idukki arch dam with year-long festivities and elaborate illuminations. The Idukki, Kulamavu, and Cheruthoni dams, along with the Moolamattom powerhouse, are bathed in decorative lights. "Yet, amid all the fanfare, no effort has been made to even light up Kolumban's memorial," said PG Janardhanan, a state committee member of the Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha.

Public activist P K Jayan pointed out the contradiction: The same leaders who visit the memorial seeking votes during elections ignore it during important occasions. "This is not mere forgetfulness, but a stark reflection of the continued neglect of tribal history and culture. Once again, the govt has failed the Adivasi community," he said.