TRIPUNITHURA: As the entire nation celebrates 75 years of Independence, for Subhadra Thampuran, the senior-most woman member of the Tripunithura royal family, the historic days are etched in mind and remains fresh ecven today.
Lakshmi Thoppu Palace of the family was closely linked to the freedom movement, she recalled. "Hymavathy chechi, my elder cousin sister, influenced us to follow the path of Mahatma Gandhi," the 93-year-old said.
Gandhi visited Tripunithura to preside over the first anniversary of the Mahatma Grandhashala on January 18, 1934. The spirit of the freedom movement prevailed everywhere, especially in Tripunithura, and children greeted Bapu with great joy, she said. .
Subhadra recounted how five years prior to India attaining independence they decided to make handspun fibre using a Charkha and hand it over to Gandhi to indicate their support to the freedom movement.
Hymavathi was bold enough to lead a small group of five girls from the royal family to join the freedom movement, she said. "We learned to weave handspun clothes from Chennaattu Ammaalu Amma of Thamaramkulangara, who was our teacher at Kalikotta Palace," Thampuran said.
Three of the sisters handed over the bundle of handspun fibre to Gandhi in Madras. After receiving it from them, he draped them with khadi shawls and presented them the Hindi Visharad certificates as they had completed the course, she said.
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