MAYYAZHI: THE FRENCH COLONY
N.NANDHIVARMAN
The French wanted a foothold in the Arabian
Coast. Pepper and cardamom were their main attractions. In order to be closer
to sources of these spices French obtained permission from the Prince of
Badagara to set up their establishment in Mahe by a treaty signed on 2 nd April
1721. Mahe is a word derived from “Mayyazhi” a river in which small boats could
navigate up to 3 kilometers inland from the estuary. The possession of Mahe
does not come easy to the French. The French had to face the fury of the
British and hostility of the Iruvalinad Nambiars. Rulers of Badagara drove
French out soon after giving it to French. But in December 1721, Marquis of
Paradillan recovered Mahe for the French. Again in 1726 another peace treaty
was signed between French and Molladin, the ruler of Badagara with 16
articles. In spite of the treaty the
Nayar Chiefs especially the ruler of Badagara seems not to have been happy with
the French. It reached a culminating point when the ruler of Badagara blockaded
Mahe for 18 months. The French fleet under Mahe de Labourdonnais recovered Mahe
and a peace treaty of 24 th January 1742 was inked. Earlier on December 1741 a
peace treaty was signed with the four Nambiars (Local chiefs) who ruled over
the territories on the right of the Mayyazhi River. Kunhi Nayar gave the small
territory of Kallayi to the French in the same year. The Nayar of Kurungod
became an ally of the French and with his help French were able to defeat all
the neighboring Nayar and Nambiar chiefs. British captured Mahe and Pondicherry
in 1761. Mahe was razed to ground and when recovered in 1765 French had to
rebuild. Hyder Ali visited Mahe in 1766 April and ten years later he gifted
villages of Pallur, Pandakkal and Nallathura and adjoining areas. This is how
Mayyazhi came under French colonial rule explains J.B.P.More in his recent book
on Mahe. And still Mahe fails to regain its old name and remains content with
being Mahe, a version corroborating the name of French Chief Mahe de
Labourdonnais .
Numerous books on freedom struggle in French
India is Pondicherry centric, and the struggles of enclave territories have
missed their due place in history. To fill up this vacuum Dr.J.B.P.More had
brought out a beautiful book FREEDOM MOVEMENT IN FRENCH INDIA, which speaks
about the enclave in the Arabian coast namely Mahe. Dr.J.B.P.More the historian
and social scientist is a Tamilian living in France who obtained his Doctorate
degree from Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris. His book
places on record the Mahe Revolt of 1948 against the French regime under
Governor Baron. “ The role of nationalist leaders of Mahe like I.K.Kumaran and
P.K.Usman stands testimony to the fact that ideals and principles rather than power
and profit can be great motivating factors in the struggle for freedom and the
manifestation of nationalism” opines JBP.More.
J.B.P.More specializes on Muslims and
Dravidian inter cultural actions. His book “ Muslim Identity, Print Culture and
the Dravidian Factor in Tamil Nadu” focuses on “Muslim Politics in Tamil Nadu
in the context of Colonialism and their response to modernity in the two
decades before India’s freedom. In this book the author recapitulates some of
the themes and information but expands upon them in the backdrop of print in
Tamil Nadu and in relation to Tamil identity politics as championed by the
Dravidian movement under Periyar E.V.Ramasamy and Anna” opines
A.R.Venkatachalapathy in a review of this book in the columns of The Hindu dated
12 th October 2004. His first book
“Political Evolution of the Muslims of Tamil Nadu and Madras 1930-1947”
published by Orient Longman Limited in 1997 won the prestigious Book Room
International Award for the year 1998.
In view of his French nationality
and permanent residence at France, though yearly visits to his home next to Raj
Niwas in Ponduicherry keeps his contacts with his roots alive, JBP More has the
opportunity to frequent the libraries of Paris. In the “Bibliotheque Nationale”
of Paris he found a book on Bhagawatha Purana written by Maridas Poulle in
1769. More was astonished to find the first Indologist’s book. Maridas Poulle
is the first translator of a Tamil classic into French. Maridas Poulle
(1721-1796) is a name unknown till J.B.P More unearthed his manuscripts from
the Paris library. It must be noted that J.B.P.More is not a blood relative of
Maridas Poulle. More reedited this book in 2004 and published in Pondicherry,
which was widely distributed in France. J.B.P.More also proposes to publish
further works of Maridas Poulle including his essays on Indian history.
J.B.P.More
translated 40 poems of Mahakavi Bharathiar into French and brought out a
full-scale book in French “ L’Inde face a’ Bharati, Le Poet Rebelle” This book
speaks about Bharathis life, his literary activities with a special emphasize
on the French influence in his writings. The writings of Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Proudan, and age of
enlightenment had left a deep imprint in the poet’s vision. J.B.P.More traces
these influences from Bharathiar’s works. One of the illustrious sons of
Pondicherry’s soil had earnt recognition with his books. The book speak will
place his name on high pedestal among social scientists and historians of
Pondicherry.
courtesy: The New Indian
Express-weekend 18.12.2004
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