Kerala’s Mankombu – a farming village inextricably linked to M S Swaminathan by name and familial ties

The village is in Alappuzha district and is part of the Kuttanad region, known as Kerala’s rice bowl. Before Swaminathan’s birth in 1925, his father left the village of paddy fields to go to Kumbakonam, in what was then the Madras Presidency, to work as a general medical practitioner. He was the first doctor from his family, which belonged to the Tamil Brahmin community. The Kottaram family was originally from Kumbakonam, before they settled down in Mankombu and took up farming.

“In those days, we were farmers with large tracts of land, including paddy fields. After Sambasivan obtained his medical degree, he wanted to move out. He had five other siblings, and each one then looked for their own professional turf,” recalled M K Parameswaran, a member of the Kottaram family.

In Kumbakonam, Sambasivan led a mosquito eradication mission, and went on to become the city’s first municipal chairman.

Swaminathan was born in Kumbakonam, but when he was just 11 years old, he lost his father. He was then brought up by his father’s youngest brother M K Narayanaswami, who had also moved to Kumbakonam after studying radiology.

Swaminathan maintained a strong relationship with Mankombu village, and retained close ties with his relatives who lived there.

The house where his father was born, a traditional nalukettu structure, still stands in the village. The family still has a stake in paddy cultivation in the region, and Swaminanthan too had a share in his ancestral property. On his visits to Mankombu, he lived with his relatives.

His family’s legacy in the village also includes a temple that was later handed over to the Devaswom Board, and a school that was given over to the state government. The school, now known as the Avittam Thirunal Government Higher Secondary School, celebrated its platinum jubilee in 2012 and invited Swaminathan as the chief guest.

“Swaminathan was then a member of the Rajya Sabha. At the platinum jubilee celebration, he announced Rs 50 lakh from his MP Local Area Development fund for the school,” the school’s then PTA president Jayan Chambakulam recalled.

Swaminathan and his research foundation had also been actively involved in attempts to revive the Kuttanad region, where his forefathers had toiled over generations. He was behind the preparation of the Rs 1,840-crore Kuttanad package, a Union government scheme for the revival of the wetland system of the region and for ensuring sustainable livelihood for people there. Since its 2008 launch, Swaminathan attended several review meetings and guided officials.