Remembering Poykayil Appachan in times of Chengara
One more Keralappiravi has passed on 1st of Nov, 2008. As the govt. tirade against the Chengara struggle and the apathy of the general public to it continue in Kerala, let us remember Poykayil Appachan (1879-1939), the tireless crusader against casteism within the dominant churches and outside; he not only redefined religion but urged people to convert the dream of liberation into a reality on this earth. For Amarapuram, established under the leadership of Poykayil Appachan in 1910s, so many dalits had shed their sweat and tears and they’re not mere pieces of land, but as the name suggests the symbol of hope, an eternal city of freedom. We rejoice to reach Amarapuram Its beauty is unsurpassed Is it heaven or its peak? Is it luck or its peak! I am not the one to narrate it all! For this and translations of other songs of Poykayil Appachan by Ajay Sekher, see Unknown Subjects: Songs of Poykayil Appachan , edited by V.V Swamy and E.V Anil (Kottayam: Institute of PRDS studies, 2008)