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sacrament, the good priest set out to return the gift, and Abraham had to intercept him,
telling him that his remark was made in jest. Fr. Alexander became the Bishop of
Kottayam in 1914. Young Thomas Tharayil, later to succeed Choolapparambil as Bishop
was Abraham’s student and mentor. So were hosts of future priests and lay leaders. He
lived and taught among the growing leadership of the Knanaya community. His contacts,
developed in Kidangore, were to stand in good stead in future community related
activities. His schoolmates such as Joseph Chazhikat and others were colleagues on St.
Mary’s teaching staff for some time. But Abraham remained the disciplinarian and
teacher par excellence of the student body.

Distances from Kaipuzha to Kidangore took a toll on the family. Therefore, Abraham
decided to leave the service of St. Mary’s School, and teach in a Protestant School in
Olassa. He could commute by boat from Kaipuzha to Olassa. Olassa school gave him
exposure to Protestant way of living, western ways of conduct, and a wider horizon of
thought and perspective. In Abraham’s many future activities and endeavors, this
openness to new ideas and different culture would be constantly manifested. He
continued in Olassa for another eight years as teacher and disciplinarian. After eighteen
years in education, he left teaching to pursue business and agriculture. But his appellation
would always be “Abraham Sir”.

His boat man during the years he taught in Olassa was Kuriako Kochathampally. Kuriako
started with Abraham when he was barely 13 years old, and stayed in his service till 1948
when he died of jaundice. Kuriako could barely read and write. However, he spent a great
deal of time on the veranda of the English School in Olassa, which educated him in its
own way. For instance Kuriako could recite the Lord’s Prayer (Protestant version) in
English with unction and clarity. He could follow or pretend to follow conversations in
English. He could generally pass off as semi-literate. Especially when he was inebriated,
(and he was quite often “under the influence”) Kuriako was a lot of fun and was to
remain a good and faithful part of the Kalluvelil extended family. Abraham would treat
him as part of the family. He would trust him to carry out some very responsible chores.
He carried the briefcase with thousands of rupees in cash, which was needed when he
would go for Abkari (liquor shops) auctions. Kuriako would walk away in a huff,
threaten to leave service, and take the occasional swig from the toddy and arrack jars. But
he would always return, as he only had one patron all his life.

A cousin of Kuriako was Pothan. Pothan had been a chef with some of the English and
Anglo-Indian families in Alappuzha when very young. On his return to Kaipuzha, he
entered the service of the Kalluvelil family. He helped Naithy in her manifold activities
in the kitchen and in rearing the children. Pothan cooked, shopped, hewed wood and
drew water for Naithy. He bathed the children, threatened them, harangued them, cajoled
them, told wild and imaginative stories to entertain all and sundry. Pothan was in charge
of domestic affairs, whereas Kuriako was the external fact-totem. For these two the
Kalluvelil family came before their own. From very early morning to very late at night,
(and some times they slept in the Kalluvelil house) these people toiled for the Kalluvelil
family. Pothan remained in the service of the family for many long years. His family
relocated to Kallara in 1948 or so, and he left service. But he would return often to visit

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