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6. NELLUPADATHU NAITHY

Pannivelil family is part of the Makil clan. Chacko Pannivelil was born on September 13,
1874. Pannivelil family belonged to the village of Iravimangalam. Chacko’s uncle had
settled in Nelluppadathu. As he had no children Chacko joined him there and inherited
that property. At the age of 19, on 28 September, 1893, he married Kochanna Kocheril
(Chathyamma as the grandchildren knew her) aged 15. Her date of birth (as we have it on
the authority of her eldest son who kept many records of births and deaths,) is May 17,
1878. Chacko and Anna settled in Kaduthuruthy. Chacko had become a merchant prince
in Kaduthuruthy. He had a wholesale store that catered to the needs of the vicinity. It was
said that at his death all shops in the area were shut as a sign of respect to his memory.
But while he lived, he was a force to be reckoned with. It was said that he was a very
hospitable person, who enjoyed the company of like-minded people, involved in the
activities of the Knanaya community, and highly regarded by other Christians and non-
Christians. He was a man of the world, willing to help any one in need. When cholera
took the lives of scores of people, it was Chacko who dared to visit the dying and risk his
own life. Whenever there were emergencies, it was Chacko to whom people ran , for help
and guidance. After having ministered to the dying, he himself caught cholera, died an
untimely death on December 18, 1918, mourned by all in the vicinity.

Their first child was Naithy who was born on August 3, 1897 four years after the
marriage. Thereafter, nine more healthy children were born, the last one seeing the light
of day on August 31, 1917, a few months before the untimely death of Chacko Pannivelil.
His brother Thomman, who had a bank, died within three weeks of Chacko’s death.(It is
interesting to note that Naithy’s eldest son- Luka- was older than Achukutty and Mathew
- her youngest siblings.) Before Chacko’s death he conducted the marriages of his two
eldest daughters and his eldest son. After his death, it became the responsibility of
Kunjeppu, ably assisted by his brothers-in-law Abraham Pathyil and Thomas Makil, to
find spouses for his sisters and brothers.

Naithy was, thus, born to pomp and circumstances. Since there was no good school in
Kaduthuruthy, she was sent to the boarding of St. Margaret School, Kaipuzha, run by the
Visitation Convent. The boarding fee was a few bushels of rice every year, which Chacko
could easily afford. Naithy lived in the boarding surrounded by discipline and affection.
For years after, she would frequently visit the Convent and her alma mater with a sense
of pride and ownership. There were several nuns who had taught and supervised her
whom she would frequently meet and reminisce about her years in the boarding. Naithy
stayed in the boarding only for a few years. But she was literate, whereas most girls in
her time did not attend schools. She spoke lovingly and nostalgically about her life in the
boarding. When Abraham Pathyil was proposed in marriage to her, it was only
appropriate that Naithy would marry a young man from Kaipuzha. After all, the village
was not new to her.

The marriage of Chacko’s first-born was a grand affair. The betrothal ceremony was
usually conducted in the bride’s parish. Chacko had arranged a feast in his ancestral
Pannivelil house, befitting his status in the community. Abraham was considered a most

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