Hello Vanya, Happy to see this note on the Orrs. Could you give me any information on the following topic, indirectly connected to the Orrs, perhaps? Kumaran Asan was a Malayalam poet (1873-1924) who was honored by the Madras University in 1922 with a golden bangle and a silk shawl (I don't know what it is ceremonially called in English, but in Malayalam they are described as * pattum valayum*) and the honor was presented by a British royal who visited the country at that time.(Was it Prince of Wales? I need to check.) This presentation of the honor to Kumaran Asan was a big event in Kerala history because he was from the subaltern Ezhava community, one of the very few great poets to rise from the lower castes in India in early 20th century. Most people were not even allowed admission to schools because of caste prejudices and Kumaran was sent to Calcutta by Sri Narayana Guru, the Ezhava social reformer, for higher studies. Kumaran madly fell in love with an Anglo-Indian girl there, and after her parents married her off to somebody else, the dejected poet returned home and wrote the great philosophical work, *Veenapoovu*, the Fallen Flower! The Madras University's decision to honor him then was a major event because of his non-elite social background and the acute caste prejudices that prevailed in our society then. The golden bangle with intricate designs and all that finery was manufactured by the Orr company in Madras, according to family sources here. Now the tragedy is that after the death of the poet, in a boat capsize in 1924, these items were in the possession of his family who donated it to the Government of Kerala who had in the 1980s set up a memorial for hm at his home village of Thonnakkal. It is a beautiful place, but unfortunately not very safe, and the precious items were stolen from there. It has remained untraced ever since, and the authorities have made a copy, but no one knows whether this is according to the original design. I was wondering whether Orr & Company may have left any records of their 1920s sales and designs especially since this was major project involving a royal visit? Do you think I may be able to locate any of these details from somebody in the family? N P Chekkutty/Malabar, Kerala.

Chekutty I can't help at all I'm afraid... P.Orr & sons was sold before the 1920s, I believe, as Edward Orr who was in charge, died in 1913. What a shame those beautiful things were lost... Chekutty you have such wonderful stories.. are you going to write them into a book one day... will you tell me if you do?! warm greetings, Vanya On 18 August 2010 11:36, Chekkutty N.P <[email protected]> wrote: > Hello Vanya, > > Happy to see this note on the Orrs. Could you give me any information on > the > following topic, indirectly connected to the Orrs, perhaps? > > Kumaran Asan was a Malayalam poet (1873-1924) who was honored by the Madras > University in 1922 with a golden bangle and a silk shawl (I don't know what > it is ceremonially called in English, but in Malayalam they are described > as > * pattum valayum*) and the honor was presented by a British royal who > visited the country at that time.(Was it Prince of Wales? I need to check.) > > This presentation of the honor to Kumaran Asan was a big event in Kerala > history because he was from the subaltern Ezhava community, one of the very > few great poets to rise from the lower castes in India in early 20th > century. Most people were not even allowed admission to schools because of > caste prejudices and Kumaran was sent to Calcutta by Sri Narayana Guru, the > Ezhava social reformer, for higher studies. Kumaran madly fell in love with > an Anglo-Indian girl there, and after her parents married her off to > somebody else, the dejected poet returned home and wrote the great > philosophical work, *Veenapoovu*, the Fallen Flower! > > The Madras University's decision to honor him then was a major event > because > of his non-elite social background and the acute caste prejudices that > prevailed in our society then. The golden bangle with intricate designs and > all that finery was manufactured by the Orr company in Madras, according to > family sources here. > > Now the tragedy is that after the death of the poet, in a boat capsize in > 1924, these items were in the possession of his family who donated it to > the > Government of Kerala who had in the 1980s set up a memorial for hm at his > home village of Thonnakkal. It is a beautiful place, but unfortunately not > very safe, and the precious items were stolen from there. > > It has remained untraced ever since, and the authorities have made a copy, > but no one knows whether this is according to the original design. I was > wondering whether Orr & Company may have left any records of their 1920s > sales and designs especially since this was major project involving a royal > visit? Do you think I may be able to locate any of these details from > somebody in the family? > > N P Chekkutty/Malabar, Kerala. > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > -- Vanya Orr, Project Director Earth Trust Ketty Post Nilgiris, Tamilnadu, India mob.: +919787749943 office: +914232517036 www.earthtrustnilgiris.org

Hello dear Vanya, I have never had much of a faith in a providence but now I think there must be something in the stars that bring coincidences at such a neat sequence. This morning after I had posted my mail to you, I came to the office and was reading a local newspaper in Malayalam... What I found in an inner page was this small news item: Kumaran Asan's bangle, presented to him by the Prince of Wales, restored to the Asan Museum! What happened was that after the 100-gram bangle was stolen from the museum in 1989, the police had been looking for it all this time and and some time back they had actually recovered it from some jewelry shop. The bangle had been seriously damaged and they had restored it to it past glory with the help of some goldsmiths in Alapuzhua. It was returned to the museum, yesterday, at a ceremony in which the cultural minister was present. So when somebody asks you where they can see a P.Orr& Co finery, tell them one is there at Thonnakkal Asan Museum. Only, they will keep a replica for show, keeping the original in a bank locker. Chekkutty.