Basking in familial glory

Written by: Abdul Latheef Naha in The Hindu on 12 September 2006

Malappuram: In September 2006, Malappuram district witnessed a gathering of two large, ancient families. Both meetings provided a platform for the family members to explore their roots and lineages. The family melas were the first such to be held in Malappuram. The gathering of the Warrier families was organised by the Warrier Samajam at Kottakkal and the conclave of Naha and related families of Parappanangadi at a Vallikkunnu beach resort.

Aryavaidyan P.K. Warrier, managing trustee of the P.S. Varier's Arya Vaidya Sala, Kottakkal, inaugurated the mela. Members of the Yoga Kshema Sabha, Pisharady Samajam and Marar Sabha were there to felicitate the Warrier families, who were traditionally associated with temples. The Warrier collective came into existence nearly three decades ago.

Apart from getting to one another over a sumptuous Onam feast, the gathering spent more time at the art and cultural programmes. The 105-minute Navagraha Keerthan recital rendered in Ashtaragam by P.R. Kumara Kerala Varma and team was the highlight of the day.

A flower carpet designed in tantric style by the Warriers differed from the conventional floral carpets. The Warrier Samajam, which has units in Sharjah, Dubai and the United States of America, plans to provide educational and financial succour for the poor among them.

The Naha mega mela brought together more than 3,000 members of five families of pre-eminence under a roof.

The 1000-odd families of Naha, Marakkar, Achambatt, Mele Veettil and Keyi rubbed shoulders with the Thangal family of Sayed Abdurahman Bafaqui Thangal. A voluminous `who-is-who' directory brought out on the occasion traced the lineage of the Naha family to an Arab trader, Nahuda Miskal (aka Sayyid Ba'Alawi of Hadhramaut), who married the daughter of Vettathunadu's ruler centuries ago.

Quoting the 1917 writings of Diwan Rai Bahadur C. Gopalan Nair, the directory gives brief sketches about the origin of the Naha and related families.

The day-long meeting brought family members from almost all parts of the State and across. Freedom fighter and former Communist leader K. Koyakunhi Naha, the senior most member in the family, inaugurated the mela.

T.K. Hamza, MP; P.K. Abdu Rabb, MLA; and Manjalamkuzhi Ali, MLA, were present at the gathering.

The members were introduced in 31 sub-divisions. For many, the occasion provided unforgettable moments. A cultural programme by the members of the families and a musical orchestra brought the curtains down on the mela. Organisers E.P. Mohammedali and K. Mahmood Naha said similar gatherings would be organised once in three years.

Reference: Basking in familial glory - The Hindu