KERALA
DANCE |
| Terpsichore, daughter of the Gods then had her sway
and we had a potpourri of Kerala dance numbers both popular and classical
interpreted brilliantly by Madhavan of international repute assisted
by a troupe of talented amateurs. |
| Initial years of the Rotary Club of Cochin were mostly
spent as a social club rather than as a service club. It was more
because the idea of service at grass root level had not caught up
with Rotary at least in our country. “Vocational Service”
in those days has been the major ingredient of Rotary just as Paul
Harris intended it to be from the start in 1905. |
| Yet when occasion arose, our predecessors did not hesitate
to go to the rescue of our less fortunate brethren or organise themselves
to serve a common cause. Then Cochin State was ravaged by a devastating
cyclone in July 1941 and many were rendered homeless. Our Club under
the leadership of Rtn. T.K. Krishna Menon rose to help the needy.
I quote from the bulletin dated 15th August, 1941: |
| “Dance Pageant”. This
was the ambitious caption on handbills and posters described as a
benefit performance under the auspices of our Club in aid of the relief
fund organised by the Government to help those rendered destitute
and homeless by the recent cyclone havoc in the State. |
| So at 6.30 p.m. on the 9th instant the vast auditorium
of Menaka Theatre, Ernakulam was packed to capacity. Among the distinguished
audience was the consort to H.H. the Maharaja of Cochin and many Princes
of the ruling house. The father of the idea was Rtn. Achutha Menon
– he was Chief Secretary to the Government and succeeded Sir
Shanmukham as acting Dewan. Our thanks in this connection are due
to him and to those Rotarians and their wives who blithely took upon
themselves the onerous task of selling tickets to the public. From
the crowd we had at the theatre, one can confidently say that their
labours were amply rewarded. |
| A few Rotarians, it must be woefully admitted, refused
to co-operate in any manner with the general effort” |
| The Bulletin dated 13th September, 1941 shows as follows:-
|
| “Accounts” : The President
announced that the variety entertainment has yielded Rs. 634-8-0 and
that the Board of Directors has decided to give Rs. 34-8-0 to the
School for the Blind, Kunnamkulam and the balance to the State Cyclone
Relief Fund. He also expressed appreciation of the Club for the services
done by the Secretary and some of the other members in making the
entertainment a success it decidedly was. |
| The donation of Rs. 100/- from the Rotary Club of Bombay
for the Cyclone Relief Fund was also announced and gratefully acknowledged.” |
| We must remember that these were dry when there were
no Matching Grants or Community Service Trust and monthly subscription
was Rs.5/- which included one lunch and one dinner. Rs. 600/- will
have been a lordly sum then! |
| Later on when the Second World War was raging in Europe
and Africa and Burma and Singapore and its ripples reached the shores
of India and made our Rotarians restless to do something in aid of
the War Fund, we organized a carnival on Saturday the 24th of January,
1942 at the Ram Mohan Palace (Present Kerala High Court) and the proceeds
of the same an amount of Rs. 6637-11-11 was presented to Rotarian
A.F.W. Dixon (Our member and Dewan of Cochin) by Rtn. Governor H.M.
Desai during his official visit to the Club on 7th March, 1942 –
A creditable achievement considering the value of money in those days.
A detailed report of the carnival is best given in the words of T.
Bhaskara Menon, Club Secretary and Bulletin Editor. |
“Carnival
in aid of Allied War Effort. |
| On the morning of Saturday, the 24th of January, 1942,
a 6 ft. diameter gold and blue wheel of the Rotary International Blazoned
on the southern terrace of the Ram Mohan Palace. At 4 p.m. the State
Military Band struck up a lively tune and the Carnival was informally
opened. |
| The Club-stalls packed with attractive fits, the gaily
festooned lucky-dip booths, the amusement stalls – all were
a riot of colour. A large shed to the east of the refreshment stalls
displayed interesting and artistic exhibits supplied by the Development
Departments of the Cochin Government. A nearby enclosure contained
some splendid specimens of Indian cattle. |
| Among the varied items of entertainment, the marionette
show by Mrs. Congreve actively assisted by Mrs. Meadows calls for
special reference. It was delightful to watch the dreamy look on the
faces of youngsters who lived through their favourite stories, of
Cinderella nd Red Riding Hood, of Alladin and the witch with the long
long nose. The exposition of Indian Dance by youthful amateurs was
superb. |
| After sundown, the centre of interest shifted to the
“Wild West Bar” whose inviting caption “Quench Your
Thirst Here !” found ready response. Mine hosts Rotarians Strauss,
Lees and Mr. Cameron plied a lively trade. The dancing went on till
dawn broke |
| A noteworthy aspect of the fete was the enthusiastic
interest shown by ladies in the Carnival. Rotary-Ann Kappeler’s
stall had all the allure of the window-dressers art. Rotary-Ann Belliappa
was supervising the activities in general of the Ladies’ section
in her capacity as the President of the Rotary Ladies’ carnival
Committee. Dr. Mrs. Francis was untiring in her efforts to push the
sale of V-s. Rotary-Ann A. R. Menon, Mrs. Geroge Kurian, Mrs. A. N.
Menon and Mrs. K. A. Thampuran were making the Lucky-dips a rousing
success. The host of fair honorary workers were unflagging in their
energy. |
| Mrs. G. A. N. Shackle’s stall “Latest Paris
Fashions” from pre-war (which war?) France was doing steady
business in a less obvious manner. |
| Particular mention must be made of Miss Lily Koder
whose solid contribution by sale of raffle tickets stepped up our
total collection. The raffle, I must add, was devised and run after
her own plan ably assisted by Mrs. T. Manjuran and Mrs. C. J. Mathew. |
| The Club-stalls in which every item was collected from
a generous public through the creditable efforts of Rotarians Rao
Saheb K. Achyutha Menon, and Rao Bahadur M. Narayana Menon yielded
the lion’s share of the proceeds. The had several assistants
to help them in the sale of whom the names of Rotary-Ann K. Achyutha
Menon, Mrs. Ikkavamma and Mrs. C. P. Karunakara Menon stand out. |
| The gift of realistic toy elephants in all their festive
gala from the consort of His Highness the Maharaja of Cochin found
a ready market. Rotarian Pitcairn’s tea and coffee sold off
to the last pound like hot- dogs. I am still getting enquiries for
more. |
| Rotarians Rao Bahadur Belliappa and O Kappeler were
their usual dynamic selves and were seen in flashes between the amusement
booths, the trade-stalls, and the Wild West Bar. The latter was indeed
a solace to many a weary soul. Rotarian A.F.W. Dixon was very much
in evidence all over the grounds and evinced warm interest in all
the activities. |
| On the evening of the 24th instant Rotarian Dixon announced
on the mike a contribution of Rs. 250/- from Rotarian Ainsworth being
self imposed penalty for enforced absence, as well as a promise from
Rotarian E. J. Kuruvilla to donate 50% of the total gate money. On
the second day, the Rotarian Secretary announced a donation of Rs.
200/- from Rev. G. A. N. Shackle, Defence Assistant, Port of Cochin.
A splendid example in itself ! |
| The Souvenir of the Carnival, a handsome
volume containing excellent reading mater had a good sale. We owe
a tribute in this connection to Rotarian T. Thomas, the Editor, who
was assisted by a number of others in the matter of canvassing for
advertisements which yielded a sizable income. Rotarian Dr. S. S.
Rao did some good work in this direction. |
| A silent worker scarcely evident outside the ticket-booths
was our Rotarian Treasurer V. N. Sundaresan,, whose genial mien was
an indicator that things were not going badly. He was assisted in
his labours by Rotarian Viswanathan. It will be a good thing if our
Rotarian secretary takes a few lessons in forbearance from him. |
| Another genial personality was that of Rotarian A.
G. Milne who with his eternal pipe was taking an avuncular interest
in the Military Display which was an inspiring feature on both evenings
|
| Our thanks are also due to the labours of Messrs P.
C. Cheriyan and K. B. Menon in connection with the plan and constructions
of the various sheds and stalls at the Carnival Grounds. |
| Accounts? Don’t ask me yet. I have an inkling
that the net figure might exceed the estimate. You will get your Balance
Sheet in due course. |
| To all those non-Rotarians who gave us unstinted service,
to those whose names appear above and to those others unnamed, the
grateful thanks of the Rotary Club of Cochin.” |
