Pallithanam Luca Matthai facts for kids

Pallithanam Luca Matthai (also known as Pallithanathu Mathaichan) was born in 1880 in a village called Kainady. This village is in Kuttanad, which was part of British India at the time. He became a very important person in his region, known for his work in farming and helping his community.

What is Kayal Cultivation?

Luca Matthai's father, Mathai Luca Pallithanam, was one of the first people to start something called kayal cultivation. This is a special way of farming where people create new farmland by taking land back from a large lake called Vembanad Lake. Imagine turning parts of a lake into fields where you can grow crops! This new land is called Kayal Nilam.

When Luca Matthai was 18, his father passed away, and he took over the family's land and work. He continued his father's pioneering efforts in kayal cultivation.

Matthai's Big Farming Projects

Luca Matthai became a leader in reclaiming land from the lake. He was responsible for creating more than one-third of all the Kayal Nilam in the area! His very first project was reclaiming a place called Cherukara Kayal.

Between 1898 and 1904, he successfully reclaimed two more areas: the Pallithanam Moovayiram Kayal and Madathil Kayal. However, he had to stop for a while because the ruler of Travancore (called the Travancore Raja) put a ban on reclaiming land in 1904.

The ban was lifted in 1914. After that, Matthai and other important families in Kuttanad worked together to reclaim the E-Block Kayal. This was a huge project, covering about 2,400 acres (970 ha)! It became the largest Kayal Nilam in Kuttanad. He also reclaimed H Block Kayal in 1917 and R Block Kayal in 1921. Because of his amazing work in creating new farmland, people often called him a "Kayal Raja," which means a king of the reclaimed lands.

Helping His Community

Luca Matthai wasn't just a farmer; he was also a community leader. He was a member of the Moolam Thirunal of Travancore's Praja Sabha. The Praja Sabha was like a popular assembly or council where people could discuss important issues. He is seen as a pioneer of the cooperative farming movement in Kuttanad, meaning he helped farmers work together for better results.

In 1931, he started an organization called Kuttanadu Karshaka Sangham. This group was created to support and strengthen the farming community in Kuttanad. He also led a fight to help farmers who were struggling with debt, which led to a law called the Agricultural Debt Relief Act. This law helped many farmers.

Matthai also cared about education and religion. He donated land for the Our Lady of Dolours Church in Kainady village. Using his influence as a member of the Praja Sabha, he helped establish a primary school in Kainady in 1921. For the first few years, he even managed the school himself. This school later became known as A J John Memorial High School. He was also one of the people who helped start the All-Kerala Catholic Congress.

Pallithanam Luca Matthai passed away on Christmas Day in 1962.