We all know Lord Mountbatten and Jawaharlal Nehru.
 |
| Cover Page of Reminiscences of the Nehru Age by M O Mathai |
Many would know V.K KrishnaMenon, and at least some would have heard about the princely state of Cochin, the most progressive princely state in British India for decades before independence.
 |
| Lord Mountbatten |
 |
| V K Krishna Menon |
Krishna Menon told the then Viceroy of India, Lord Mountbatten, that he is the heir apparent to Cochin and this story was believed by the author of the book The Discovery of India.
Now, if you ask what is the importance of Cochin, as a princely state, please read the book The Story of Integration of Indian states by V.P Menon.
Below is an excerpt from the book Reminiscences of the Nehru Age, by M.O Mathai, which is banned in India. Krishna Menon's sister married Lalan Thampuran, who became Valiya Thampuran of Cochin after the last ruling Maharaja, the Maharaja Pareekshith Thampuran.
 |
| Valiya Thampuran - Lalan Thampuran |
Yes Mr. M.O MATHAI, Sri Lalan Thampuran worked to earn his living, while his uncles and cousin brothers were Maharajas of Cochin. To call it a lowly job speaks a lot about Mr. M.O Mathai, but Lalan Thampuran, as did most other members of Cochin, had the Honour and dignity to do work to earn for living, as with which is the Motto of Cochin - Honour is our Family Treasure.
Excerpt from the book - Reminiscences of the Nehru Age, by M.O Mathai
One day Nehru told me that Mountbatten had mentioned about Krishna Menon being closely related to the royal family of Cochin and that, according to the matriarchal system obtaining in Cochin, Krishna Menon would succeed then present incumbent as the Maharaja of Cochin. Nehru asked me if I knew anything about it. I laughed and said that obviously Krishna Menon had managed through someone to take Mountbatten for a ride. I told Nehru that, much to my amusement, Krishna Menon had told me sometime before about his relationship with royal families. Living in the London slums in abject poverty for long, Krishna Menon developed a type of inferiority complex which prompted him to invest himself with imaginary royalty. Menon's younger sister, Narayani Amma, was married to a poor member of the Cochin family. The man was then a translator (Malayalam) in the Madras government secreta-riat. He retired from this lowly job and returned to Cochin. In his dotage he became the seniormost member of the family and became. the Maharaja for a very brief period. According to the matriarchal system the wife of a Maharaja is no more than a mistress; it is the offspring of the Maharaja's sisters who are the heirs. The Maha-raja is not entitled to give anything to his wife from the family property. Nehru told me that I might enlighten Mountbatten on this subject whenever I met him in the normal course. However, I did not bother to do any such thing. But when Mountbatten gave expression to his "discovery" at a recent meeting in London, I had to correct him.