Family is the basic unit of human race. It is the first established institution by God Almighty. Family is not a gathering or a group of people or society, but it is a place where intense feelings of love and affection are expressed. It is the families that create culture. The highest standards of culture are visible in the families with strong Christian backgrounds which is very evident in our history. There, husband and wife are with equal status and with equal rights. Their children are the gifts of God that strengthens the parents love and affection. When family relationships are intact it will reflect in social relations too. Future of the next generation is basically entrusted with the family and it is the place where character formation takes place mostly.
Christian family is important not only in social life but also in spiritual and religious life. In Christian outlook, love is the basic factor of human existence. The true bond of relationships is based on love, when we love each other and keep our relationship in the spirit of love, we are obeying the teaching of Christ and it will attract many people towards Christ. Then they will also enjoy divine love and grow with that spirit in family and society.
The beloved members of Thalavady Puthenparampil family are residing in various parts of Kerala, India and abroad for the last two and half centuries. In order to keep the family ties and relationship intact and to love and understand better, many family members thought of forming a Kudumbayogam. Based on this intense feeling of love and unity, there was a family gathering in 2008 January 4 in Mr. P. Alex’s residence. The meeting was presided by then Vicar of Thalavady St. Johns Marthoma Church Rev. K.M. Abraham and formed Thalavady Puthenparampil Kudumbayogam officially.
The purpose of the formation of the Kudumbayogam is to foster the unity and welfare of its members. It also aims spreading of divine love and christian values, the noble traditions and truthfulness in life, in family and society at large. The origin of family, its infant days and the various stages of growth and development were supposed to be collected and recorded, but it was not an easy process for the present generation as many people who led the family and guided it are no more. Many living leaders are in their old age and we made all efforts to collect their invaluable experiences for the coming generations.
Kudumbayogam and family history is the living proof of brotherhood and unity among the family. It thankfully remembers our leaders and values their hard work and commitment to the growth of the family. This family history will surely inspire the coming generation and will definitely provide an insight into contributions of our family to the educational, economic and cultural fields of our society. We hope this will surely inspire our coming generations to serve the society better in the days to come.
From a remote village in Kerala which had no electricity or good roads till 50 years ago, the members of our family have spread in and outside Kerala and foreign lands. The family members are spread in different walks of life and ranges from farmers to high officials in India and abroad. Their life success were the result of humbleness, faith and divine grace, which gives us courage and hope. It is this faith that guides us and gives us courage and strength. Our family members have contributed immensely to the Malankara Marthoma Church’s growth and development. In the same way the family is blessed by many eminent personalities who did a lot to the growth and development in various walks of religious and national life.
Family is the most important one in the human relationship. No family is same as another family. We have the freedom to be unique and we must have a sense of belonging in every family. We can progress only with mutual understanding and care. In this context we have to think about the meaning of our life. We all need food, clothing and homes for survival. But the question how much we need, is not known to many. We are in a competitive world after comforts in life. It results in conflicts and enmity. In this context we have to listen to what the scripture asks us to do. Christ came to this world to save our life. Christ was born to this world to give life for us (St. John 10:10) Christ was born to this world to reveal God for mankind. In Christ we see the perfect man and perfect God and in Him we see all human possibilities and man cannot achieve anything more than that. Cross is a symbol of sacrifice, and Christ’s teachings are based of love and peace. He was in this world to serve others. He taught us to love our enemies. He suffered a lot for us and died for our salvation. We must thank God for the implicit faith, our forefathers had in Almighty God, for their sense of justice, truthfulness and strict disciplined life, hard work and prayer life. It made them to face any difficult situations in their lives. With it they turned every difficulty into blessings. Let’s all thank God and praise Him for all these blessings.
Our forefathers considered “God fearing and educated family” as the greatest asset in life. They lived and worked for this great mission with this clear vision. They spent their earnings mainly on the education of their children. They truly believed education as a liberating force in our life. We must not forget their great vision which forms the strong foundation of the growth and development of our family. Wherever may be our family members, let them be the torch bearers of Christ’s love, patriotism, family relations, traditions, and values in life. Let our good Lord take care of all of them is our sincere wish and prayer.
We don’t claim this as a 100% perfect historical book based on an objective analysis, historical study and research. In the pursuit of perfection there may be flaws which the gentle heart can overlook. We are thankful to all who helped us in this venture by explaining the old history by providing evidences, title deeds, church records and other allied documents. We sincerely thank our erstwhile family elders, aged parents, church office bearers, village, panchayath officials and government agencies and our brothers and sisters for their support and most humbly present this family history of Thalavady Puthenparampil family for our mutual understanding, love and co-operation among family members.
For Family History Committee,
P. Alex,
Secretary,
Puthenparampil Kudumbayogam