Jenmi
Jenmi or Janmi, plural Jenmimar, is the
Although many smallholders existed within the Janmi system, Janmam lands were heavily concentrated into a few dozen families, most of them of Nair or Nambudiri Brahmin rank.[4]
History
The twenty-two families paying 3,000 rupees or more in land revenue to the Crown held 620,012 acres among them; the Vengalil dynasty alone accounted for 200,000 acres, followed immediately by the
The
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Other major Jenmis included the Kurumathoor Namburidipad (5,615 acres). Similarly, the Kalliat Nambiar owned 36,779 acres, the Chirakkal Raja owned 32,082 acres (129.83 km2), and the K.T. Moopil Nair family had at least 25,000 acres.
Present situation
Today, however, there are restrictions placed on the amount of land one can own in Kerala.[8][9] A token pension is normally paid to Jenmis who have ceded their lands, but the Government of Kerala has refused to do so from time to time.[10]
Organised violence against Jenmis
There have been several incidences of violence against Jenmis, influenced by Communists.
Kayyur Incident: Kayyur is a small village in Hosdurg taluk. In 1940, peasants there under the leadership of communists rose against the two local Jenmis, Nambiar of Kalliat and the Nayanar of Karakkatt Edam. Several people were killed in the conflict and four Communist leaders were found guilty and hanged by the government. A fifth instigator was sentenced to life imprisonment and was spared from the death penalty, since he was under the age of criminal liability.[11]
Mattannur Incident:
Korom Incident: Another historic movement was at Korom village in Payyanur on 12 April 1948. Farmers from Payyanur Farka marched to the rice godown of the landlord, Aalakkat Mavila Kunhambu Nambiar, and took control of it and distributed the rice stored there among them. The Malabar Special Police force arrested the volunteers, including K P Kunhikkannan, the leader of the "Karshaka Sangham", upon the request of the landlord. To protest against these arrests, people marched to the spot where the volunteers were kept under police custody. The police started firing on the procession, and this resulted in the death of a harijan youth named Pokkan, who became the first martyr in Payyanur Farka during the 1948 movement.
See also
- Ettuveetil Pillamar
- Kesava Pillai of Kandamath
- Moopil Nair
- Mannarghat Nair
- Pulleri Illathu Madhusoodanan Thangal
References
- Panikkar, Kavalam Madhava (July–December 1918). "Some Aspects of Nayar Life". Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute. 48: 257–258.
- ISBN 9789387456006.
- JSTOR 3516560.
- ^ Nair, Adoor K.K. Ramachandran (January 1986). "Slavery in Kerala". Mittal Publications, New Delhi.
- ISBN 9788170990949.
- ISBN 978-81-206-0169-7.
- ^ See Further Notes on Poonjar Cheiftains Article accessed at http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/72849/14/14_appendix%201.pdf
- ^ Agrarian change and economic consequences: land tenures in Kerala, 1850–1960 By T. C. Varghese
- ^ India: social structure By Mysore Narasimhachar Srinivas p.15
- ^ "Kerala high court asks govt to pay pension to 'jenmis'". The Times of India. 29 June 2013.
- ^ "Post-independence India – Google Books". Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ Education, Kerala (India) Department of; Menon, A. Sreedhara (9 October 1962). "Kerala District Gazetteers: Cannanore". Superintendent of Government Presses. Retrieved 9 October 2023 – via Google Books.