In the beginning land and water in Kumarakom was common property. The officials of the King visited the place and assigned the lands to people who were capable of cultivating them. That was the system then prevailing and that was the king’s decree.
Employees of the village office had been going about in search of hefty fellows. They were ferreted out and produced before the Assignment Officer. A parcel of land in the neighbourhood of the village would compulsorily be registered in each of their names. Different levels of tax was also levied according to the fertility of the land. Thus the newly made landlords were forced to cultivate more lands and to pay tax.
At that time, when authorities were hunting for people to cultivate more and more lands, an English man approached the Government for grant of 500 acres of wet land in Kumarakom lying to the north east of Vembanad lake for developing it for paddy and coconut cultivation. His application was sent through the British Resident to the King of Travancore and His Highness accorded sanction in a Government Grant Deed dated 12 th Avani 1022 (M E),(AD 1847). The man who acquired this vast wetland was Mr. Alfred George Baker (A G Baker). He was the beloved `Karee Saaip’ of the natives. He arrived in Kumarakom in the year 1847. He was the son of Henry Baker (Sr) and the younger brother of Henry Baker (Jr). While Henry Baker (Jr) considered every individual as a brother in Christ and worked for his salvation Alfred was attracted towards the progress that could be gained through material means and possessed a mature worldly wisdom. Their father Henry Baker (Sr) was a member
AG Baker of Kumarakom
of the Christian missionaries brought to India by the Resident Col. Munro to help the existing Christian community
in the country. The educational and social activities initiated by the Bakers resulted in various progressive changes in the life and thinking of the people. Superstition in the existing religion, dominated by caste and convention was replaced by the new theology introduced by the missionaries. The Baker family stands unique among foreigners who came down to India to improve land and culture of the people.
A G Baker who came to Kumarakom was a man deeply interested in agriculture. Using native workers he started filling the marshy land with earth and thus created new pieces of land, to plant coconut trees. Here our memories go back to the ancient legend of Parasurama who created Kerala by lifting the land from the bottom of the sea, by throwing his axe from Gokarnam.
Out of the total 500 acres he planted coconut trees in 150 acres. The rest of the land was kept as fields for cultivating paddy. As paddy was the main cultivation in the land in those days, it was useful as well as profitable. Making inter canals and alternate bunds he made the coconut farm. The canals were about 20 feet wide and the inter or alternate bunds were about 20 ft. to 30 ft. wide. Earth taken for making these canals was used for raising and making bunds. Also silt from the lake was brought in to raise bunds. Thus the area was on the whole made up with alternate canals and bunds. This helped to minimize the expense for making bunds. Also it helped to reach every bund by “Valloms” (local canoes/ country crafts) which were in common use in the locality. This was a very cheap form of transportation. Even now the nature of the land is the same and one can reach every coconut tree in the area for collection of coconut, leaves, for manuring and other agricultural operations by “Vallams.” For making paddy fields, bunds were made around the area and fields were made to an even level by lowering high places and raising the low areas, so that water may easily flow to the pumping station. This also helped to irrigate the fields.
At the time of A. G. Baker, 2 Chakrams (approximately 1 penny) was the average wage rate for the daily workers. When the estate began to produce paddy, workers were given paddy as their wages. During the time of A. G. Baker, the women workers were paid 4 “coolians” (about 2 litres) of paddy a day. Wooden rotary wheels were used in those days to dewater the fields, but he introduced.pump sets instead.
He planted Kandal (mangrove) plants all around his estate with two aims _ to prevent soil erosion from the sides of the land and as a wind braker to protect the land and crops (coconut and paddy) from fierce winds coming from the lake. He also kept an area of about ten acres of land to accommodate local as well as migratory birds, coming from far-off regions. No one was allowed to enter the area and disturb the birds. A permanent bird sanctuary was thus formed which may be the first of its kind in the country. The present bird sanctuary at Kumarakom is thus formed and preserved.
Both Alfred and his brother were very much interested in watching the flora and fauna of the region. Henry Baker (Jr) was also a correspondent to the National Geographic magazine in London and a regular contributor to the Zoological Society in London.
The Baker family at Kumarakom was also interested in the welfare of the native children. A.G. Baker’s wife Fanny conducted a school in her house. She engaged a native teacher for teaching the children of the neighbourhood. She used to give bread and milk to these children. Later in 1886 Baker established a primary school in memory of his sister Anni.
At Kumarakom, A.G. Baker by his arduous, adventurous and enterprising efforts converted backwaters into cultivable land. He showed an example to the natives that if needed and if there is will, land could be created. On this newly reclaimed land, he started cultivation of paddy and coconut.
Since his estate was a newly created land it did not belong to any feudal lord. The feudal system of land ownership prevailing in the village was thus silently questioned, and the new capitalist system of cultivation emerged, providing employment for thousands. The system of reclamation of lake to create paddy field was resorted to later by many with the help of the government. In village Kumarakom alone four big polders, which were enclosed by bunds (embankments) to separate them from the surrounding water bodies and to protect from floods, were thus created in an area of 714 acres. Adjacent to Kumarakom the landlord, Thomas Murikkan created three big polders in Lake Vembanad by reclaiming 1800 acres of backwaters in the 1940s. He named these polders after the Queen Regent and her two sons viz Rani (568 acres) Chithira (716 acre) and Marthandom (674 acres). There are such 1167 polders varying in size and area in Kuttanad. These lands cover a total area of about 1,36,000 acres (55,000 ha.). Thousands of acres of land from these polders were later taken over by the government as surplus land as per the Land Reforms Act in 1970s and distributed to landless agricultural labourers.
The Bakers were the pioneers in starting the system of giving 10 cents of land to all squatters (Kudikidappukars) living on the estate, at the time of the sale of the property. This was years before the Kerala land reforms laws enforcing such rights to squatters.
The Bakers together with other Christian missionaries played a vital role in putting an end to bonded labour. Slavery linked with customary rules and regulations regarding ownership of land was also questioned. The practice of selling slaves along with the land was prevalent in those days. Peet and Benjamin Bailey, by their epoch-making proclamation, set the slaves free from their bondage. They also gave them lands free of cost and ownership of land became a reality even to the poor, low caste people in Travancore.
Four generations of Baker family lived in India.The Bakers belonged to Kirby le Colchester in Essex, England. Today, Colchester is a city, which is thickly populated. It is in the Essex province, on the eastern side of England and on the Northern bank of River Thames. Most of the members in the Baker family were farmers. Simon Baker and Sara Potter were the first known members in the Baker family. They were the grand parents of Henry who was born on the 1stof October 1793. Later on, he became a missionary in India and came to be known as Henry Baker senior. His two sons Alfred and Henry (Jr) were born while he was in India.
The eldest son Rev.Henry Baker (Jr) worked mainly among the Hill Arrians and he is remembered as the Apostle of the Hills.He devoted his life to the religious, medical, educational progress and to the all-round welfare of the people of Travancore.He introduced coffee plantation in Peermade.His wife and daughter continued education of women in central Travancore.
His brother, A G Baker desired to live near his parents who were at Kottayam. His daughter Clara who settled at Olassa near Kottayam was involved in educational activities among girls.A.G.Baker died at the age of 72 and is buried at the CSI Cemetery, Kottayam. His son George Alexander Baker continued to live in Kumarakom.He built a Church and a School in his estate. Robert George Alexander Baker, his son took over the management of Kumarakom Estate in 1946. Because of land reforms and land ceiling laws he had to sell his properties and that too in small bits and blocks. In 1966 he left India for good and died in England in 1989. Their interests in India were left in the hands of Mr.P M Kurian their Attorney. R G A Baker’s two sons and a daughter live in Essex, England.
Kumarakom Taj Garden Retreat The new veiw of the Victorian Bungalow
Taj Garden Retreat the first modern tourist resort in Kumarakom is established in the Victorian two storied bungalow built by Alfred George Baker in the year 1881, on huge pieces of Teak wood rafters packed in mud as a base. This house on the lake at Kumarakom was the house of four generations of the Baker family, for over hundred years. The bird Sanctuary and the two storied Bungalow built by Mr.A G Baker on the muddy land are places of interest for tourists from all over the world. The bungalow still remains grand but silent reminder of an age and people whose hard work cannot be erased by time.
Kumarakom Victorian Bunglow - Old veiw of the Kumarakom Victorian Bungalow built by Baker
This bungalow together with100 acres of land was sold to Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) in 1982. Mr.P.M. Kurian who made the sale wanted the sale to be in the best interest of the place and people concerned. He could foresee the tourist potentials of the place on account of its unique position on the eastern bank of Lake Vembanad , easy accessibility from Cochin, Kottayam and Alleppey, vicinity to Kottayam the land of lakes, letters and latex, vicinity to the beautiful island Pathiramanal, existing Bird Sanctuary and the majestic Baker Bungalow. This marked the beginning of tourism industry in the village Kumarakom. Subsequently KTDC transferred the Baker bungalow to Taj Group. The Taj group constructed the first modern tourist resort in this place in 1995.
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