This deeply felt memoir, translated from the acclaimed original in Malayalam, chronicles the endeavours of four generations of the Kandathil Varughese Mappillai family that set up the Malayala Manorama, the Travancore National and Quilon Bank and other enterprises. With great candour, K.M. Mathew describes how their fortunes changed when their support to the nationalist State Congress brought upon them the wrath of the Travancore Dewan, leading to the bank’s collapse; and how through sheer persistence and diligence they could rebuild the paper and go on to establish huge companies. Mathew also shows that throughout the paper upheld the values of liberalism, credibility and democracy, which it continues to do until today. Featuring some of Kerala’s tallest figures over almost a century, The Eighth Ring is a rich portrait of a remarkable man, his family-clan and their stirring times.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR K.M. Mathew
Kalloor Puthenparambil Mathen Abraham Mathew (b. 1939) graduated with Honours from the University of Poona (1967). After his M.A. (1969) from the University of Bombay, he started his academic career as Lecturer in Dhempe College, Panaji, Goa. He took his Ph.D. degree from the University of Bombay, (1978). In 1975 he became the Head of the Department of History, University of Bombay which in 1984 was recognized as a research centre for the Ph. D. degree by the University of Bombay. In January 1987, he joined the Department of History, Goa University. He is the co-author of History of Civilization. He has several research articles to his credit which were published in reputed journals and hask also contributed to the Dictionary of National Biography. For the last nine years he has been an elected member of the Board of Studies in History and Archaeology of the University of Bombay. He is also member of the Board of Studies in History in the Goa University. Dr. Mathew is the Executive Editor of Goak Wins Freedom, the first publication of the goa University.
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