Kerala Renaissance Study Materials for PSC - Towards a New Society in Kerala

This page is about the renaissance in Kerala study material (part 1) and short notes for Kerala PSC exams. Syllabus covered on this page includes: Towards a new society - Introduction to English education, various missionary organizations and their functioning, the founding of educational institution, factories, printing presses etc. If you go through these contents, it is guaranteed that you can answer 90% of the questions asked in Kerala PSC related to the syllabus. Please take note of the highlighted words in the below paragraphs as they are having a high chance of appearing in the examination. Get eBook for the renaissance in Kerala study materials in PDF format.

Introduction to English Education in Kerala

English education was introduced in Kerala after the arrival of British with the help of missionaries.The policy of education to all irrespective of caste and religion was flagged off in Kerala with the educational programs of the missionaries. Dr. Burnadeen Bachinelli, Rev. Meed, Dowsen and Rev. Habeeque were the missionaries who led education programs in Kerala. The rulers of Kochi and Travancore granted land to the missionaries to start educational institutions. The contribution of Catholic priests and nuns were keen on providing education to all sections of the society and on the strengthening of women, irrespective of discrimination.

Edward Brinnon, an English philanthropist, was the first to introduce an education center (can't be recognized as a school) in Kerala. It was established in Telecherry (Present Thalassery) where Brinnon worked as a master attendee in port. Thus he and his education center played a prominent role in the education of Malabar. The education center later got the status of free school now elevated to form Brinnon school and Brinnon college functioning in Dharmadam. The prominence of education center of Brinnon is that it provided education irrespective of caste and creed in Kerala which was then a caste ridden society.

Useful References (which can be purchased online):

• Faces of Social Reform in Kerala
• Development & Modernity in Kerala

Role of various missionary organizations 

Christian missioners, who came along with British bought modern school education in Kerala. With an intention to introduce their religion they started schools, hospitals, and churches.  London Missionary Society (LMS) in Travancore, Church Missionary Society (CMS) in mid-Travancore and Basel Evangelical Missionary School (BEMS) in Malabar are some among them. P in BEMP commemorates Parsis, a trader in Telechery from whom the Basel Evangelical Missionary got a huge donation. Herman Gundert was associated with BEM. He was a German missionary Scholar. All these societies through a heavy blow to the caste system.


A significant figure in the 19th century was Rev. Fr. Kuriakose Elias Chavara, who started a system called "A school along with every church" to make education available to all sectors.The system is still prevalent in the present. His work has resulted in the promotion of education of girls and has become a model for the educational system in Kerala after independence.

Other factors in support of spread of English education in Kerala 
Later, the rulers of Travancore and Kochi also intervened in the education sector by establishing schools and colleges. It was T Madhava Rao (Travancore Diwan), who gave a road map to English education in Travancore province. The proclamation of free primary education in 1817 by Gauri Parvathy Bhai, the ruler of Travancore, is a remarkable one of its kind.The societies and organizations started by socio religious movements also helped in promoting English education. Nair Service Society (NSS) has started NSS schools and Colleges. There are schools and colleges from SNDP. From Muslim community, the Muslim Education Society (MES) promoted English education in schools and colleges, especially in Malabar region.

Points to remember:
First School in Kerala - Mattanchery School
First College in Kerala - CMS College Kottayam
First Education Minister of Kerala - Joseph Mundasseri

Establishment of Factories in Kerala

Modern factories were established in Kerala by the middle of the twentieth century. The majority of them were in Travancore and Kochi. Rulers of Travancore adopted policies promoting modern industries. The British provided technical and financial support to the industries. Banks were started to provide financial assistance to these industries. Nedungadi Bank was the first private bank in Kerala. Later, the Imperial Bank, the Indian National Bank, and the Chartered Bank came into existence. There were many factories in Kerala which depended on traditional workmanship. A tile factory was set up in Faroke (Kozhikode), Kollam and Ollor. Cashew nut factory in Kollam was set up. Alleppey (Alappuzha) was famous for coir factory and coconut oil industry. The coir factory in Alappuzha was started by James Dara from Ireland. Plantation of tea, coffee and rubber estates were started in various parts of Kerala by British with their own capital for processing and exporting the cash crops. Such units were set up in Idukki and Wayanad. Handloom factories were also started in Kozhikode and Kannur. Factories were established in Kerala under the leadership of Travancore king Sri Chithira Thirunnal Balaramavarma. Many electricity projects and irrigation projects commenced during his period. Pallivasal project was the first electricity project started in Kerala which is still running. The main factories during that period were

• Punaloor Paper Mills
• FACT Kalamassery
• Kundara Ceramics
• Rubber works, Thiruvananthapuram
• Tata Oil Mills, Kochi
• Cochin Alagappa Textile Mill

Establishment of Printing Presses in Kerala
The beginning of printing in Kerala was with the advent of the Europeans. Christian missionaries played an important role in establishing the printing press. They were highly interested in printing dictionaries and grammar texts. It was in the 16th century that Roman Catholics started printing in Kerala. Early printing presses were in Kochi, Kollam, Ambazhakkad, and Vaippikottu. The first book which was printed in Kerala was a Tamil book printed in Ambazhakkad in 1578. The first Malayalam script which came finally to print in the form of a book is Hortus Malabaricus which is printed in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The first press in Kerala is CMS press Kottayam. It was Rev Benjamin Bailey who was the man behind this press. He also played a prominent role in changing Malayalam script form from "Chathura Vadivu" (Malayalam alphabets in the form of squares) to "Vatta Vadivu"( a circular form of Malayalam alphabets). The first book published entirely in Malayalam in Kerala is Samkshepa Vedartham (1772) and the alphabets were in a square script (Chathura Vadivu).

Press in Illikkunn Banglow (Thalassery) was the first lithographic press in north Kerala. It was from this press, the first Malayalam news paper "Rajyasamcharam" was published in 1847. The news paper was mainly published for the religious propagation of Christian missionaries. Another newspaper magazine is known as Paschimodayam also started in the year 1847. Herman Gundert is the publisher and editor of both Rajya Samacharam & Paschimodayam. Check this link for the role of the press in the renaissance in Kerala.

Best Study Material for Renaissance in Kerala
for PSC Exams

Confusing facts:

• The first English to Malayalam dictionary was published by Benjamin Bailey.
• The first Malayalam to English dictionary was published by Dr. Herman Gundert
• The first Malayalam dictionary was prepared by Arnos Pathiri.
• The first Malayalam grammar text was prepared by Dr. Angelos Francis.

Note: This article has only provided you with some introductory facts related to Kerala Renaissance/Kerala History. If you want more detailed and PSC exam oriented Kerala Renaissance contents (including contents in this article in PDF format), you can avail an eBook (click here>>). 

This eBook is prepared based on Kerala PSC previous year question papers and covers the complete syllabus of Kerala Renaissance for PSC exams.

Other Useful Links

• Kerala Renaissance Study Material for PSC exams

• Kerala Geography Study Material for PSC exams

• Indian Constitution Study Material for PSC exams

• Social Welfare Schemes & Programs Study Material for PSC exams

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