Cotym College, popularly known as the CMS College in Kottayam, is a pioneer of higher education in the country, and its august eminence dates back 200 years. Unlike other colonialists, Colonel John Munroe, the then Dewan of Travancore, valued education and social upliftment. His zeal for social change led to the abolition of slavery in Travancore in 1813. He played a pivotal role in setting up the college in Kottayam. By 1817, Rev. Benjamin Bailey assumed charge as the principal of Cotym College and made knowledge accessible to all, irrespective of caste.  He laid the foundation for a modern secular…

“Generations to come, it may well be, will scarce believe that such a man as this one ever in flesh and blood walked upon this Earth”. Remembering the words of Albert Einstein about Mahatma Gandhi, philatelist C.P Mathen from Kottayam district of Kerala accentuates his question, “How is it possible to forget the Mahatma!”  Chalakuzhiyil Philipose Mathen, known in the philately community as Mr C.P Mathen, is a descendent of Late Chalakuzhiyil Paulose Mathen – a Member of Parliament from the Thiruvalla constituency of Kerala for the first Lok Sabha election constituted in 1952. Philately, the art of collecting stamps…