The Cannanore of Yore

by Chandini Santosh

" The Cannanore of Yore , meanders its way through the lives of the families who found their niche in Kannur, and continues to enrich it s rich tapestry.The book neatly captures fascinating stories that shouldn t fade away with time. Take a stroll over an era where the Malabar coast was a treasure trove for the spice market. The scent of the spices steered many explorers to follow the trail, and eventually wage wars to establish their sovereignty. The laid back life of the largely agrarian populace, dominated by the feudal landlords received a jolt when the fangs of foreign powers sailed its way through the deep seas. The old snapshots lends authenticity to the book, and also leads us back to an era gone by. The book treads through the vast metamorphosis it brought to the economic,religious, cultural, academic and infrastructural fabric of Malabar."

226 pages, Paperback

First published March 12, 2015

Reviews

[Prof. Mohamed Shareef]

Cannanore is the old name of Kannur city in Kerala state of India. The romantic old name was removed because it was the Anglicised version of the ethnic Malayalam word 'Kannur'. Chandini's book revokes the nostalgic memories of the Britush ruled Cannanore and Tellichery. German linguist Herman Gundert lived in Tellicherry and served the Kerala people for twenty years. Old memories of Cannanore also includes that of Mahe, the French enclave located ten kilometers from Tellicherry.

[Sujit Sumitran]

I remember, years ago, how happy I was to read about my roots and somehow having lost my way as I wasn’t a part and parcel of daily occurrences at Cannanore. I tried reading it yet again and again I had the same issue. This might make a fascinating read for people who’ve been brought up in Cannanore. But dismally, not for me, who during the summer vacations, visited my Dad’s formative spaces, whenever his LTA permitted.
Sadly, but not strangely it didn’t connect with me at all.

[Ricky Raghavan]

It's a book on the people and the families that came to Kannur in the past and have settled here. As we learn about the families, we get to explore the rich history of Cannonore and it's monuments.