The Eighth Ring K.M. Mathew-penguin india
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.