For the older generation of Trivandrum, a southern Indian city, the name ‘Sundari Chellamma’ brings nostalgia. For a long fifty years, till the eighties, she was a familiar presence in the streets of Trivandrum.
She roamed around the city searching for her love, the king of Travancore! This is the story of Sundari Chellamma, a commoner who dared to love the king, and was destined to be abandoned on the streets.
It all begins in the twenties. Chellamma, a pretty girl from a rich family, came to the city of Trivandrum. She was well educated, a great dancer, and a singer. Chellamma joined as the dance teacher in a school in the city, close to the Padmanabha temple, the most important place in the city.
One fine day, while she was taking her dance classes, a car happened to pass by in front of her school. Inside the car was a handsome young man. That was the first time she saw him, and for her, it was love at first sight. And that young man was no one else but the beloved prince of Travancore, Chithira Thirunal.
But that fact didn’t stop her. Rather, Chellamma was attracted to him so strongly. She dreamed of him and somehow wanted to find a path to his heart. She wore expensive silk sarees and jewelry to look even prettier and made attempts to get his attention. But nothing worked out, and it looked like the prince didn’t even know of her existence.
Days went by. The prince is now the king of Travancore. One day, the king was present in a ceremony where Chellamma and her friends were performing dance. Impressed by their performance, the king gifted them all with Pudava, a traditional cloth of Travancore. For everyone else, that was a precious gift from the king. But for Chellamma, it was something more.
From where Chellamma hailed, if a man gifts a woman with a pudava, then from that moment, she’ll be his lady. Chellamma, who was already in a state of schizophrenia, believed that she was now the lady of the king. That thought grew in her head. She went into a state of delusion, started to ignore dance classes, and all the time, got lost in her dreams about the king.
The school expelled her. Finding no way to survive, she went back home and was forced to marry someone else. But that marriage didn’t last. Either she abandoned her husband to go back to Trivandrum, or her husband abandoned her as she was falling ill mentally.
Chellamma went back to Trivandrum, hoping to see her beloved king. But unlike her first time coming to the city, there was no one to welcome her and nowhere to go. With no roof to sleep under, she slept on the streets of Trivandrum.
But She still wore an attractive silk saree and expensive jewelry, hoping that her love will come for her one day. Her dresses, garments, and of course, her pretty face made people call her ‘Sundari Chellamma’. ‘Sundari’ meant pretty. Whoever she met, she introduced herself as the wife of the beloved maharaja.
But each day, her mental health was deteriorating. Thus, for the people of Trivandrum, she was a madwoman roaming around the streets of the city. Kids started pelting at her, teenagers made fun of her, while some looked at her with sympathy.
The king, on the other hand, was dedicated to Lord Padmanabha, the God of Travancore. As demanded by the tradition, he couldn’t lead a married life, just like the kings before him. He stayed a celibate and went on to serve the Lord Padmanabha and the people of Travancore.
Months, years, and decades passed. The world around her was changing forever. She grew old, Wrinkles appeared on her skin, and the beauty she once had, was lost.
But Chellamma kept on roaming around the streets. And still believed that she’s the love of the king and he’ll come for her one day. Throughout her life, from her youth to old age, the only thing she cared about was her love. Whenever the king made a visit to the part of the city where she lived, she’d say, “my love is here”. But whenever she tried to meet him, the guards would shout at her and drives her away. Gradually, she stopped going near him.
While some laughed at her, others felt sorry for her tragic love story. They fed her and gave her new clothes on special occasions.
For fifty long years, from the late twenties to early eighties, she was a familiar face for the people in Travancore. Among many stories that the kids in Travancore grew up listening to, the story of the life of Chellamma was one. For her, the city was the home itself.
Towards the eighties, it was not only her mind, but her body too was falling ill. On a cold morning in the month of December, she was seen prostrating on the yards of the Padmanabha temple. At first, people thought she was greeting Lord Padmanabha. But she wasn’t…
Sundari Chellamma was no more. And for the people of Trivandrum, the demise of Chellamma brought a sudden void in their life. They were all, and the city was used to Chellamma.
