The woman behind Kerala’s historic 1958 London travelogue emerges after years of anonymity

Thrissur: Oru Nadan Penkidavinte London Yathra (A Village Girl’s Journey to London), a travelogue published in 1958, chronicles the experiences of an 18-year-old girl from Vaniyamkulam village in Palakkad who sailed to London in 1956. The book carried only the name “Nadan Penkidavu” (Village Girl) on its cover, leaving the author’s identity unknown for decades.

That “village girl” is now 88-year-old Vilasini Narayanan, living in Mumbai. She is wife of late Dr. CR Narayanan of Cherpu, Thrissur, and currently resides with her son Jayaram Chengaloor, director of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

Printed at India Press in Kottayam and published by the Sahithya Pravarthaka Sangham, the book had largely faded into obscurity. It was found in the collection of the Sahithyavilasini Library in Ayathil, Kollam, by Shiju Alex and MT Sasi, who later featured it in the “Granthappura” column of Mathrubhumi Weekly on May 31. After reading the article, Vilasini Narayanan’s relatives contacted Mathrubhumi.

Vilasini’s journey began with a train ride from Olavakkode Railway Station to Mumbai, followed by a sea voyage to London. The authors of the Granthappura column note that the travelogue is historically significant because it records the experiences of a woman from an interior Malabar village travelling to London—then regarded as the capital of the world—at a time when foreign travel was largely accessible only to the elite.

She travelled with her husband, Dr Narayanan, who was heading abroad for higher studies at Harvard University. “I later wrote down the things we had discussed about the journey,” Vilasini told Mathrubhumi.

After studying at the TTC institute in Lakkidi, Vilasini continued her education after marriage and earned an MA in Sociology. Dr. Narayanan worked at the National Chemical Laboratory in Pune and later retired as an Emeritus Professor. He was also a friend of NV Krishna Warrier, who encouraged Vilasini to write the travelogue.

This was first published in Mathrubhumi Weekly in its May 20 and May 27, 1956 editions before appearing as a book which can be read at https://gpura.org/item/20854 link. An English translation by Vilasini’s granddaughter Anjuli, who lives in the United States, is expected to be published soon.