It may appear to be an anachronism in 21st century India, but around 48 tribal hamlets in Kumuli on the Kerala border near Theni are still governed by a king. But this monarch is no throwback to the past.
Raja Mannan, 27, holds court with his cabinet ministers by mobile conferencing and works with the district administration to ensure that his “kingdom” is well governed. Tribal police teams prevent outsiders from despoiling the forests and if a subject does not have an electricity connection he be sure that his king will call or email the district administration and solve the problem.
The tribal king of the area in Kerala’s Idukki district regularly conducts meetings with his 18 mantris (ministers), who live on various hills, on the phone and sorts out problems using the latest technology. He also calls the district collector and other officials and discusses the welfare of his people.
Speaking to this newspaper, Raja Mannan noted that he doesn’t conduct meetings every month. “Since the roads in our villages are not in proper condition and we are not well located, I make conference calls and get in touch with at least five mantris at the same time. We save time and money this way,” he said.
The “democratically elected” king — a king is chosen by a tribal council from among suitable candidates from the previous monarch’s matrilineal relatives — said he has the contact numbers of all the senior officials and follows up issues till they are set right.
G. Vellaiyan, a community police team member, said the way the kingdom works helps keep unwelcome outsiders out of the villages.
“We keep the king posted by SMS every day on the security in different neighbourhoods. Since we are well connected with cellphones, residents here alert us about their problems,” he said.