A 15

The year 1853 was very important for the CMS College. The college was remaining closed for some time and the Madras Corresponding Committee decided to send Rev. Edmund John as the Principal of the college. It was in the same year the subject, Geography was introduced in the Malayalam language. The new text book was very helpful for the students to understand the world as well as the socio-cultural and business explorations happening all over the world. This helped the students to get a proper perspective of the world in terms of its physical properties. It was in the same year Railway was introduced in India, covering a distance between Thane and Bombay.

Vishnu PV, in his relief work brings all these historical events together in a symbolic form. Two hands from either side of the panel come together to squeeze a fluffy globe and bring the essence out in the form of a book below it on which ‘Bhoomisasthram’ is written in legible Malayalam alphabets. Introduction of geography in Malayalam is supplemented with additional information of the steam engine chugging into the frame from the left side of the panel. One could also see the portrait of Rev. Joseph Peet who had written the geography text book in Malayalam.