A man of great contradictions… that is how the learned and venerable reformer and technocrat Sir Chetput Pattabhiraman Ramaswami Iyer is introduced in the second episode of The India Project with Josy Joseph. In the summer of 1947, Sir CP had drawn up an aggressive plan for independence… not of India, but of the princely state of Travancore, of which he was the Diwan from 1936 to 1947. As the clock ticked, it appeared as if Travancore would hoist its own national flag even before India would. Until one night in July, as Sir CP finished addressing the audience at a concert commemorating the anniversary of the former Maharaja and Carnatic music composer Swathi Thirunal, a sickle swished in the dark.  

Episode 2 of The India Project unravels the intrigues and covert correspondences leading up to Travancore’s eventual accession to the Union of India. Until the turning point — the attempted assassination of Sir CP.

Listen to discover more. 

The India Project, narrated by investigative reporter and author Josy Joseph, chronicles the formation of the republic through documents that shed new light on the genesis of Indian democracy and its institutions. 

Acknowledgements and Credits:

Tryst With Destiny - Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s address to the nation on August 15, 1947 | YouTube: 
Tryst with Destiny | Jawaharlal Nehru
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrEkY...

Nagumomu- Abheri performed by Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer | YouTube 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofgoh...

Thanks to Confluence Media for CP’s Letter to the Maharaja
Performed by Narayan Krishnaswamy

Music Used from
https://www.britishpathe.com/video/ma...

Credits:
Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi and Velu Shankar

EP2 The India Project With Josy Joseph - Travancore (EP2) - 07 Feb 2023

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Credits:
Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi, and Velu Shankar