Uppaichettan E. O. Ousep has the memory of leading a nation to the world of reading for more than half a century. Uppaichettan brought news to homes for 64 years. It was a time when tea stalls and reading rooms in the countryside were waiting to be salted. When newspapers were delivered by bicycle and later by two-wheelers, the houses were walked to and from Uppaichettan.
He will always walk along the Vaikom-Vechur road holding Manorama Patra, Vanitha and Manorama weekly together. Thus he became familiar not only to the locals but also to the neighbors. Uppaichettan says that walking is the secret of his health even at the age of eighty-four.
When he reached the age of 84, Uppaichettan, a native of Vaikom Ullala, felt the need to rest. He is getting sufficient care of the country even in his leisure life. Recently, the nation gathered to honor Uppaichettan. A documentary about him was also screened on the occasion. The documentary covers things from the time he started distributing newspapers in 1958.
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∙ Unrelenting struggle
Uppaichettan’s mother died when he was two and a half years old; At the age of 21, father too. He was the only one who supported five sisters. Life went on with her sisters weaving thapappa and doing odd jobs. Newspaper distribution started in 1958 when that income was insufficient. He married all five of his sisters alone.
Initially, about 13 newspapers like Deenabandhu, Kerala Dhvani, Malabar Mail, Malayalam Rajyam were distributed. Since he does not know how to ride a bicycle, he walks for one and a half hours from Ullala to Vaikam to collect the newspaper. The distribution starts in the morning and ends in the afternoon. There is a good distance between the houses. Roads are less. During the rainy season, when the water rose, the newspaper was tied on the head and it was brought to the houses by swimming up to the neck in the water. Uppaichettan has experienced a lot of hardships.
After all the sisters get married, they think about marriage when they are alone at home. Thus made Tresya his life partner. The unexpected departure of the son comes when the family of one son and five daughters is living without difficulty. He lost his 36-year-old son in the 2010 Thathtangadi bus accident that claimed the lives of 11 people. His son’s wife and two children who are students are with him.
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∙ A salt named E. O. Ousep
Most people don’t know the name E. O. Ousep. He is popularly known as Uppai Mapila. That name came during newspaper distribution. At that time, Vechur would walk up to Anchumana bridge with the newspaper. On the way back, we will drink tea from the tea shop at Puthanpalam. He laughs and recalls that he got the name Uppai Mappila at a tea shop. It is not a name given by parents, siblings or relatives. Later, the natives fondly called that call as Uppaichettan.
∙ The generation that waited for the newspaper
A generation awaited Uppaichettan’s arrival at a time when even radio was rare and newspapers and magazines were the only source of information. During the Indo-China war of 1962, newspapers were the only media in the country to get news. T.V.R. Uppaichettan says that Shenai’s war reporting had many readers then. Writers also came in that period. Uppaichettan also remembers that the number of Malayalam Manorama subscribers tripled that day.
Uppaichettan’s opinion is that today’s youngsters are reading less. Older people read newspapers today. Uppaichettan, who used to deliver news at home, says that people who are looking at their phones do not have time to read.
