Teekoy

Geography

Teekoy is a typical Kerala village, which is a mixture of the features of both midland countryside and the Malanad hill area, enveloped in greenery with a clean and unpolluted atmosphere. Teekoy as a village is medium- sized but as a panchayat, is quite long, covering many areas like Aniyilappu, Mavadi, vellikulam, Thalanad, Adukkom etc. and stretching about 20 kilometres reaching up to the Wagamon area, at about three thousand feet above sea level. This place is known for its agriculture and landscape. It is full of hills and valleys in the middle of which flows the Meenachil river (made famous by Arundhati Roy's novel, The God of Small Things).

People

Large scale settlement in Teekoy began more than 100 years ago. It has resemblance to a tropical rain-forest area with all kinds of trees like teak, jackfruit, etc., found in the Western Ghats region growing profusely besides coconut, rubber, arecanut and other crops. It is a very fertile area. The first large rubber plantation in India was established in Teekoy. Here most of the people are farmers and they cultivate rubber, elachi, ginger, cardamom, clove, nutmeg, turmeric, pepper, cashew and other spices. Considerable variety of medicinal plants also grow here which have been used in making the traditional home remedies. Most of the people are Christians, but there are also Muslims and Hindus. There are some third or fourth generation Tamil people, descendants of workers who came to work in the rubber plantations in Teekoy many decades ago. Before Independence in 1947 Teekoy had some English people who had set up rubber plantation here. As a legacy of the colonial era a cantiliver bridge still connects the two banks of the Meenachil river two kilometres above Teekoy town.

Culture

Teekoy is a rural but modern village with a predominantly hilly topography. It has a dominant village culture, with celebrating the annual festivals, feasts in church etc. Kerala's own culture exists here in vibrant form. There is only a moderate level of political activity, Indian National Congress and Kerala Congress (M) are the dominant parties, hence hardly any social divisions over politics. Adv. Justine Jacob (Kerala Congress (M)) was the youngest President of Teekoy at his age of twenty seven.

People at Teekoy are educated and self-employed or employed either in government, private or abroad. This place is blessed different kind of educational institution and various industries. St. Mary's High School, now more than six decades old has played a vital role in providing education to the sons of Teekoy. Compared to other villages, the infrastructure is also better.

Climate

Teekoy's climate has a heavy rain season and mild summer. Summer rains are not infrequent. With hills in the backdrop, it never gets very hot, and the climate tends towards windy and cool. Teekoy can't be considered as a rural village, the people are educated and employed. This place is blessed with different kind of educational institutions and various industries. Compared to other villages, the infrastructure is also better.