Did Vappa live ahead of his time?

Can anyone live ahead of one’s time? According to Vappa’s friends and those who moved along with him say he did.

Since I cant agree with this, I wanted to check why they say so. But I could make an analysis of it only after Vappa departed us and that too recently. I had to study about it because he still lives with me as a man of today and not as a man of yesterday! If any doubt arise on any matter that looks complex to me, I imagine what Vappa would have done to get over the problem. I used to get the right solution in nine out of ten cases.

The reason for people to think he was a man of tomorrow was that he was a living encyclopedia for them. He had deep knowledge on many matters because he read books and all popular magazines, Indian and foreign, his books library was a very large one. Above which he used to travel a lot and mixed with people of high intelligentsia.

Though not that rich, very unique home appliances, communication tools, cameras, cars and motor bikes went through his hands. Mind that it was a time there were no computers or mobile phones. Every thing was mechanical and electronics was just showing its head up here and there. He had very sophisticated mechanical wonders for playing records, for talking to people working elsewhere, for taking photographs, printing and processing, stitching clothes, knitting etc. Apart from these, Vappa was a good shooter  and used to play Tennis, Billiards etc. Even the very rich and the Britishers who were ruling India at that time didn’t have all these together at the same time.

In short he was a extra ordinary man even by today’s standards, but was so simple and unassuming that every one who met him liked him. This was what our Vappa was.

Vappa was more or less a hero in our region and could end disputes of people regardless of what faith they followed. There is no wonder why he was nominated by the then chaste and undevided Congress party to stand for election and became MLA of the first ministry of Travencore Cochin State. (Kerala State was formed later). He was also chosen as a religious leader. He became President of Jamaath Federation of Kerala but also became the Waqf Board President.

I think all these factors lead people to consider him as a man ahead of his time.

- Thampi

(Look elsewhere in this blog on Vappa's reading habits, unique items he possessed and his approach to people of his time).

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