From a colony to Ikka Nagar, a historic change

K. Radhakrishnan abolishes 'colony' designation; Ikka Nagar in Munnar renamed to honor social worker, transforming into developed area.

K. Radhakrishnan, before stepping down as Minister for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Development, had signed a landmark order abolishing the practice of calling areas predominantly inhabited by Scheduled Caste members as ‘colonies’. Interestingly, over three decades ago, a group of youths in Munnar had taken a similar initiative to change the name of a colony.

G. Sojan, president of the Ikka Nagar Residents Association, says KSEB Colony in Munnar was renamed Ikka Nagar on the initiative of a group of friends.

“The workers of the Pallivasal project, Chenkulam dam, and the Munnar headworks dam mainly lived quarters in KSEB Colony near Munnar. People viewed the area and its residents differently. As the treasurer of the AKG Arts and Sports Club in the colony, I proposed a name change to my friends Lasar, Samson, Mohan, John Quintez, and Ramesh. They agreed, and together, we initiated the process,” says Mr. Sojan.

“The name Ikka Nagar was given in homage of K.V. Abdulkhadar, a social worker in Munnar who was affectionately known as Ikka. He died on June 28, 1993 and we decided to honour him by renaming the area Ikka Nagar,” says Mr. Sojan.

District panchayat member R. Manikyam officially announced the renaming of KSEB Colony as Ikka Nagar on December 31, 1993. “We drew inspiration from Anna Nagar in Chennai, where former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) was cremated,” says Mr. Sojan.

Today, Ikka Nagar has emerged as the heart of Munnar. “Since renaming the place, it has transformed into a developed area,” says Mr. Sojan.

Later, Munnar panchayat approved the name change and Ikka Nagar was included as a ward in the panchayat. Now Ikka Nagar comes under Ward 10 of the Munnar grama panchayat.