K.M. Mathew’s legacy shines as Mar Thoma church Secunderabad celebrates platinum jubilee

K.M. Mathew's legacy in Secunderabad's Mar Thoma Church celebrated during Platinum Jubilee with special Holy Communion service.

K.M. Mathew, a piano dealer-cum-tuner and the first Malayalee to settle and own property in the Secunderabad Cantonment in 1902, is fondly remembered for his invaluable contribution to the development of the Mar Thoma Church in Marredpally. As the predominantly Kerala-origin Christian congregation celebrates its Platinum Jubilee from February 23 onwards, his contribution remains a key part of this church’s history.

It’s a remarkable story of this young man from Tiruvalla, Kerala (then part of the Madras Presidency), who undertook a gruelling bullock cart journey from Bengaluru (then Bangalore) to Secunderabad Cantonment in 1902 in pursuit of a better future. His love for pianos, tuning, and maintenance drew him to Secunderabad. It led him to establish a piano dealership for a British company that he would later take over and make his own. His expertise caught the attention of the Scottish-origin personnel of the British Army stationed in Secunderabad Cantonment. When they built St. Andrews Church (Kirk) in the early 19th Century, featuring a magnificent pipe organ, Mr. Mathew was given the responsibility of maintaining the massive instrument.  

In the early 1940s, when Malayalis wanted a place to worship, Mr. Mathew used his connections with the Chaplaincy Board of the Church of Scotland to get permission for a few Malayali families to hold prayers in their native language at the church. His skills as a piano tuner made him popular with the Nizam royals, the British, and wealthy families. By the 1950s, he had earned the nickname ‘Piano Mathew.’

In 1946, a year before Independence, Mr. Mathew and a few friends and families from the Mar Thoma, Orthodox, and Church of South India (CSI) congregations came together to form the “Malayalam Service Committee.” A year later, on October 12, 1947, they celebrated the committee’s first anniversary, laying the foundation for a full-fledged Mar Thoma Church service within the Scottish St. Andrews Church.

After the British left India in 1947, Mr. Mathew took over the care of the church, looking after the pipe organ and helping it become a lively place of worship for Malayalis. By the late 1950s, the Malayali community, including defence and railway employees, had grown rapidly. The church flourished during this time, with a resident priest to serve the spiritual needs of the people.

Mar Thoma Church Secretary Varghese George informs that in 1985, the Union government permanently leased the land to the St. Andrews Church Society. In 1958 the St. Andrews Church Society consisting of the two Parishes i.e. Mar Thoma Church and Orthodox Church was registered. “As the congregation grew, the Mar Thoma Church expanded by building the Ascension Mar Thoma Church in Chikkadpally in 1967 and the Orthodox Cathedral near Golconda Crossroads in 1969, while Syrian Christians continued to worship at St. Andrews Church,” he informs.

Since 1947, the Mar Thoma Church in Secunderabad has grown a lot, thanks to Mr. Mathew’s valuable contributions. Mr. Varghese George says Mr. Mathew was the first Malayali to own land in Secunderabad more than 100 years ago. He generously donated five acres of land in Neredmet for church activities and related purposes.