Prominent Figures of the Kerala Church-78
K.S. Scaria Pottamkulam (Junior Kuttichan)
K.S. Scaria Pottamkulam (Junior) is a personality known for dedicating his public service not for personal gain but for the welfare of society, community, and the nation. He has made his mark in the plantation sector and related fields. Born on February 5, 1928, in Pottamkulam as the son of K.S. Scaria and Claramma, he hailed from the Mathew Bhavan in Alappuzha Nerothu.
He received his primary education at Kuttickal and Vettikkanam schools and later attended Kottayam Sacred Heart High School. After completing school, he studied at St. Joseph’s College, Thiruvalla, where he passed the Intermediate examination and later earned a B.A. from Bombay St. Xavier’s College. He also obtained an M.A. from the Bombay School of Economics and Sociology. Subsequently, he joined the law college in Bombay, completing his studies in 1951, after which he worked in the plantation sector alongside his father.
From 1969 to 1984, he served as a member of the Cardamom Board and later as a member of the Cardamom and Spices Board from 1987 to 1990. He was the Vice Chairman of the Cardamom and Spices Board for three terms. Scaria has also served as a long-term member of the United Plantations Association’s Cardamom Committee, President of the Mundakkayam Planters Association, President of the Mundakkayam Club, and President of the Vandanmedu Cardamom Marketing Corporation, as well as a member of the Director Board of Kerala Cardamom Processing and Marketing Company. He was a long-term member of the Director Board of the National Newspaper Company and also served as the Vice President of the Kerala Catholic Trust.
The family history of Pottamkulam notes: “K.S. Scaria played a crucial role in thwarting efforts to establish pooling systems for cardamom akin to those used for coffee. He established the company Associated Spices Exports in Bodinayakanur, exporting cardamom to Middle Eastern countries from 1979 to 1984. In 1980, he was a member of the cardamom delegation that traveled abroad. Along with his wife Thangamma, he has visited Italy, Switzerland, France, the United Kingdom, the USA, and Singapore in 1994. He has represented cardamom farmers from Kerala and Tamil Nadu in meetings with national leaders such as Mrs. Indira Gandhi, Arjun Singh, Rajiv Gandhi, Pranab Mukherjee, L.N. Mishra, and N.D. Tiwari. During his tenure as Indian Prime Minister, V.P. Singh visited Mundakkayam, where Scaria hosted him as the Chairman of the Mundakkayam Planters Association.”
He has shown great interest in church-related matters and has maintained strong connections with church leadership. K.S. Scaria is married to Thangamma, the daughter of Chacko Piloth Lonappan and Mrs. Annamma Lonappan.
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