IN a large, palatial-like building of some foreign architecture that could easily be the town hall or the high court, Calicut houses Comtrust, the Commonwealth Trust (India) Limited. The area is known as South Mamanchira Road. But ask anybody to direct you to Comtrust, and they will oblige, the place is a landmark in Calicut.

History records its existence from 1834, making Comtrust probably one of the oldest companies in India, and definitely the first industrial venture on the Malabar coast. You step inside its cool and dark interiors, and certainly, you are convinced of Comtrust being around for some time. It has that old world feeling. The people there have been serving the institution for long. Its powerlooms in a huge shed in the backyard, are ancient. Though nothing about its products is old world.

The bed linen, towels, cottons, aprons, tablecloths, shirts, pants, dresses and even pajamas are of the finest quality. Nobody who steps into Comtrust emerges without spending an hour there and lots of money on its products. Actually, it is entirely possible to spend little and come away with lot, for all of Comtrust�s products are ridiculously priced.

Comtrust was established in 1834 by pioneering German missionaries from the Basel Mission, Switzerland, who were perhaps Kerala�s earliest modern industrialists. They had a centre in Mangalore from where other regular missionary activities were conducted. And in Calicut, they set up the handloom weaving and tile-making industry on an organised, commercial basis that continues even today, 160 years later, with remarkable success. Its products are world-class. And the Comtrust itself is a wonderful and unique institution located in the heart of Calicut that the locals are proud of. �Ninety per cent of the city buys our products because they are of quality,� said Jayakumar P., the officer in charge of the textile warehouse who has been working there for 24 years.

The old institute owes its start to the Rev. Samuel Hebich, John Lehner and Christoph Greiner, who came to Calicut in 1834, unintending to become pioneering industrialists. When the Basel Mission was set up at Mangalore, schools were opened, churches were built, and the founding fathers were soon compelled to find means of livelihood for their new converts. That�s how the Basel Mission Industries came into existence.

Ten years later in 1844, they introduced weaving, and that proved to be their first really successful venture. With the installation of Jacquard looms and fly-shuttles, a variety of exquisite fabrics were developed. Encouraged by the success, more advanced units were set up at Calicut and Cannanore.

To the credit of the Basel Mission, trained specialists and technicians from Europe were brought in for each new venture, and with them came state-of-the-art technology of the time. In 1919, as a fall-out of the First World War, the Basel Mission Industries was taken over by the then British government. A new company, The Commonwealth Trust was incorporated to look after the commercial ventures not only in India, but also the Gold Coast in Africa.

In 1977, the company passed to Indian hands, governed by an Indian board of directors, and The Commonwealth Trust (India) Ltd. came into being. Over the years Comtrust has witnessed two World Wars, German, British and Indian administration and has evolved into a venerable institution. The west coast being home to some of the finest weavers in India, to whom weaving has been a traditional occupation, Comtrust soon introduced the popular �Calico� material, which is said to be cloth from Calicut. Master weavers from Germany came down and showed locals their first handloom with the fly-shuttle. Along with weaving, dyeing was started, and Comtrust is credited for the invention of the �khaki� dye.

�Khaki� in German means �earth�. And the fabric was immediately popular with the police and forest officials. And when the Jacquard looms were fitted up, a variety of table and household linen, superior damask linen of mercerised materials, and tropical underwear were made. The products were exhibited nationwide and laurels received.

Today, 160 years later, Comtrust�s handwoven fabrics are still favoured by the discerning. The interiors of Jeffrey Archer�s penthouse, the Royal Enclosure of King Khalid Airport, Jeddah, the Taj Group of Hotels, certain Hotels in Disney World, Florida, the Jockey Club, Hong Kong, and the aircraft seat covers of Air-India and Indian Airlines stand testimony to its craftsmanship.

Parry Murray of London, long-term distributors for Comtrust, supply fabrics to prestigious clients such as Sir Terrance Conran. Shyam Ahuja uses Comtrust fabrics extensively for towels and furnishing materials. Jayakumar says its turnover for the handloom material itself is Rs. 15 crore annually.