As the body of the legendary writer, who died in a Pune hospital on Sunday morning, was taken through Kerala on Monday, multitudes flocked to pay their last respects to their beloved writer.
Kamala Surayya came home in style. As the body of the legendary writer, who died in a Pune hospital on Sunday morning, was taken through Kerala on Monday, multitudes flocked to pay their last respects to their beloved writer.
The 75-year-old Kamala had been talking of death for a long time now. Even the death of a sparrow inspired her to write a beautiful story in Malayalam. She wanted her body to be laid amid beautiful flowers brought by her friends and fans. The wish was granted beyond measure.
Kerala culture minister MA Baby, who flew to Pune on hearing of Kamala’s death, urged the family to bury her in Kerala. The body was flown to Kochi on an Air India flight on Monday. It was taken to her home district, Thrissur, and laid in state at the Kerala Sahitya Academy, where she worked as the vice-chairperson.
Later, the body was taken to Kochi, where she lived for over a decade before joining her younger son in Pune.
From Alapuzha, in Kollam, people accompanied Kamala’s body all the way to Thiruvananthapuram, where it will be buried with full state honours at 8 am on Tuesday. Kamala’s elder son MD Nalapatt said she will be buried as per the rituals of Islam, which she embraced 10 years ago. Kerala’s ministers, writers and readers flew in to pay their last respects to Madhavikutty, as she is still known to Malayali readers.
Kamala always cribbed that she was a pariah in her home state. Her sensuous writing and later-day conversion had irked many in Kerala. But all her apprehensions died with her death. As chief minister VS Achuthanandan said, Kerala loves Kamala.”
Newspapers and television bulletins were filled with reminiscences. Editors competed to pun on the titles of her novels and short stories. The literati was unanimous in one thing — As there was no model for Kamala, there cannot be anyone like smiling Kamala, who rebelled against everything ugly and oppressive, with the innocence of a child.
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