Tearful Homage to Arya Antharjanam
By Our Staff Reporter of The Hindu
In an atmosphere filled with the memory of the CPI(M) ideologue, E.M.S.
Namboodiripad, people from various walks of life paid a tearful homage to his
wife, Arya Antharjanam, who died at a private hospital here this morning.
The body was brought to the AKG Centre around 9.30 a.m.
Earlier, as per the wish of Arya Antharjanam, her eyes were donated to the
Ophthalmic Hospital here. The Leader of the Opposition, V.S. Achuthanandan, the
CPI(M) State secretary, Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPI(M) leaders, T.K.
Ramakrishnan and the Desabhimani general editor, K. Mohanan, draped the body
with the party flag and kept it in the hall for about two hours for the leaders
and the public to pay their respects. The garlanded photograph of EMS placed on
the wall in the hall of the AKG centre was a silent witness to the proceedings.
The Transport Minister, K.B. Ganesh Kumar, was the first
among the Ministers who arrived at the party headquarters to pay homage. The
Mayor, J. Chandra, the Cooperation Minister, M.V. Raghavan, the Information
Minister, M.M. Hassan, the Finance Minister, K. Sankaranarayanan, the Culture
Minister, G. Karthikeyan, the Rural Development Minister, C.F. Thomas, the
Education Minister, Nalakath Soopy, the UDF convener, Oommen Chandy, the
Speaker, Vakkom Purushothaman, the MLAs, Aryadan Mohammed, K.Radhakrishnan,
Varkala Kahar, K. Mohan Kumar, K.P. Rajendran, Neelalohithadasan Nadar, V.S.
Sivakumar, MP, the CPI leader, Panniyan Ravindran, the CPI(M) leaders, M.
Vijayakumar, Kadakampally Surendran, V. Sivankutty, M.A. Baby, M. Sathyanesan,
A. Sampath, P.K.Gurudasan, Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan, the RSP leader, K.
Pankajakshan, Varkala Radhakrishnan, MP, the cine actor and director, Venu
Nagavally, the film director, Lenin Rajendran, the SFI leaders, M.B. Rajesh and
K.N. Balagopal and the DCC president, N. Peethambara Kurup and the Congress
leader, T. Saratchandra Prasad, were among the leaders who paid homage.
The family members were unable to control their grief
when the noted surgeon and the family friend of EMS, P.K.R. Warrier, came to
pay homage. Despite his ill-health, a grief-stricken Dr. Warrier, came to the
AKG Centre, accompanied by his daughter, Anasuya. Dr. Warrier, who stayed a few
seconds near the body of Arya, was unable to control his grief.
The death of Arya Antharjanam was a personal loss for
Thankam Sarma, wife of the late Sharmaji, who had worked as private secretary
of EMS during his first tenure as Chief Minister. The sister of the late Communist
leader, C. Unniraja, Ms. Thankam Sharma who had been a close associate of Arya
from her childhood days, also was also seen sobbing.
The former Chief Minister, E.K. Nayanar, was unable to
console his wife, Sarada, who started weeping standing with folded hands in
front of the body of Arya.
The Chief Minister, A.K. Antony, arrived at around 11.30
a.m. to pay respects and console the family members. Tears rolled down the eyes
of the daughters, Mrs. Malathi and Mrs. Radha as the body was taken to the Thycaud
crematorium for the funeral. One could also see the weeping grandson kissing
his grandmother as the body was taken for the funeral.
The body was taken to the crematorium at Thycaud at 11.45
a.m where the pyre was lit by her sons, E.M. Sreedharan and P. Sasi.
Wreaths were placed on behalf of the CPI(M) local
committees, media and service organisations.
Born to Thekkedath Illath Raman Bhattthiripad and Neeli
Antharjanam at Kudamaloor in Kottayam district, Arya Antharjanam was given in
marriage to EMS on the initiative of her elder brother, Vasudevan
Bhattthiripad. At the time, EMS was a frontline leader of the Yoga Kshema Sabha
and a campaigner for widow remarriage.
Arya Antharjanam's marriage to such a person was not to
the liking of several of her conservative relatives. Arya Antharjanam soon
became a pillar of support for the Marxist leader and shouldered the
responsibility of running the family during the turbulent 40s and 50s when EMS
was underground for about six years.
The EMS-Arya Antharajanam couple are survived by two
daughters and two sons including the CPI(M) State committee member and
Deshabhimani Resident Editor, E.M. Sreedharan.
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