KASARAGOD: The movies will not show this. In yet another shining example of Kerala's social harmony where humanity supersedes religion, a Muslim woman performed the last rites of a former RSS worker from Kasaragod who died of cancer in Kozhikode on Friday.
Irfana Iqbal, the district panchayat member from Manjehwar division and development standing committee chairperson, performed the final rites of Narayanan Thottathodi, 64, who succumbed to cancer after a month-long treatment at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital (MCH) on Thursday. The cremation was carried out at his native Chigrupadavu village in Meenja panchayat in Kasaragod's Manjeshwar block on Friday afternoon.
A month ago, residents had found Narayanan near a shop at Chigrupadavu, abandoned and battling the final stage of oral cancer. His complicated marital relationship had left him homeless while his elderly sister was not in a condition to take care of him.
A daily wage worker, Narayanan had been an active RSS worker until 20 years ago, the residents said, adding that he had married twice and had children from the first marriage, but they wanted nothing to do with him.
Taking pity, ward member Sherif Chinala informed Irfana whose family runs the Sheikh Zayed Foundation which manages the Sheikh Zayed Oldage Home. “They called us to admit him to the home as he did not have anyone. However, we found that his health was very critical due to oral cancer,” said Irfana, a leader of Vanitha League, IUML's women wing.