KOCHI: As the mortal remains of KK Sivan, the corporation councillor, who died of Covid was taken to Ravipuram crematorium on Saturday, a Tamil youth standing in a corner was struggling to fight back tears. Despite the lockdown, several people had gathered at the crematorium to bid their final farewell to the trade union leader who transformed many lives.
“He was like my father. He picked me and my sisters from the streets and gave us a life. He arranged food, books and clothes for us and got us admitted to school. He supported us as our father was no more and we were struggling to survive. He arranged a job and came to Salem to attend my marriage.
Recently, along with his family, he attended the naming ceremony of my child and had gifted me a gold ring. If he were not there, I would have become a thief or an anti-social,” said Murugan in an emotion-choked voice. Murugan was not able to pursue his studies as he had to take care of his sisters. But Sivan provided him a lottery vendor’s job at Petta in Tripunithura, which helped him earn a decent living. Sivan helped to marry off Murugan’s sisters who are now settled in Tamil Nadu.
“It was in 2005, when Sivan found a 10-year-old boy picking rags along with two girl children at Ponnurunni. He tracked down the parents of the boy and arranged a house for them at Thykoodam. He hand-held the family and ensured a better life for the three children,” recalls journalist Leby Sajeendran. Murugan was not the only person who was rehabilitated by Sivan, remembers Chambakkara headload workers’ union pool leader P Dinesh.
“He had a huge heart and always cared for street vendors in the city. He used to organise a sumptuous Onasadya for the street vendors in Vyttila every year. He had arranged the marriage of three inmates of Chambakkara orphanage years ago. Though he was our union president, he never accepted a penny as allowance. He not only rehabilitated people living on the streets, but also used to support their families in difficult times,”said Dinesh.
Sivan served as CPM Vyttila area committee member and was the district president of street vendors’ union. He served as director board member of both Ernakulam Urban Cooperative Society and Raidco. Sivan’s wife Bindu is a former president of Thiruvankulam panchayat. His son Vivek is SFI Vyttila area joint secretary and daughter Volga is a Plus Two student.