KOLLAM: While one ‘corona’ is scaring people across the globe, another in Kollam is in the thick of the electoral battle!
Meet Corona Thomas, 24, a BJP candidate in Mathilil division of Kollam Corporation.
She hit the headlines for her name in October when she gave birth while under treatment for Covid-19. Both the mother and child have since recovered.
Corona’s husband Jinu Suresh is an active BJP worker.
“I was not much into politics. But after marriage, I started taking interest. While recuperating at my husband’s home after delivery, I received the offer to contest. As my husband’s family is supporting my decision by taking care of our one-month-old, I can campaign freely,” Corona said.
During campaigning, she has received strange responses from elderly people. She said the first thing people do when she introduces herself is look at her in bewilderment.
Some laugh while some ask whether she changed her name to get publicity.
To all this, she smiles and says: “You might have become familiar with corona eight months ago, but my father gave me this name 24 years ago.”
Coral and Corona are the twin children of artist Thomas Mathew. Coral is 20 minutes older than Corona.
When Thomas decided on ‘Coral’ as the name for his son, he wanted his daughter’s name to rhyme with it.
That is when they zeroed in on ‘Corona’, meaning circle of light.