MANJUMMEL(KOCHI) : Having portrayed small roles on the silver screen, K Vinod dreamt of becoming a busy actor. He also moved into his new house at Manjummel less than two months ago, wanting to live the rest of his life there taking care of his mother.
When a migrant worker from Odisha pushed the 48-year-old TTE to his death off a moving train on Tuesday, it also marked the untimely demise of Vinod’s modest dreams of becoming a reliable actor and live in his new house. Now, his widowed mother Lalitha is destined to mourn the death of her only son.
“It was following his father’s demise that Vinod secured the job in the railway. Though a workaholic, he always found time to pursue his passion for acting,” said Bindu, a relative as she struggled but failed to fight back tears.
A Thiruvananthapuram native, Vinod had acted in several movies, including Mohanlal’s Pulimurugan and Joju George’s Joseph. “They were small roles, but Vinod was always content. He hoped of bagging bigger roles. Everything has now come to a sudden end,” she said.
In February, Vinod, a divorcee with no children, moved to the new home he constructed at Manjummel with Lalitha. It marked a paradigm shift in the lives of the duo, who had until then lived in the railway quarters in Kochi.
“He lived only for his aged mother. It was always his dream to build a good home for his mother and live with her there, as they had spent a major part of their lives in the railway quarters. Though Vinod got married nearly 10 years ago, the relationship ended within a year. Our efforts to find another girl ended in vain, as Vinod wanted to give more care to his mother. The tragedy has left her devastated. The bond they shared cannot be described in words,” said Aswathy, Vinod’s niece.
He was calm & composed, remember neighbours
Vinod’s friends and relatives remember him as a soft-spoken person and a man with a heart to help everyone.
“If you met him once, he would grab a place in your heart. He was always calm and composed. If he saw anyone suffering from financial issues, he would help without a second thought. Recently, he helped a relative with Rs 10,000 when he heard about a health issue. It’s a huge loss for our family,” said Beena, one of his cousin sisters, pointing to his picture on the wall.
His neighbours said he had grabbed a place in everyone’s heart within a short span of time. “It was nearly a year ago that I met him when he came to start the construction of his house. In the first meeting itself, I felt like he was my son,” said Unni, an elderly man who lives opposite Vinod’s house.
He said whenever Vinod came to oversee the work of his house, he used to visit his home. “Our bond became stronger within a few meetings. Not just with me; he established a bond with all the neighbors. He even offered annadhanam to all the neighbours in my home on the Attukal Pongala day,” said Unni.