A father, hero and friend

By Nadia Fazlulhaq

With tear-filled eyes, little Udishram, looks on as people pay their last respects to his loving father, N.Raviraj.

Like any other child Udishram too was looking forward to celebrate his 10th birthday on November 27, perhaps hoping for the greatest gift his father could give him, to be at home with him in spite of his busy schedule.

But today, Udishram is in tears with only memories of his father to console him.

Having features similar to his father, Udishram is perhaps wondering why his hero is lying peacefully instead of fighting for justice.
“You rarely find a person like him. He’s so unique and lovable,” says Gowri, a cousin of Raviraj. Singh, is one of Raviraj’s closest cousins.

“He was like a brother to me. He was killed for no reason. I can’t imagine the sorrow that his family must be feeling,” he says while struggling to fight back the tears.

“He was very affectionate. He loved his family very much. Even though he was an outspoken politician, among his family and friends he was a soft-spoken, mild mannered person,” said Suresh K.Premachandran, a TNA parliamentarian.

Praveena Raviraj (15) Raviraja’s daughter is studying at Bishops’ College.

“Praveena was proud of her father. Her love towards her father cannot be described in words. She too wanted to be brave like him. We know that his brutal death has brought her a lot of pain. We are here to share her sorrow,” said Joanne, a classmate of Praveena. She’s just one among Praveena’s many friends including, Dhawanti, Michelle and Shobika who are with her at this moment of intense shock and grief.

Singh	Joanne	Joanne	Suresh Premachandran