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.
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Singh |
Joanne |
Joanne |
Suresh Premachandran |
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