Malappuram village fasts to mourn Amma

MALAPPURAM: The demise of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa cast a pall of gloom over Kanhiyoor, a village in Nannamukku panchayat in the district, where over  200 Tamil migrant families live.   The men and women from Tamil Nadu who have been settled at  Kanhiyoor for decades  gathered at the village centre weeping on Tuesday. Many of them were on a day-long fast  and no Tamil family in the village cooked food in their homes until the mortal remains of Jayalalithaa were  laid to rest at Marina Beach in Chennai.

The Tamils started  mourning from 2 a.m. in front of a framed image of Jaya decorated with flowers at the village centre.  The people started thronging  the venue by 6 a.m. showering floral tributes to Jaya.  Many  mourners broke into loud wails. “We are not working today as our Amma has gone forever. We will not eat or cook food  today and many of us have been  already on fast since the news of her death came,” said Palani Prahladan, a Tamil  resident.

Later, they took out a silent procession through the village. Some of the mourners  shaved off their heads.    “The other local residents  also joined the mourning in solidarity with the Tamil population” said V.K. Noushad, a local politician. The Tamil migrant families have been engaged in construction, agriculture  and other daily labour.