Padma Shri awardee Cheruvayal Raman laid to rest with full state honours

KALPETTA: Cheruvayal Raman, the Padma Shri awardee known for preserving traditional paddy varieties and promoting indigenous farming practices, was laid to rest on Thursday. The funeral was held at the Cheruvayal Kurichiya community crematorium with full state honours. Hundreds of people gathered to pay their last respects to the veteran farmer. Minister T. Siddique, representing the state government, CPM state secretary M.V. Govindan, former minister A. K. Saseendran and several other prominent personalities paid their last respects.

Raman breathed his last at 3.30 pm on Wednesday while undergoing treatment at Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital for a heart-related ailment. Following his passing, his body was brought to his home and subsequently kept at the Navodayam LP School in Kammana for public homage between 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM today.

Born on June 6, 1952, into the Kurichiya family of Kammana in Edavaka, Raman's full name was Thalakkara Cheriyaraman. He was the son of Kelappan and Theyyi. He was admitted to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital on Tuesday evening and underwent surgery on Wednesday morning. However, his condition deteriorated by evening. He had previously undergone two surgeries for heart-related problems.

Raman lost his father when he was just two years old and grew up under the care of his maternal uncle. His formal education ended after Class 5 at Navodayam LP School in Kammana. He entered the agricultural field at the age of 10. His greatest possessions were the 40 acres of land handed down to him by his uncle and the traditional seeds preserved across generations. Although he secured a job as a warden at the Kannur DMO office in 1969, he turned it down because of his passion for farming. He lived in a 150-year-old traditional mud house.