KANNUR: When the teleprinter at the Bangalore army camp revealed that Mahatma Gandhi had been shot dead, VV Madhavan Nambiar of Elayavur, who was the wireless Havildar at the signal core there at the time, was the one to receive it.

That paper is kept as a valuable item in Kannur even today.

The message was `Gandhiji was shot by Hindu rpt Hindu and died '. The word Hindu was mentioned repeatedly. The message called on the army to be extra vigilant so that communal riots do not erupt.

Madhavan Nambiar could not contain the words imprinted on the paper of the teleprinter under the headline 'immediate'. He read it many times and tried to convince his mind. He would read it even after many days. Even when workplaces changed, he kept the paper with him.

Madhavan Nambiar passed away on December 25 last year at the age of 97. His wife is now the guardian of this letter. The memories of the Mahatma were passed on to future generations.

Now it will be in Mahatma Mandiram in Kannur. Padmini is happy to have fulfilled her husband's last wish to preserve it for generations.

Ramachandran Kadannapally MLA received the teleprinter message from Padmini at Mahatma Mandir yesterday. It will be on display at the 'Gandhi Jeevitha Chitharashala' in the building from today.

Padmini is the daughter of MR Narayana Kurup, a social activist at Onchiyam and panchayat president. Malathi, Jayachandran, Jayadevan, Gayathri and Deepthi are her children.

At the signal core from the beginning

Madhavan Nambiar joined the Signal Corps of the British Army in 1942 at the age of eighteen. During his 22 years of service he has won numerous medals, including the Burma Star, War Medal, Indian Independence Medal, Army Service Medal, and Foreign Service Medal (Indo-China). After retiring in 1964, he worked as a wireless operator under the Central Government till 1982.