The recent floods that ravaged the State prompted people to rise above socio-religious distinctions. A middle-aged Muslim man at Mattathur, near Panakkad, upheld his humanitarian spirit when he used his land to bury an aged Hindu woman who died during the peak of the floods.
V.U. Anvar, a former Gulf expatriate, did not think twice when he learnt that the body of M. Kalikutty, 70, could not be buried at her compound because of floods. Kalikutty’s family accepted Mr. Anvar’s offer and buried her in his land near the Mattathur Juma Masjid graveyard.
‘No’ to publicity
Mr. Anvar, who avoided media saying that he did not want publicity for his humanitarian act, was praised by his friends and family. He brushed aside the doubts raised by a family member that his land would be ‘useless’ by allowing a burial in it.
“There’s nothing more significant than the spirit of humanism,” Mr. Anvar is reported to have told his friends on permitting the burial of Kalikutty in his land. Kalikutty had been suffering from blood pressure variation for quite a while. She died on August 17, at a time when her house was surrounded by the floodwaters. Her elder son Kumaran’s house too had been flooded.
Kalikutty’s sons were in grief and confusion about her funeral when Mr. Anvar offered his land. Kalikutty had expressed a wish to get a burial near her husband’s grave. But her sons decided to forgo their mom’s wish as it was not possible in the time of deluge.
C. Saidalavi, a close friend of Mr. Anvar, said that he felt proud of his buddy. He said all man-made boundaries of religion, caste and class would crumble under such a situation. “The flood has taught us many things. My friend’s act is a small lesson for the humanity,” he said.