A collection of rare photographs of a young and vibrant K.M. Mani in various poses adorn the off-white walls of his bedroom at the famed Karingozhakkal House in Pala. It opens to a living room that doubles as an office space, from where Mani connected with people, met party functionaries, and made some crucial decisions that had a bearing on the political discourse of the State.

As the news about the demise of his leader trickled in, K.T. Thankachan, aka Thankachan Kuzhumbil — a mild-mannered man — stood silent inside the same room.

But then, as mourners began to pour in, he took charge of the affairs.

His associate

“I have spent 37 years of life in this small space, waiting for ‘Mani Sir’ to call out my name. It could be for anything — from ringing up somebody to writing a letter,” Thankachan’s eyes veered towards a huge portrait on the wall.

Thankachan became Mani’s personnel assistant in 1982, soon after completing studies at St. Thomas College in Pala.

Caring approach

“By the time I joined him, the name Mani had become the pride of Pala. I was naturally afraid of his larger-than-life image and was very cautious in my approach towards him. Mani sir, however, was incredibly caring and regarded me as one of his family members.”

Composed

Having been with the leader through the thick and thin of life, Thankachan had never seen Mani overreacting to any of his adversaries. “Even when the bar bribery scam broke out, he remained stoic. We saw him carrying out his duties with utmost grace and dignity,” he added.

Kuttichan, a distant relative and long-time friend to Mani’s family, has only one grudge left in this life: that he could not meet Mani before his death. “We were all hopeful about him coursing through this crisis once again and return to normal life. But that was not to be,” he said.

Still coming to terms with the news about Mani’s death, he then stopped abruptly. “Now there will be this void, a hole as far as the family and the party are concerned,” he said.