Praveen Krishnan’s kin continue to change lives, even in his absence

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chenkottukonam residents were left shattered when Praveen Krishnan Nair, his wife Saranya, and three children— Sreebhadra, Aarcha, and Abhinav— died of asphyxiation in a resort in Nepal last year.

The residents are yet to come to terms with Praveen’s death, who was always in front of all the activities. Now, his family has initiated the works of a memorial and plans to set up a charitable trust, which will take forward the charity works and initiatives carried out by Praveen.

The foundation stone of the two-storied memorial on the premises of Praveen’s residence in Chenkottukonam was laid by Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran recently. “Praveen used to spend the birthdays of his children or other special days at orphanages or old-age homes. He was always ready to serve the needy.

However, it was only after his death we came to realise the magnitude of his charity works. A humongous amount used to be spent monthly for treating patients and as an aid to orphanages and old-age homes. So, we wish to carry forward the initiatives taken up by him on the same level,” said R Rajesh, brother-in-law of Praveen.

“Several organisations, which Praveen had associated with, have already extended their support for the initiative. We will coordinate with them and use their services for helping the people. The foundation laying was the first phase of the initiatives,” added Rajesh. 

One floor of the 1,800-sq-ft building will function as the office of Ayyankoyickal Residents Association and the other floor will house a hi-tech library. “This will facilitate a permanent office for the residents association. The library with internet access can be used by the residents for free. It will assist the residents in using e-services to pay the electricity or water bills,” he said.

The construction of the memorial is expected to be completed in around four months. “The library and operations of the trust will begin soon after the inauguration of the memorial,” said Rajesh. “One of the major plans is to conduct monthly free medical camps for the underprivileged people at the memorial and even extend support if they need to undergo surgeries.

Also, we wish to extend help to children who face financial difficulties for their education,” said Rajesh. The long-term plan of the trust includes setting up a high-tech school. “He was always in the forefront of all activities in the locality. Through the trust and its initiatives, we wish to keep his memories alive,” said Rajesh.