Sobha Raveendran, wife of legendary music composer Raveendran, who was at the verge of selling off the flat gifted in her husband's honour, can heave a sigh of relief. The film fraternity and a couple of popular singers stepped in to repay all her debts, worth Rs 12 lakh. They also obtained and handed over the documents of the flat to her.
Though a Bengaluru-based management firm had offered the flat to Raveendran's wife, the company did not honour their agreement and refused to pay her the sum total for the flat, burdening her with repayment of the loan. The firm, based in Bengaluru, which organised a music event, ‘Raveendra Sangeetha Sandhya’ nine years ago, had promised Sobha a flat and Rs 25 lakh during the event. The organisers even handed over the key on the dais.
Though Sobha moved into the flat after some time, there were no basic amenities, including electricity supply. The event management company was not even willing to complete the registration process of the flat despite repeated attempts. The apartment was soon closed down for maintenance, with all the residents moving out. Shobha too rented out the top floor of a nearby building and began residing there. However, the work got delayed and couldn’t be completed even after one-and-a-half years, though the promise was to ready the same in three months.
In between, she handed over Rs 2 lakh to the residents’ association to clear the debt, but the latter used the same for flat maintenance. All the other residents cleared their arrears. Though the association also bore some of Sobha's expenses as a temporary arrangement, she could not pay off the debt, following which, it rose to Rs 12 lakh, including the interest.
Director B Unnikrishnan revealed that Play back Singers’ Association ‘SAMAM’, singers K J Yesudas and K S Chitra, and film producer Johny Sagarika were instrumental in ensuring Sobha didn't lose her flat. Music composers Ronnie Raphael and Deepak Dev, and Sudeep also contributed wholeheartedly to the cause. Various associations like FEFKA Music Directors Union, Dubbing Artists Union, Lightmen Union, Drivers’ Union, Directors’ Union, and Writers’ Union also chipped in.
