Alappuzha: Twenty-five years have passed since K R Gowri Amma, one of the senior-most living political leaders in Kerala, was expelled from the CPI(M) for anti-party activities. The 99-year-old rarely ventures out of her house at Chathanad due to age-related issues, but on Tuesday she made up her mind to take part in the historic Women’s Wall dubbed as a campaign to resurrect renaissance values.
The nonagenarian’s enthusiasm was in full display when she stepped out of the house, wearing a white cotton saree with a bunch of keys dangling from a knot at its tip(pallu) and holding two plastic covers.
She walked some yards with great difficulty and reached the road passing in front of her residence. But she felt exhausted and decided to abandon the plan. However, the fiery leader was not ready to return home. She asked her aides to bring a chair and place it by the roadside. She sat on it quite relaxed in solidarity with the Women’s Wall and being a link of it in a distinctive manner.
She sat there unmoved between 3.15 to 4.30 pm and went back only when the women who were part of the 620-km long wall dispersed after taking secular and renaissance oath.
Her plan was to go Shavakkottapalam, located about 1 km away from her home, in a vehicle and join the wall to be formed there. But as she felt too tired and low on energy in the afternoon people around her had advised her to reconsider the plan.
“She used to tell us repeatedly that it would have been convenient for her to attend the Women’s Wall if it passed through the Chathanad junction,” said one of her aides.
For the past few years, Gowri Amma has been staying away from programmes organised by the CPM or government-sponsored events. Though she was unhappy over the decision
to leave her party out of the expansion of the ruling LDF, she set aside the differences and decided to attend the event, realising the importance of the campaign aimed at preserving social renaissance.
While sitting by the wayside expressing solidarity with the wall, she was seen making small talks with acquaintances and greeting the passerby.
