Kochi: It was a small crowd, but it represented all that M K Sanoo stood for in a life he lived to the fullest. Politicians of all colours, writers, spiritual leaders, an eminent jurist and ordinary people, all united by the love and respect for their 'Sanoo mash', were among those who gathered at Amrita Hospital, Edappally, on Saturday evening after hearing about his death there at the age of 98. 

Justice Devan Ramachandran of Kerala High Court was among the mourners who paid their last respects to Sanoo at the hospital premises.

"His presence was a strength," eminent orator and literary critic M Thomas Mathew, who shared a decades-old bond with Sanoo, summed up the loss he was already feeling. "Sanoo mash was someone who worked throughout his life. We used to talk to each other a lot. Even recently, he had told me he was working on a new book and he wanted me to read the draft," remembered Mathew (86), who was visibly shattered. 

Politically, Sanoo belonged to the Left. He was even elected to the assembly once as a left candidate. But ideology was never an obstacle when it came to his wide circle of friends. He commanded respect from all sides and corners of the political spectrum, something many admired, and some even envied.

The political class of Kochi felt a collective loss in his death. Hibi Eden MP, T J Vinod MLA and former minister Dominic Presentation were among the Congress leaders who gathered on the hospital premises while CPM state secretariat member C N Mohanan and district secretary S Satheesh were joined by top party leader M V Jayarajan, who is also the private secretary to the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. BJP MP and Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi also paid final respects to Sanoo on the hospital premises. The political identity of the leaders, however, had little to do with the occasion. 

Fr Anil Philip, director of Chavara Cultural Centre, recollected the relationship of a lifetime that Sanoo shared with the institute, which he called his second home. Sanoo was among the founding members of the church-run institution, which was started as a secular space for art and culture in 1971. "Sanoo mash was active in all the programmes conducted by the centre until he was hospitalised recently. He played a key role in organising a meeting of the World Fellowship of Inter Religious Council," the catholic priest, who is also a filmmaker, said.

Amid his busy schedule filled with public speaking, teaching, and writing, Sanoo still found time for his neighbourhood. He had been active in the Karikkamuri Residents Association since its founding in 2001. "Sanoo mash brought everyone together. He was instrumental in attracting the authorities' attention to the problems faced by the area," Anilkumar, vice president of the residents' association, recollected. 

T J Joseph, the college teacher who lost his palm in an attack by PFI members in the infamous question paper row, remembered Sanoo as a favourite teacher. "I was among the last batch of students whom Sanoo mash taught at Maharaja's College, Ernakulam, in 1983. He submitted his resignation following some issues. But then he continued to teach us in a building outside the class. He was committed to completing the classes before our exams," Joseph remembered. He said Sanoo always stood with him during his personal crisis. "He staged a protest demanding to reinstate me when I was expelled from my college," he said.

The mortal remains of Sanoo were shifted to the mortuary of the hospital at night. The body will be laid in state from 9 am on Sunday at his home at Karikkamuri and at Ernakulam Town Hall from 10 am. The funeral will take place at the public crematorium in Ravipuram at 4 pm with state honours.