Betty Karunakaran, visionary leader and patron of art, passes away

Alappuzha: Betty Karan (Subadra Revi Karunakaran), 87, chairperson of the Karan Group of Companies, social activist, and wife of coir industrialist late Revi Karunakaran, passed away. The funeral was held. She is survived by her only daughter, Geetha Ravi Karunakaran (Lullu).

Betty was the daughter of the late N Sreenivasan, former Excise Minister, SNDP Yogam President and District Judge, and Saraswathy. She assumed leadership of the Karan Group of Companies following the unexpected death of her husband, Revi Karunakaran, who was the backbone of Kerala’s coir industry, in 2003.

She successfully led the group, which comprises coir firms such as William Gudekar, Kerala Balers, and Alleppey Company. In 2006, Betty established the Revi Karunakaran Museum in Alappuzha in memory of her husband.

Spanning 28,000 sq. ft., the museum is internationally acclaimed for its rare art collections, featuring handicrafts accumulated over three generations, beginning with India’s first domestic coir exporter and Revi Karunakaran’s grandfather, Aandiyara Krishnan Mothalali.

The museum is believed to house one of the largest private collections of Swarovski crystal, Lladró porcelain, and Meissen porcelain. It has welcomed many distinguished visitors, including former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

Betty was actively involved in social work and served as the managing trustee of the Revi Karunakaran Charitable Trust. She was also a charter member and patron of the Alappuzha Inner Wheel Club.

A seasoned traveller, she visited over 100 countries for business and leisure and maintained a wide circle of friends across the globe. Malayala Manorama Managing Editor Jacob Mathew visited her residence, Shanthibhavan, to pay his last respects.