He was the last of the
Karanavars (Patriarchs) and yet he
was a man ahead of his times. In the apparent contradiction lies the man. P.K.
Abraham Tharakan (aka Pappachan), was a free-thinking spirit, who carried the
class, the charisma and the culture of his forefathers lightly on his
shoulders. The class was reflected in his innate philosophy of life, in his
sensitivity, respect and concern for others, an appreciation for fellow human
beings and a readiness to lend a helping hand, regardless of his own
difficulties. It is the kind of class that is rarely seen today.
He often quoted Appan,
his father, who had told him before he died, that change and adaptation was
crucial to progress. And so, he changed with the times.
The boy who crossed the customs check point on overnight trips via vallum (country boat) from Olavaipe in the Kingdom of Travancore to Ernakulam in Cochin,
-
as an early teen saw and took part in the dawn of
independent India,
-
as a student led Kerala’s cricket
and hockey teams to victory,
-
as a young man guided his large tribe
of younger siblings after his father's early death,
-
later, faced the onslaught of
communism against the old feudal order,
-
travelled the seas to America to
hold successful talks for a partnership with General Motors,
-
engaged in strategic deals with the
then communist Chief Minister C. Achutha Menon (Kerala economy: The NRI money pile) to create a major manufacturing unit
in labour-resistant God’s Own Country,
- rediscovered the mystic of the old ways in the hands of a water diviner when western technology failed to unearthen underground water resources,
-
in his later years discovered and
mastered the new ways of the internet universe and the online world of blogging.
However, what really
separated him from the multitude was his strength, courage and compassion. Some
souls are sent on earth to help others, and we believe that was what he was
sent here to do.
(Acts of kindness) His race is run, he fought the good fight… the fight that faces all of us frail human beings. And now is his time to rest.
May his soul rest in peace. God bless him.
Posted by his
children
10 comments:
True - we won't see people like him again.
God rest his soul. I did not know him, but started following his blog after stumbling upon it. It was in recent months that I discovered we did have a connection, when he mentioned that Mr. Hormis Tharakan was his younger brother. I met Hormis Tharakan some 30-odd years ago, when he was DIG of Police in Cochin. My father, Adv. K. Vijayan, and he knew each other well in those days.
I enjoyed reading his blog very much and I will miss his unique voice.
Dev
Hats off to the doyen of blogging. You will be missed.
Thanks , thanks once again for sharing the invaluable wealth of your perspectives and experiences.
I don't think there is another blog quite as this one.
My sincere condolences to the dear and near,may the almighty provide his soul the perpetual peace.
RIP Mr Abraham Tharakan.
Kind Regards
You, Mr Tharakan shall be sorely missed. Been a follower of this blog for the past five years or so.I have read and re-read several of your blog posts. It is so upsetting to believe that I will not be seeing any new posts here.I will, however, see you on the other side.
RIP ole' timer.
you will be missed.
May your soul rest in Peace...
Abraham Tharakan's blog was one of a kind.His choice of subjects,his photographs and his distinctive style of writing made reading the blog informative and entertaining.I followed the blog for several years and will certainly miss reading his posts.
RIP Abraham Tharakan
I was perhaps the last to know that Abe, my friend, has crossed over. From mid 1960s our lives intertwined and brought us together to work for the same organization, that cemented our bond. Abe will live with me as long as I live and I do ope that when I join him in the unknown and unknowable, W will be together. His was a life to be celebrated not for his own achievements but his helping hand to many, but his death will always be mourned. Till we meet Abe.
nat
Loved his blog. So sad he is gone. May his soul rest in peace.
Sunita kumar
I hope one of his children, my nephews and nieces, will keep the blog going.
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