He was running a small hotel in Malaysia when N. Kunhiraman, inspired by the call of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, joined the Indian National Army (INA).Though he died in 2009, his heroic stories about Netaji and the INA always stayed with his son K. Sudhakaran, a former Principal of Kannur Government Medical College, and family members who grew up listening to it.
Now, a 12-foot-tall statue of Netaji is nearing completion on the premises of the residence of Dr. Sudhakaran at Trikaripur in Kasaragod on the occasion of Netaji’s 125th birth anniversary which was celebrated on Sunday.
“Netaji had such a great influence on my father that he joined INA and never went back to his hotel,” said Dr. Sudhakaran.
He was part of the INA soldiers who reached closed to Manipur on foot when Japan fell to the allies in the Battle of Imphal. He survived the Nilganj Massacre after being kept in the Nilganj jail. Kunhiraman was later released after a long trial.
“It was my father’s wish that a Netaji memorial had to be built in Trikaripur so that future generations would cherish the role Netaji played in our Independence movement,” he said.
The family decided to construct a statue of Netaji and roped in artist Trikaripur Raveendran, a well-known sculptor who is a member of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi and Kerala Sahitya Akademi, to do the job.
The work, which has cost ₹6 lakh, is almost complete. Though it was proposed to be inaugurated last year, the work got delayed due to the outbreak of COVID-19, said Dr. Sudhakaran.
