When they came together to commemorate Thangal

Kodappanakkal house sees solemn gathering of 1,000 people

Tributes to Thangal: Seed-embedded pens being given to guests at the gathering held at Kodappanakkal house at Panakkad on Sunday.

The Kodappanakkal house of the late Syed Mohammedali Shihab Thangal has rarely been in news since his death ten years ago.

On Sunday, the Kodappanakkal courtyard at Panakkad witnessed a solemn gathering of nearly 1,000 people.

All of them were there to commemorate the Thangal whom they loved. Among them were Congress and CPI(M) veterans Aryadan Mohammed and Paloli Mohammedkutty respectively, filmmaker Jayaraj, Azad Moopan, Kazis of Kozhikode and Malappuram, and a bevy of IUML leaders.

The informal gathering convened by Shihab Thangal’s son Syed Munawwarali Shihab paid the richest tributes to the former IUML supremo.

They spoke about their varying experiences with him and the loss his death caused to the Shihab family and society.

Mr. Munawwarali welcomed the guests by offering them seed-embedded pens. “Uppa (father) was very conscious about preserving trees and environment. We chose to offer seed-embedded pens as a mark of respect for his love of nature,” said Mr. Munawwarali.

A few guests from countries like Sri Lanka and Malaysia added grandeur to the gathering.