Dubai – At his flat in Karama on his last birthday, a young man named Atlas Ramachandran said, “I am 80 years old” in the middle of his close friends. Even though he was 80, he continued to prove in words and deeds that he was not old at all.
He opened the door and introduced each friend’s name and horoscope to the others. He was convinced that memory and words do not mix. “When one owns an empire, one’s enemies increase. I am nobody by anyone’s recommendation, I was too late to understand the deception of those who tried to cut me down. By then he was in jail.
Everything has been given up” – the tone of Ramachandran’s words, without despair or vexation, is reminiscent of the title, Janakodi’s loyal institution.
Seeing Ramachandran in a shimmering pink sherwani on his birthday felt like the old Atlas appeared in front of him. The birthday song written by brother Ramaprasad was released by music director M. Jayachandran.
In the song, Ramachandran chronicled his life as a banker, film producer, distributor, actor, jewelery entrepreneur and experienced ups and downs. That business failure and survival is also the struggle story of his wife Indira. When her husband and daughter were involved in the case, and even those who had become dependents became enemies, Indira, who had stood behind Ramachandran till then, fought from the front.
Although the cases were not completely solved, Indu tried to release her husband and untie the knots one by one. Indira, who was with Ramachandran as her support, was exhausted and cried yesterday. The death was unexpected. The departure comes as Atlas prepares to re-open its stores, reviving in public. The treatment was sought after a small lump in the abdomen turned into pain. Surgery was done a few days ago.
The situation quickly worsened. The news of the death came out around 11 pm on Sunday. Wife Indira and daughter Dr. Manju, her husband Arun and Ramachandran’s brother Ramaprasad were at the hospital till the last minute. A post-mortem test was found to be positive for Covid-19. Friends will only have the face of Ramachandran, who resides in the hearts of crores of people.
Only close relatives said goodbye to him. There was no public viewing as per the Covid criteria. Ramachandran will not return to the bosom of Thrissur. The fame, wealth and pains that the world of exile gave him left behind in this land and rest in the crematorium of Jebel Ali Sonapur.