Communication

THIS is a clarification with regard to the following statement in Vithal Rajan’s article about my father K.G. Kannabiran, published in the February issue of Seminar.

‘His friendship with Arun Shourie ended the day he uttered anti-Muslim opinions.’ This is not correct. Arun Shourie and my father shared a very deep bond that went way beyond the political. I quote from the acknowledgments to my father’s 2003 book, Wages of Impunity: ‘I cannot forget Arun Shourie’s friendship, love and total support of my human rights activity in the decade following the Emergency, particularly during the tenures of the Tarkunde Committee and the Bhargava Commission.’

Outside of the family, Arun is the only person who is recalled in such intimate terms in this book. While they did not any longer work together or appear on a platform together after they parted ways politically, their friendship did not end. And both were incredibly tender with reference to each other. Arun Shourie was in Hyderabad after a long gap the day before my father died, on 29th December and called to check when he could visit. Since my father was very ill, we promised to get back if he was better the following day. When Arun received news of his death instead, his was by far the most caring message we received and his grief was palpable. This is what made my father so special. You simply couldn’t put him in a box. He made his rules and his relationships in ways that we as family grew up with and learnt. And Arun Shourie and his family – Anita, Adit and his parents too who my father knew and loved, are people we feel warmly about, even while we might have serious political disagreements. So, no, the friendship did not end from either side.

Kalpana Kannabiran

Secunderabad