The Good and the Bad at the moment!
GOOD: No 11, Kotturpuram
MS’s monumental career and accolades were belied by the simplicity of her surroundings
BY VATSALA VEDANTAM
The address was not imposing. Nor was the person residing in it. She owned no material possessions, laid claim to no property. She did all the household chores and was known to cook her own food. Her education ended with the third form and she had very little to say for herself. Yet, prime ministers bowed before her, film magnates travelled across oceans to see her, popes gave her audience. Young and old, rich or poor, her admirers craved her proximity.
However, none of this adulation touched her. Till the end she remained simple, self-effacing and unspoilt.
Her unpretentious dwelling place said it all. It could have belonged to any middle class householder in Tamil Nadu. A small well-scrubbed courtyard, decorated with kolam. An even smaller verandah with sundry footwear piled in a corner. A h...