In memoriam - Kanniappan

In the early evening of Sunday 10 September, Aurovilian Kanniappan suffered a road accident between Kottakarai village and the Visitors Centre, resulting in a severe head injury that left him unconscious. He was taken to JIPMER where, with his family nearby, he passed away in the afternoon of Monday, September 11th. He was 56 years old.

Hailing from Edayanachavady, Kanniappan was one of those who joined us in the early seventies. Accompanying his father Dhanapal, one of Auroville’s early forest workers, he did all kinds of jobs and, at the age of 13, was one of the first students in Meenakshi’s Ilaignarkal school. Soon, his four brothers and sister joined him in Auroville. He worked for years at the Matrimandir and moved from there to Abri as a mechanic where he built up the Puncture Service, which he ran for the last 30 years.

Kaniappan was a much appreciated Aurovilian, within an always-friendly demeanor and keen knowledge of the job at hand. He was also widely respected in Kottakarai and Edaiyanchavady villages.

Kanniappan’s remains were buried on Tuesday 12th at the Adventure funeral grounds with many people attending.