Thodupuzha: V L Bhavani Amma, who was the inspiration for ‘Ammoommathiri’, passed away in Ernakulam.

Bhavani Amma is the grandmother of Lakshmi Menon, who won the ‘Vanitha Woman of the Year’ award. Lakshmi, a social entrepreneur, got the idea for her initiative ‘Amoommathiri’ from her grandmother. Paying scant heed to the issues of old age, the elderly woman used to painstakingly make thiri (wick).

These thiris went on to provide livelihood to several elderly and destitute people. The thiri that came with the witty tagline of 'Chummathe irikathe churuttiya thiri' (that roughly translates to wicks rolled instead of sitting idle) was received by Keralites with much enthusiasm after the famous Chekutty dolls.

A native of Kudamaloor, Bhavani Amma got married to Ramachandran Nair and shifted to his ancestral home in Kumaramangalam 77 years ago. She stood by her husband for the development of the land. Bhavani Amma also handed over land for starting government institutions and educational institutions in the region.

The elderly woman breathed her last at her daughter’s house at Kanjiramattom in Ernakulam. P J Joseph MLA, was among the several noted personalities from the political, social and cultural fields, who arrived to pay their last respects to Bhavani Amma. The funeral was held at the premises of the ancestral home in Kumaramangalam. Her son R K Das lit the funeral pyre.