When the verdict of the compensation case was reported in the major newspapers, there were unexpected reactions from very different corners. The most emotional reaction was that of my elder brother, Mr. Ramankutty Varier. After seeing the news he came to me, rather embarrassed, and asked angrily, ‘So you need money out of selling the blood of Rajan for a living?’ This pained me so much. I never expected such a reaction from my brother who had stood with me and helped me during all these cases. ‘Your disillusionment and disturbance will disappear once you know how this money is to be used,’ I replied, with tears in my eyes. He cooled down, though half-heartedly.
Many people, including Mr. Eeswara Iyer and Mr. Ram Kumar, had pressured me to go for a case for compensation. That was why I filed the case; otherwise, I too would have thought like my brother.
There were enquiries as to what I was going to do with the money. I had to keep my word to my brother, so I declared my intentions in a press conference. After hearing the news, my brother again came running — this time to congratulate me.
Of the Rs. 600,000 granted, I had to pay almost Rs. 100,000 in court fees. I spent almost Rs. 50,000 instituting some endowments in the name of Rajan at Calicut University and Engineering College, and for the youth festival.
I started work on the Rajan memorial with Rs. 400,000. My aim was to build a ward in the general hospital at Ernakulam. This was what I announced in my press conference. I approached District Hospital Superintendent Mr. Bhaskara Varier. He suggested that instead of going for a general ward, I should consider building a special ward for a special purpose’ for the common person. He also told me that in the general wards beds often remained empty. I accepted this suggestion, for he knew these things better than I, and don’t regret that decision even today. Accordingly a ‘critical care ward’ was built. This is still the only ward in the general hospital where the beds are not empty; it is always crowded with patients.
Mr. Nayanar the Chief Minister was generous enough to allot me a plot of land in the hospital compound. The Health Minister, Mr. Shanmughadas, took special interest in giving me permission to build the ward. An engineer named Mr. Karmachandran, who happened to be a classmate of Rajan from sixth standard in school till his death, was in charge of construction from start to finish, so I did not have to worry about anything during the construction work.
The only concern was when construction was half done there was an attempt to demolish it and build a bus stand at the same place. As far as I know this suggestion came from the District Collector. When it became aware of this plan, the hospital development council immediately informed me. It wanted the ward to be built there. So we filed a petition in the High Court, which stopped the move.
Halfway through the construction I ran out of money and was worried. If I had made a public appeal for funds I would have received help, but I was reluctant to do that. It was then that Mr. Karmachandran informed me that the Dubai chapter of the old student’s association of the Engineering College was ready to extend financial help to complete the construction, and so that problem also was solved.
