‘A warm woman’
My grandmother, Usha Veerendra Kumar was an extremely strong and resilient woman. I was lucky enough to spend the first part of my adult life with her. We had positive and joyful memories together. We ensured that we had our meals together. She is someone who took a lot of care of the family and taught us the meaning of strength and value of family. She was literally the glue that used to bind us all together. We used to go for board meetings together, hence we’re connected professionally as well. I can’t pin down to one or two memories with her because there are a lot of them, as I spent everyday with her. She is the one person who used to call me daily without fail no matter wherever I was. Now it’s painful to think of who is going to call us.
My grandmother and granddad MP Veerendra Kumar were people who never had any disagreement in the public; they did it privately. Those were one among the many lessons they taught us. She was the true strength behind my granddad as well, during his political career. During the Emergency period, she was the one who put everything together for the family. My granddad used to walk into the house with people and irrespective of the time and number of people, she made sure that everyone was served food. When she passed away, there were a lot of people from the tribal community who shared their memories on how she fed them.She was a warm woman.
I really love her and will miss her forever.
– Mayura Shreyams Kumar, Director – Digital Business, Mathrubhumi
‘One of the most loving, persistent and kind humans’
Usha Ji, lovingly known as Ajji, is one person I’ve met in real life who truly helped me understand what unconditional love could be. I was privileged to meet her and spend time with her personally only after she was already a grandmother to all her grandchildren. From then, I’ve seen her to be one of the most loving, persistent and kind humans. Her family was everything to her. It was always about ensuring everyone got together and stayed together.
From some stories she and others shared about her, it was known that she had a very, very difficult first lap. Yet, I’ve never heard her speak of anything with despair. She was forgiving too. She loved colours and bright things. I’ve always had her comment on the clothes I wore, with very valid suggestions and opinions. She loved her food and was very clear that there would be no compromises made there.
No matter what, she always stood by her family and if her husband was alive today, he’d agree with me, just like the multiple scenarios where he had acknowledged that, She was a big pillar! One that many had leaned on for comfort and strength. Her absence is too big to let go too easily.
– Renjini Menon, Head, Kappa / Creative Director – Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters
‘Full of concern for the well being of others’
I have met her on a few occasions. She always comes across as a warm, kind-hearted person full of concern for the well being of others. I know she has been unwell and needing attention in the past few years but she is not into highlighting her discomfort in any significant manner. We will unfortunately miss her charming gracious smile. May she be comfortable wherever the Lord has taken her.
– SK Swamy, Chairman, RK Swamy Hansa Group
‘Bold woman who was precise and loving’
Usha Veerendra Kumar was a bold woman who was precise and loving. I have met her on several occasions and the first thing she would ask is. ‘What do you want to eat?’ And she took a lot of effort in ensuring that everyone was fed. She has been the pillar of strength to the family and it’s a loss which can’t be replaced.
– Raju Menon, Director – Operations, Maitri
