Chennai: Dressed in a white salwar, a woman was seen running tirelessly giving directions and coordinating things at Anna samadhi on Wednesday evening when the mortal remains of DMK president and former chief minister M Karunanidhi were laid to rest.
Most people could not stop asking who she was and what role she had in the scheme of things at the burial site.
‘News Today’ has the answer for these questions – She is P Amudha, the IAS officer who was in-charge of the works carried out at the burial site.
Amudha told ‘News Today’ she was informed about her role around 8 am yesterday.
“Even before the venue was decided, I was asked to look after the work to be carried out, as a State funeral was ordered for the former CM. We began the works as soon as the (High Court) verdict was pronounced (directing the government to allot space at Marina), around 10.30 am. We wanted to make sure things happened smoothly and all protocols were followed without any compromise,” she said.
The first measure she took was to ensure that crowds were not allowed inside the burial site.
“Since the place was small and could accommodate only few people, we started clearing the area around 11 am and secured the perimeter,” she said.
Talking about the support from the DMK, she said MLAs E V Velu and Sekar Babu were the point of contact from the party side and were very helpful in making the necessary arrangements.
One thing which caught the attention of everyone was her interaction with Karunanidhi’s family members during the last few minutes. Talking about this, Amudha reiterated that her duty was to ensure that all protocols were followed and the burial happened smoothly.
“At the same time, we have to understand the emotions of the family. It is one of the most difficult things to do. But Karunanidhi’s family members were very cooperative. I briefed them about the protocol just before the gun carriage arrived and they listened and followed it accordingly,” she added.
Talking about her association with Karunanidhi, she said she respects all leaders from the State and the same goes for Karunanidhi.
“It was during his regime that I was promoted as Sub-Collector and later as Collector. He will always have my respect,” she said.
Responding to the praise showered on her for the way the funeral was conducted, Amudha, who was known for her good work when she was Kanchipuram Collector, said, “Whatever job I am assigned to do, I always try to do my best and I am happy that this all-important event went off well.”