THRISSUR: Relatives Arya Premji died on Monday at Thiruvananthapuram aged 99, remembers her as a bold woman who along with her husband Premji, a social reformer and professional stage activist, set the tone for the liberation of women in the Namboothiri community.
First, it was Premji’s brother M. R. Bhattathiripad (MRB) who led the way by taking inspiration from the plays of V. T. Bhattathiripad on the theme of the liberation of Namboothiri women. Later, Premji married Arya, widowed at an age of 15.
The marriages created flutters in the community and the brothers were banned from entering their ancestral home at Vadakkekad in Thrissur and got settled in Punkunnam.
Though she could not attend school due to the customs prevalent in the community, she knew Sanskrit and was a treasure of knowledge. She was very much active in her social life, remembers her close relatives.
