Man who built his tomb commits suicide

new delhi — Some three years ago, when Joseph Konur was 69, he had a grave dug for himself in the courtyard of his house in Adimali, a hill-locked village in Idukki district in Kerala. Last Monday he committed suicide.

The tombstone itself was as simple and as functional as the man himself. Just a rectangular piece of concrete with his name and date of birth. The date of death was left open. On Monday when Joseph ended his life, his family could fill in that detail as well.

Joseph was an altruist and a rationalist. Though born a Christian, Joseph early on had become a nonbeliever.

Joseph had not confided his intention to commit suicide to his family or friends. But on Monday, Joseph was rather active. He had made several phone calls to his wife, children and close friends in the town, requesting them to visit him in on Tuesday morning. His

He was very happy these days. We all felt that he was preparing for something, but never thought it was for his death.

Joseph, Thankachan, A close friend of Joseph Konur

wife, Leelamma, and three grownup children lived elsewhere in Kerala because of their employment.

The many calls Joseph made the night before he hanged himself from the staircase railing were also typically understated. When his friends asked for details, he only laughed and was evasive. “Just a small event,” he said. The event was his death. The evening before, he had written a small note explaining why he was ending his life. Just like him, again, it was both cryptic and to the point. “The pain is unbearable, so I am ending my life. No one is responsible for my death. Please bury me according to my wish.”

The pain Joseph referred to was about a malfunctioning kidney. It had been troubling him since about the time he built his tomb.

Though his family and friends urged him to go in for treatment, Joseph said it would result in inconveniencing everybody close to him.

In Adimali, for long, Joseph ran an Ayurveda dispensary. He was also a naturopath, and treated patients often for free. To those who could afford it, he charged a nominal fee.

Though active in the town’s cultural life, Joseph had been keeping to himself of late. But last week, he did make the effort to meet one person who played a crucial role in his life: his personal grave digger, a man who shied away from publicity himself, though when the grave was dug in 2014, he was briefly in the news. According to Joseph’s friends it was a curious and close relationship.

Joseph requested him to come home and clean up the grave and rake up the earth. The grave digger, apparently on condition of anonymity, complied with the request. Certainly, he kept the word to himself, which was one reason why Joseph continued to trust him over the years.

Adimali is largely a Christian population. Despite his atheism, Joseph was popular in the town. “He was a man who was against religious malpractices and extremism,” said Sathyan Konattu, a writer, and Joseph’s friend.

Joesph’s burial was devoid of all religious ceremonies, in accordance with his wishes.

It is not clear if any thing in particular triggered Joseph’s decision on Monday. Police officials believe, it was a pre-meditated act and was long in the making.

A close friend of Joseph, Thankachan, said: “He was very happy these days. We all felt that he was preparing for something, but never thought it was for his death. He had some old age related ailments, and his kidney disease brought him severe pain at times. His doctor had advised him to go in for a surgery, but he said he did not want to trouble others in his old age.”

Though Joseph was a non-believer, he was perfectly fine with his family members following their faith and religious rituals. “He never interfered with the personal freedom of others,” Thankachan said.

A couple of years ago, Joseph had written a book titled Ways of Truth, in Malayalam. A copy of the book was buried along with Joseph’s body. Rather symbolically perhaps, the book had been released at a function right next to the grave.

On Monday evening, Joesph made arrangements so a lamp was lit by his grave. “He planned everything to the last detail,” said a relative. He had also made arrangements to take care of his final expenses.

Though Joseph’s tomb bears no intricate details of his life, or an adulatory epitaph, it seems a sort of dark humour suffused all he did. He realised perhaps only too well, everything led to the grave.