K.C. Unniyanujan Raja passes away

K.C. Unniyanujan Raja, head of Zamorin's family, passes away at 100; known for technological expertise and philanthropy.

K.C. Unniyanujan Raja, 100, head of the erstwhile Zamorin’s family of Kozhikode, passed away here on Thursday.

He had been undergoing treatment for age-related illnesses at a private hospital in the city for around a week. The death occurred around 5.15 p.m. His body will be kept at the Town Hall for the people to pay their respects between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. on Friday. Later, the mortal remains will be taken to Kottakkal Kizhakke Kovilakam, his ancestral home in Malappuram. The final rites will be performed at the family crematorium in the afternoon. His wife, Malathi Nethyar from Kannambra family, predeceased him in 2011. He is survived by daughters Sarasija Ajith Kumar, Shanthi Balagopal, and Maya Govind.

Born on July 8, 1925, Unniyanujan Raja was the fourth child of Kuberan Namboothiripad and Kunjumbatti Thampuratti of the Kizhakke Kovilakam branch of the Zamorin family. He studied at Raja’s High School, Kottakkal, Zamorin’s Guruvayurappan College, and Chengalvaraya Engineering College, then Madras. His professional career began at the Integral Coach Factory in Perambur, Tamil Nadu, and later he moved to Tata Steel in Jamshedpur in then Bihar, and HMT in Kalamassery, Ernakulam. He was also a skilled photographer.

According to his family members, Unniyanujan Raja’s interests ranged from traditional mathematics to advanced computing, leading him to travel extensively and master modern technologies. He was reportedly among the early ones to operate a Computer Numerical Control machine. In 1969, when HMT purchased a CNC machine from a German company, no one at the firm had the expertise to operate it. Unniyanujan Raja travelled to Germany at the company’s expense to acquire the training.

At a time when ordinary people had barely heard of projectors, Unniyanujan Raja installed a home theatre at his residence in Ernakulam. He showcased slides he had brought from abroad. Even before the government initiated a digital survey, Unniyanujan Raja arranged for the accurate digital mapping of over a hundred acres of the Guruvayurappan College compound, ensuring its boundary demarcation.