In Karnataka, A Muslim MP Conducts The last rites of a Brahmin Professor

On May5, Congress Rajya Sabha member Syed Naseer Hussain of Karnataka performed the last rites of a Brahmin professor who died due to the deadly virus from the Covid-19.

Prof Savitri Vishwanathan, an 80-year-old Japanese language, history, and politics scholar, was the former head of Delhi University's Chinese and Japanese Studies department. Syed conducted the rituals on the same day while on the same day Savitri's younger sister Mahalakshmi Atreyi was fighting for her life in another hospital.

He buried the professor's ashes at Paschima Vahini near Srirangapatna on Tuesday.

Husaain said that she was more than a family friend to him. He also mentioned that she had always taken care of him as she resembled his mother in several ways.

Since her family is dispersed across the world, no one was able to attend due to travel restrictions.

Savitri had been separated from her husband and was childless. He followed a Hindu priest's advice and performed the rituals.

Savitri has made a significant contribution to the growth and promotion of Japanese language education and Japanese studies, as per Hussain, both through scholarly work and mentoring next-generation scholars.

He was recalling her achievements throughout her life as she was a member of the Japan-India Eminent Persons Group and supported Indian Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers in official talks with their Japanese counterparts during the years between 2000-2002.

Several awards and publications are achieved by her. Those various publications include a Hindi (Avagna) and Tamil version of Shimazaki Toson's novel Hakai (Dalit Padumpadu). In1967, she received the Prime Minister's Prize, and in1982, she was awarded the Order of the Precious Crown, Wistaria, by the Japanese government.