Love never stands alone. It is always amidst tears, sacrifice, suppression, oppression, and the list goes on. Also, it is forcefully moulded by society and beliefs. What if you are left to wait a lifetime and, at last, you are left unfulfilled? What if society and fate had other plans?
This is not about any romantic gestures or words. This love is the one where two souls unite forever. Fictional love stories, be they pleasant or tragic, leave a great impact on us. At the same time, our mind is aware that these never happen in real life.
This is the real story of Kanchanamala and BP Moideen from Kerala, set in the 1960s, which redefined true love. She comes from a wealthy conservative family in a small town called Mukkam, on the banks of the Iravazhinji River. Moideen, also from the same locality, belongs to a politically sound Muslim household. The then-contemporary social norms highly condemned their marriage due to their religious difference. A furious family forced Kanchana to discontinue her studies. She was constantly beaten up for her rebellion. In addition, mental abuse also followed.
Moideen was expelled from his house and faced strong discrimination. Yet he continued his social service and became a sound socio-political activist. On one hand, he followed his passion for service; on the other hand, he was drenched in hope and waited patiently. Despite all this, their love never ceased; instead, it only flourished stronger.
Kanchanamala was confined to her house for nearly 22 years. She saw neither the world outside nor her own world, Moideen. But they did not succumb to these restrictions. They tried different ways to communicate with each other. When everything failed, letters gave them a hand. They invented a secret code language that only they could understand. We live in an era where failing to catch up on a date could even lead to breakups. But here, all these years, Kanchana and Moideen seldom met each other in person, yet the letters sustained their love.
Meanwhile, Kanchana’s family tried to persuade her to marry someone of their choice. But she fought them boldly and continued her wait in confinement. She switched her wardrobe to that of a widow and led a melancholic life, hoping for a life with her soulmate, Moideen. She boldly stated that she would either marry Moideen or none. Their love was so intense that no force in the world could influence this decision.
Years passed by, but their union still seemed impossible. Finally, they decided to elope to a distant place away from the so-called societal norms and religious constraints. But they never suspected fate and its conspiracy with the Iravazhinji River. It was a fine, exciting day—the one they hoped for years. Moideen, along with several others, was crossing the Iravanji River. He had arranged for their passports and was on his way to take Kanchana and leave quickly.
That day, the sky roared with thunder, and nature sounded fierce. It was raining heavily, and the atmosphere did not seem right. But all this did not alter Moideen’s smile, for after all these years, he was going to start his life.
As stated earlier, the cruel conspiracy started taking shape. Heavy showers cascaded down the earth. The boat lost control, and all the people started drowning in the water. An expert swimmer himself, Moideen began to save everyone without a care for his life. Unfortunately, while trying to save two kids, he got trapped in a whirlpool. Fate and the river turned cruel this time by swallowing his life. In fact, not only his life but also a bunch of incomplete dreams and desires were lost. Decades-long wait and sacrifice—all were shattered in a few moments.
The news of his tragic death destroyed Kanchana. She even decided to end her life, unable to think of living in a world without Moideen. But then, Moideen’s mother took her to their house as her daughter-in-law. She too realized that she had to live for Moideen, to fulfil his dreams. “His dreams became my responsibility,” says Kanchana (source: The New Indian Express article on Seva Mandir). Hence, a heartbroken Kanchana started living in his house as his widow, or to be more precise, his unmarried widow. Even the mighty fate failed before her willpower.
In a world that teaches us to move on, Kanchana’s story teaches the lesson of holding on. According to her, only Moideen has died; her love for him hasn’t. She transformed his dreams as hers and stood for his principles and motives. Later, she established the ‘BP Moideen Seva Mandir’ in the loving memory of Moideen. It was one of his ambitions to serve the poor and those in need. Hence, Kanchana founded this NGO where several services were provided, including blood banks and shelter for women. She also established a library in his memory.
This tragic love story inspired the National Award-winning 2015 Malayalam movie, ‘Ennu Ninte Moideen’. Written and directed by R. S. Vimal, the film starred Parvathy Thiruvothu as Kanchanamala and Prithviraj Sukumaran as BP Moideen, bringing life to the characters. What made the movie more soulful was the mesmerising background score by Gopi Sundar and the intense and soul-stirring music composition by M. Jayachandran. The movie brought tears to almost everyone’s eyes who watched it. Ever since the popularity of the movie, people eagerly visit Kanchanamala at Mukkam and lovingly take selfies with her.
Kanchanamala is not just a woman in a story, but she is the author of her legacy. Her battle was never loud; it was silent, but powerful. Even now, she continues to live in the presence of her dear Moideen in her heart, going through the letters they had exchanged. She says, “After his death, my life ended, but I continued to live” (source: The Times of India).
Some love stories either end in marriage, whereas some end in separation. But Kanchanamala and Moideen’s story ended in a never-ending wait left unfulfilled. Even today, in the silence of the Iravazhinji River that witnessed the universal divine love, there echoes the love story that never got its ending.