Kamala Kasturi, wife of G Kasturi, former Editor ofThe Hindu, passed away in the city on February 20 at the age of 89. G Kasturi was the longest-serving Editor of The Hindu; he passed away on September 21, 2012.
According to her friends and family members, Kamala Kasturi was an unassuming person but a staunch environmentalist.
Sudha Ravi, wife of N Ravi, Chairman of Kasturi and Sons, said Kamala Kasturi was the founding member of the Environmental Society, Chennai. She launched the Society along with her friends Prema Srinivasan and Radha Burnier, who was the president of The Theosophical Society of India in 1984, and also served as Joint Secretary of the Society.
She was involved in several environmental protection projects, and the campaign to save the Cauvery River from several dyeing units. She had participated in several tree planting campaigns and was also a petitioner in the public interest litigation (PIL) against the slaughter house that was proposed to be constructed in Red Hills.
Chitra Mahesh, who once worked withThe Hindu and knew Kamala Kasturi personally, said she was more of a spiritual than a religious person. The best thing to be learnt from her life was how she remained friends with several people for as long as 60 to 70 years, she said.
Kamala Kasturi leaves behind two sons — K Balaji and K Venugopal — and a daughter, Lakshmi Srinath, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Venugopal and Lakshmi Srinath are directors of Kasturi and Sons.